The Amazing Hip Thrust

Everyone wants a stronger and more shapely set of gluteal muscles for many reasons including the fact that they are the largest and most powerful muscle group in the body.    The gluteal muscle group is made up of three muscles:   Gluteus Maximus (Glute Max for short!), Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus.    Glute Max makes up the bulk of your rear end, and its main function is to extend the hip and also prevent the upper body from falling forward relative to the lower body and hip.

The most powerful exercise for targeting the Glute Max is the hip thrust because it emphasizes the fully contracted which is how we get the maximum activation of the Glute Max.  Initially hip thrusts aka hip bridges can be done on the floor lying on the back with knees flexed at 90% and lift the hips up as far as possible (without arching the back!) and lower back down again.

However most people quickly need more load than just bodyweight to keep progressing.   This is where things get tricky because loading this movement is not easy or comfortable and can even be unsafe!       

What most people do is place the back of their shoulders on a bench facing up with knees flexed and feet flat on the floor then use a barbell across the hips.    Not only is the highly uncomfortable it is really challenging to get into position without people handing you the loaded barbell.   It also takes up a lot of space.

Another option is to use something softer like a sandbag across the hips which is more comfortable but is still awkward and hard to get enough load to do the exercise properly.  

Hip Thrust Machine

By far the best option for comfort, safety, and effectiveness is the Glute Trainer by Matrix Fitness.  Check out this short video to understand why:    https://youtu.be/Dl4_ECUA6Tg 

Male or female - beginner to Olympic athlete can all use this machine!  The long movement arm means that you can use a lot less weight to achieve any desired level of resistance compared to loading a barbell.  You also have the choice of using it with plates or bands or both to optimize overload and results!

The hip thrust does NOT involve a large range of motion and the key is holding the top position and squeezing the glutes without arching the back.    Try a couple sets of 15 – 25 deliberate reps and you will immediately see why this is such a powerful exercise for the glutes.    It is important to NOT arch your back and to get a sense of exactly how to perform a hip thrust check out this tutorial from Bret Contreras who literally put the Hip Thrust Exercise on the map!:  https://youtu.be/LM8XHLYJoYs 

If you couple this with exercises that place maximum stress on the glutes in the fully extended position like lunges, step-ups, and Split Squats with the rear foot elevated – you will get all the glute development you want.     Then you just need to add in hip abduction for a complete glute routine!