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Fitness gurus recommend growing those glutes with the hip thrust — here’s why

Research shows the hip thrust is more effective at training the glutes for sprinting compared to the split squat or back squat.

By Steph Green Published February 26, 2025

Man wearing black and red sneakers in gym doing hip thrusts with weight barbell on bench — Dark Saiyaman / Adobe Stock

The hip thrust lights up your glutes and hamstrings to strengthen and sculpt these major muscles. It’s a weighted variation of the glute bridge where your back is elevated up off the floor. Fitness gurus recommend the weighted hip thrust to primarily work your gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and hamstrings while also engaging your quads, core, and adductors.

How to do the hip thrust

hip thrust — Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock

It’s best to start by mastering the basic bridge before attempting the weighted hip thrust. Always start with lighter weights and work your way up as you develop strength over time.

How to do a weighted hip thrust:

Start with your back on an exercise bench and your glutes on the floor.
Place one weight across your hips, or rest one weight on each hip.
Engage your core and squeeze your glutes.
Lift your hips to press the weight straight up until your hips are in line with your shoulders and knees.
Squeeze your glutes at the top and hold the pose for a moment.
Carefully lower your hips back down to the starting position.
Repeat until you complete the set.

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What are the benefits of the hip thrust?

-man barbell on ground in gym strong — Estudiopolaroid / Pexels

There are plenty of reasons to give this popular move a try, including:

Improve your hip extension and work your hip extensor muscles.
Level up your lower body workout routine.
Enhance your overall fitness.
Strengthen and grow your glutes.
Strengthen and grow your quads.

Research reveals the hip thrust is more effective when it comes to activating the hip extensor muscles compared to the deadlift, the Romanian deadlift, or the barbell squat. Another interesting study showed that the hip thrust was more effective at training the glutes for sprinting compared to the split squat or the back squat.

The importance of glute strength

man doing hip thrust with barbell in gym - MIGUEL MARTINEZ FRIAS Shutterstock — Miguel Martinez Frias / Shutterstock

Building glute strength with moves like the hip thrust helps stabilize your core, lower body, and pelvis and lower your risk of knee pain, back pain, and various injuries. Stronger glutes can help you amplify your athletic abilities, including sprinting and jumping. Plus, you’ll also sculpt the derriere.

Steph Green (Steph Zee) is a singer-songwriter and professional writer with over 12 years of experience in healthcare and…

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