Barbell Hip thrusts

[Jay Maly]

Hey!

Just a question on barbell hip thrusts and your opinion on this movement. It’s regarded by many as the best Glute exercise. I have seen content from you describing the hip dominant leg press and banded rack RDl as your 2 choices as optimum for Glute development.

Just interested to find out how you think the barbell hip thrusts stands up to these movements?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Jay Maly wrote:

Hey!

Just a question on barbell hip thrusts and your opinion on this movement. It’s regarded by many as the best Glute exercise. I have seen content from you describing the hip dominant leg press and banded rack RDl as your 2 choices as optimum for Glute development.

Just interested to find out how you think the barbell hip thrusts stands up to these movements?

Thanks!

If we are looking things from purely maximizing glute activation hip thrusts is probably one of the best options in that regard.
In hip thrusts you are not going to be limited by your core or back strength (stability) (or at least not nearly as much) and another great benefit is that mechanically it’s very friendly movement for most people whereas squats for instance just don’t suit that well for certain body structures.

[Joe]

Jay Maly wrote:

Hey!

Just a question on barbell hip thrusts and your opinion on this movement. It’s regarded by many as the best Glute exercise. I have seen content from you describing the hip dominant leg press and banded rack RDl as your 2 choices as optimum for Glute development.

Just interested to find out how you think the barbell hip thrusts stands up to these movements?

Thanks!

So for any exercise always break it down into the three main principles and subcategories that define a “good” exercise:
1. alignment
2. Bracing (including complexity/stabilizing)
3. Profiles (including ROM trained)
So considering those factors, I’d give it a “good” rating overall considering hits 2/3 well. (And then of course has unique advantages when actually programming for individuals). Alignment is it’s best advantage over pretty much every other exercise. It’s one of the few glute exercises that has almost no quad involvement. As long as you can actually isolate hip extensions (not move the spine), the only other “big” muscles that can really extend the hips are hams, and adductors. And considering the length the hams are in, they are very hard to use. So with a little cuing, it’s a very easy exercise to make sure you’re actually using the glutes and keep everything else out of it. The bracing is “good”. Considering the floor and bench aren’t moving, and the hips are the joint going through the most motion (ankle/knee nominal). Even though the spine isn’t loaded there is a bit of complexity having to manage it (compared to a leg press for example). But the profile and ROM trained are pretty poor overall. Considering it doesn’t load the glutes lengthened range at all (where they are strongest) and overloads the glutes in their shortened range (where they are weakest). So force production will be relatively low compared to what they are capable of in their lengthened/midrange. That’s why having to pick top two, I have leg press and banded RDL a slight edge (based on force production, which LONG TERM is long). BUT in real life, I would/have still prioritized them as a “meat and potatoes” movement for someone that has a hard time feeling there glutes (put them first in a session). As force production (profiles) and bracing don’t matter if it’s produced with the wrong muscle (it’s extremely easy to use quads on leg press, and hams on RDLs if you can’t use your glutes well). BUT, if someone can train/use their glutes well, I would just keep them a little later the session (my wife for example has them 2nd and 3rd movement on her 2 lower body days). I consider thrusts/bridges to glutes as leg extensions are to quads…in a lot of ways.

[Jay Maly]

Great! Noted! More of a tracked activation for a Glute dominant session; as apposed to something that can be the be all and end all for the glutes. Thanks!

[Joe]

Jay Maly wrote:

Great! Noted! More of a tracked activation for a Glute dominant session; as apposed to something that can be the be all and end all for the glutes. Thanks!

And they can definitely still produce enough force to grow glutes…but AT SOME POINT you’ll need to get good at glute movements that load the lengthened/mid-ranges as well. Assuming most everyone will need to keep progressing the amount of force required to grow

[Jay Maly]

Awesome! Yeah I have given the banded RDl a go and didn’t feel it as I should so will deffo try out programming it after hip thrusts. Along with the hip dominant leg press

Thanks!

[Author]

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