This One Mistake Can Keep You From Reaping The Booty Benefits Of Hip Thrusts
So you can do squats for days and deadlifts like it's NBD. Sounds like it's time to bring a new leg-day move into your life, eh? Introducing: hip thrusts.
If you feel like you've seen 'em all over Instagram, you're not hallucinating. Hip thrusts are the move of the moment—and they deserve ~all~ of the love they're getting these days. Athletes and influencers alike have been singing their praises, and some trainers have even built entire careers on using hip thrusts to help clients build the strongest, most sculpted booties of their dreams.
Whether you're working out in your living room or at a gym, hip thrusts are a great lower-body exercise to incorporate into your routine. You can perform the trendy move with just your bodyweight, resistance bands, or free weights like a dumbbell or barbell.
And whether you want to get as strong as possible or simply strength train to keep your running game solid, hip thrusts can help. So, are you sold on those hip thrust benefits or what? Here's everything you need to know about the move—and how to use them to level up your leg workouts, according to trainers.
So, what is a hip thrust?
Ever see someone at the gym or in a workout video doing what looks sort-of like a glute bridge, but with their shoulders elevated on a bench, couch, or stability ball? That, my friends, is a hip thrust.
In a hip thrust, you push through your lower body (more on the specific muscles it lights up in a sec) to lift your hips (and potentially a weight) up into a bridge position.
The goal: To build lower-body strength and muscle.
"Hip thrusts are highly beneficial, both an aesthetic and a performance standpoint," says Danyele Wilson, CPT, a trainer with Tone & Sculpt, who uses them with her clients (and in her own workouts) all. the. time. (Read: A win for building the booty of your dreams and beasting your workouts.)
What muscles do hip thrusts work?
Hip thrusts are best-known for targeting your glutes (a.k.a. butt) muscles. However, when performed properly they also activate your hamstrings (and quads and adductor muscles, otherwise known as your inner thighs, a bit, too), Wilson explains.
Though you might already hit these muscles with deadlifts, they definitely need the love. "The hip thrust is a great exercise for developing your posterior chain (backside of your body), which we often neglect," adds Kehinde Anjorin, CFSC, strength coach and creator of The Power Method.
The benefits of hip thrusts are SO real.
If all the above isn't enough to convince you to give hip thrusts a try, perhaps the fact that they're one of the ~best~ exercises for your butt will win you over. Yep, they're one of Wilson's go-to's for increasing glute strength and size.
That said, the move also supports overall lower-body functionality, which basically means it helps your lower-body better tackle other exercises and everyday activities, says Wilson.
In fact, hip thrusts are especially helpful for runners and spin fanatics because they build the lower-body strength and power those workouts require. Specifically, they work hip extension, a movement pattern you won't get far on the tread or bike without, says Anjorin.
Not sure how to do a hip thrust? Follow these step-by-step instructions.
Of course, reaping all those juicy hip thrust benefits requires doing it right, y'all. Keep Wilson's step-by-step breakdown in mind before thrusting willy-nilly.
How to: Sit with feet flat on the floor in front of a couch, workout bench, or stable chair. Place forearms flat on surface so elbows point back and fingers point forward. (Alternatively, you can rest your shoulder blades directly across the surface, which is the way to go if you plan to add weights to the move.) Lift seat up off floor and walk feet out until planted slightly beyond knees. This is your starting position. Push through heels and engage glutes to extend hips up until body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Reverse the movement to return to start. That's one rep.
Keep a couple of key form tips in mind while you thrust.
Throughout your thrust, there are two very important form cues to keep in mind, says Anjorin. First, keep your chin tucked and your gaze slightly down to avoid straining your neck or shoulders. And, second, keep your spine as neutral as possible throughout the movement to avoid putting too much stress on that lower back.
Look out for these common hip thrust mistakes, too.
In addition to following those form tips, there are also a couple of common hip thrust mistakes to watch out for when building that booty.
One basic no-no to avoid: Either not extending your hips up enough OR overextending them. At the top of the exercise, your hips should be in-line with your ribcage, Anjorin says. If you've pushed 'em up higher, you've gone too far. (This shifts the load from your glutes to your lower back.)
Another important thing to avoid: Shrugging your shoulders up towards your ears throughout the movement, which will leave you feeling strain in your back and neck, instead of working your glutes and hammies, says Wilson.
Wondering how hip thrusts compare to glute bridges? Let me explain.
If you're thinking that hip thrusts just sound like jazzed-up glute bridges, you're not far off. But does moving your upper body from the floor up to a bench really make that much of a difference? It really, really does.
"Both exercises are glute-dominant, hip-hinging movements," says Wilson. "However, the main difference lies in the range of motion. The hip thrust involves a greater range of motion than the glute bridge, making it a more advanced and powerful movement."
Basically, traveling through a bigger range of motion means more time under tension (a.k.a. more work) for your muscles, Anjorin explains.
Since glute bridges are easier to master, start out with them before moving onto hip thrusts.
Now, here's how to add hip thrusts to your workout routine...
Now that you're pretty much a pro on all things hip thrusts, it's time to spice up those workouts.
Both Anjorin and Wilson personally incorporate the exercise into their leg day sweats. To build strength and muscle, Wilson recommends shooting for three sets of six to 12 reps. To keep her body working in between sets, Anjorin, meanwhile, alternates sets of hip thrusts with sets of walking lunges. Phwew!
If hip thrusts are new for you, check in on your bodyweight form before adding weights into the mix.
...and here's how to add weight to your hip thrusts.
Ready to up the intensity? After nailing those bodyweight hip thrusts (and warming up with a few sets of weight-free glute bridges and hip thrusts), you can totally load 'em up with weight.
The most popular method of choice: a barbell. "Place the weight right on your hip crease," says Anjorin. As you increase the load, just consider wrapping a hoodie (or a barbell pad) around the bar to keep it comfortable. Alternatively, hold a single dumbbell or kettlebell across your hips.
You can also keep your routine fresh with these hip thrust variations.
To continue to spice up your hip thrust routine, you can also mix in a couple of variations. One of both Anjorin and Wilson's favorite: single-leg hip thrusts. Drop any weights your using, hover your non-working leg a few inches off of the floor, and prepare to set that working leg on FIRE. As you build strength and stability in the single-leg version, you can pop a dumbbell onto your hip crease for more of a challenge.
Want to test your balance without going single-leg? Swap that sturdy bench or couch for a stability ball.
Another popular tweak: banded hip thrusts. Here, simply wrap a looped resistance band around your legs just above your knees and thrust away, actively pressing your knees outwards against the band to work your hip abductors (outer thighs) and sides of your glutes.
The bottom line: The hip thrust is a great glute- and hamstring-focused strength training exercise. You can perform it with no equipment or with a dumbbell or barbell to boost strength and power and build muscle.
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