While many people adore barbell hip thrusts and they can be a great option, you do not have to do heavy barbell hip thrusts to strengthen and grow your glutes! In fact, you do not have to do barbell hip thrusts at all if you do not enjoy doing them.
There is no reason why you must perform any particular exercise. If performing a specific exercise doesn’t feel good, hurts your body, or if you don’t enjoy performing the exercise, there are many other options that will help you achieve the same goal.
Some Disadvantages Of Heavy Barbell Hip Thrusts:
- Heavy barbell hip thrusts are a surprisingly technically demanding exercise, and they require a lot of lumbo-pelvic stability (think core stability).
- The barbell placement can feel uncomfortable for many people.
- Getting into the starting position can be tricky.
- Perhaps the biggest issue people have, setting up/loading the weights can take a long time, particularly when more weight is being used. Back in the day when I used to do heavy barbell hip thrusts (before I found many other glute exercises I enjoy more and find more effective), the set-up took way longer than doing the actual exercise. I haven’t done heavy barbell hip thrusts in over a decade, and my glute strength is the best it’s been!
To be clear, if you enjoy doing heavy barbell hip thrusts and if they feel good, keep doing them! They can be a great option for some people. But there are also many other awesome options!
For the record, for 95%+ of people I’m not a fan of doing extremely heavy barbell hip thrusts (1-3 or so reps).
What I mean by ‘’heavy” is any weight where you are unable to perform more than 6-8 reps using good form, range, and control. So 300 lbs for one person might be very light, but for another person it would be considered very heavy.
If someone is using barbell hip thrusts, I generally recommend a medium to high rep range (8-15 or so reps).
Here are 5 of my go-to exercises for building strong glutes. You can do these glute exercises at home or the gym.
#1) Negative 1.5 Rep Hip Thrusts
This exercise strengthens the glutes. I’m using a negative 1.5 rep tempo which I’ll describe below.
Coaching Tips:
- Set yourself up so your shoulder blade/upper back area, and upper arms are positioned on a bench, chair, or other stable surface. Your head, torso and hips should be in a stacked position. You should feel very stable on the surface.
- If you are using weight, hold the weight on your hips. You may also use band resistance.
- Place your feet so they are approximately hip width apart. Figure out what position works and feels best for you.
- Bend your knees to roughly a 90 degree angle. Place your shins in a relatively vertical position.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now take 3-5 seconds and lower your hips to a range where you can maintain proper form.
- Once you get to the bottom position, use your glutes to lift your hips halfway to the top position, back to the bottom position, and finally, back to the top position (all at normal speed).
- This is one rep.
- Make sure to press through the back portion of your feet. Don’t let your weight shift to your forefeet.
- In the top position, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to knees.
- When you get to the top position, hold for a count or more and really squeeze your glutes.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps per side.
#2) Kickstand RDL/Reverse Lunge Combo
This is an awesome deadlift for strengthening and building your hamstrings and glutes!! This exercise combines a kickstand RDL and a reverse lunge.
Coaching Tips:
- Start with your feet in a square stance. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the foot of the planted/working leg, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the ground for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the floor.
- Keep your arms rigid, lats engaged, and pretend you are crushing something in your armpits.
- Now step backwards like you are going to do a reverse lunge, and simultaneously hinge/push your hips backwards. Pretend a rope is pulling your hips backwards or that you are trying to press your hips back against a wall.
- This ‘’lunging’’ side will serve as a “kickstand,” and will provide minimal assistance.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.
- When you reach your full range (a range where YOU can maintain form/feels good), engage your posterior chain muscles and press your body away from the floor and back to the top/starting position.
- Perform the lockout by squeezing your glutes and hamstrings and extend your hips, and extend your knee.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine or hips to rotate.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps per side.
#3) Bosu GHR’s
This exercise strengthens the posterior chain muscles. This can be perfect for home or gym workouts.
To be clear, the Bosu is very stable so I’m not using it for the purpose of unstable surface training. The Bosu serves as the perfect anchor.
Coaching Tips:
- HOW I’M ANCHORING MYSELF – Kneel on the edge of a Bosu, and wedge your feet and body against the Bosu and a wall. You should feel very stable and secure. Finding the perfect setup will take some trial and error.
- Get into a tall kneeling stance. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to knees.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- Now, while keeping your body in a straight line from your head to knees, take 3-5 seconds and use your posterior chain muscles to control the movement as you extend your knees and lower your body down to your full range.
- Once you’ve hit the bottom position, use your posterior chain muscles and return to the starting position.
- If you need to use help from your upper body to perform the lifting/concentric component (what I demonstrate in the final few reps), use as little or as much help as needed. You can also modify by placing a high pad below your chest, and you can touch your chest/torso to the pad/object.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do, not allow your lower back to hyperextend, excessively round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or weight to shift from knee to knee.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine), and squeeze your glutes.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps.
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#4) Front Foot Elevated Split Squats
This exercise strengthens the quadriceps and glutes.
Coaching Tips:
- Elevate your front foot on a stable object, and get into a split squat position. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position.
- On the front foot, form a tripod base by placing your weight on the back portion of your foot, and the base of your big and baby toes. These parts of your foot should remain in contact with the surface for the duration of the exercise. Pretend you are suctioning or screwing your foot to the surface.
- Be on the forefoot of your back foot.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine).
- Now perform a split squat and lower yourself down to a range where you are able to maintain proper form (to note, you do not need to go as low as I am).
- When you are performing the split squats, pretend you are “pulling” your body down with your legs. Don’t just mindlessly drop down.
- Do not relax or lose tension when you are in the bottom position.
- Press your body away from the surface and back to the top/starting position.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knees to fall inside or outside of your feet.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, torso, spine, or hips to rotate, or hip to drop on one side.
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps per side.
#5) Band Resisted Single Leg Hip Thrusts
This exercise strengthens the glutes. While I’m using a special hip thrust machine, you can also anchor the band under heavy weights, or in a squat rack.
Coaching Tips:
- Anchor a band around stable objects, and rest the band in your hip crease. There should be resistance in the band for as close to 100% of the exercise as possible.
- Set yourself up so your shoulder blade/upper back area, and upper arms are positioned on a bench, chair, or other stable surface. Your head, torso, and hips should be in a stacked position. You should feel very stable on the surface.
- Bend one knee to roughly a 90 degree angle. Place your shin in a relatively vertical position.
- Bend your non-working leg, and keep it tucked in to your body.
- Before each rep, take a deep breath in (360 degrees of air around your spine), and brace your core (360 degree brace around your spine). Now lower your hips to a range where you can maintain proper form.
- Once you reach the bottom position, return to the top position by squeezing your glutes and driving through the back portion of your foot, NOT by arching your lower back and flaring your ribcage.
- In the top position, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to knee.
- When you get to the top position, hold for a count or more and really squeeze your glutes.
- For the duration of the exercise, your non-working leg should remain in a fixed position, and should not provide any assistance.
- For the duration of the exercise, do not allow your knee to fall inside or outside of your foot.
- For the duration of the exercise, your head, torso, and hips should remain in a stacked position. Do not allow your lower back to hyperextend, round, or flex laterally, ribcage to flare, or torso, spine, or hips to rotate.
- For the duration of the exercise, keep your core muscles braced (360 degree brace around your spine).
- In terms of breathing, do what works and feels best for you.
Do 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps per side.
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