Mar 7

Mar 7 3 Hip Thrust Workouts for Building Glute Muscle

Hip thrusts are certified glute builders and you will make gains with these workouts.

I can’t stress enough how important your glute muscles are.

The glute muscles are involved in nearly every lift, from squatting to deadlifting, and if you have underdeveloped glutes, you’re going to pay for it.

No exercise is associated with developing the glutes more than the hip thrust and it’s for good reason.

Hip Thrust Muscles Worked

The hip thrust primarily develops the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in your body.

For a hip thrust, your upper body is elevated and your lower body is sagging. You're driving your lower body up from the down position by flexing your glutes.

Hip thrusts can also activate the hamstrings, quadriceps, and adductors - but when done properly, we want to limit these muscles from jumping in and assisting the movement. This is a glute-focused exercise.

Hip Thrust Variations

There are many different ways to do hip thrusts, depending on what equipment you have available to you, your current ability, and your goals.

The main options for doing hip thrusts are with a barbell, dumbbell, machine, bodyweight, or Smith machine.

Each option comes with its own advantages and disadvantages, but all can be extremely effective for working your glutes and building backside muscle.

Warm up your glutes before all three of these workouts with 2-3 sets of 10-20 slow and controlled reps of bodyweight hip thrusts or glute bridges.

Hip Thrust Workout #1 (Barbell)

This workout is best for anyone with a barbell and plates whose goal is to develop lower body strength and mass.

5x5 - 5 Sets of 5 Reps

Barbell Hip Thrust
Barbell Front Squat
Barbell Romanian Deadlift

Load a barbell with a weight you can do up to five hip thrusts with good form.

Rest the barbell along your hip crease at the top of your thighs. You can use a pad, a rolled yoga mat, or a rolled towel to make the barbell placement more comfortable.

Do 5 sets of 5 reps with 1-2 minutes of rest between sets.

Optional: for greater muscle hypertrophy, lighten the weight after your last set of the 5x5 and do one set for 15-20 reps on each exercise.

Hip Thrust Workout #2 (Dumbbell)

Just because you don’t have a barbell doesn’t mean you can’t do hip thrusts. If you’re stuck working out at home or in a small hotel gym, try this.

This workout is best for anyone with access to only dumbbells whose goal is to build muscle in their glutes.

There are two ways to do hip thrusts with a dumbbell - single-leg (unilateral) or with both legs working.

Since the weight of the dumbbell is typically lighter than what you can do with a barbell, this workout is going to focus on volume and tension. This means more reps and a 3-5 second hold at the top of the movement.

4 Sets of 15-20 Reps

Dumbbell Hip Thrust
Dumbbell Split Squat
Dumbbell Stiff-Leg Deadlift
Dumbbell Calf Raise
Dumbbell Walking Lunges

Grab a dumbbell you can do 15-20 reps with both feet on the floor or a dumbbell you can do 15-20 reps with one foot on the floor and the other lifted.

Place the dumbbell on your lap while leaning your back against a bench, flex your glutes to drive your lower body up, and hold at the top for 3-5 seconds while continuing to flex your glutes.

For the single-leg unilateral variation of this workout, lift the non-working foot off the ground and drive through the working side.

Do 15-20 reps on one side, switch legs, and do another 15-20 reps on the other side. Rest for 30 seconds to a minute between sets.