The hip thrust is an underutilized exercise, whether you're looking to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings or quads. If you're regularly doing this exercise in your workouts, you're no stranger to the benefits. But as with other exercises, adding variations keeps your mind and muscles engaged.
For maximum hip thrust benefits, incorporate the move like a traditional compound movement, says Maillard Howell, owner of CrossFit Prospect Heights and founder of The Beta Way. Practice the exercise at least once a week and add a little more weight each week.
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"They can be done as accessory work to your deadlift, so do [hip thrusts] any day you work on deadlifts, which should be once a week," he says. So on your next leg day, give one of these four variations a try (once you've perfected the body-weight version, of course)!
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First, the Standard Hip Thrust
- Sit on the floor and anchor your shoulder blades on a stable, raised surface like an exercise bench or box.
- Place your feet on the floor slightly wider than hip-width apart. Feet should be turned open slightly to emphasize the glutes.
- Cross your arms over your chest.
- Press into your heels as you activate your glutes and press your hips up.
- End with your pelvis tucked under and below the height of your shoulders.
- Lower back toward the ground.
Tip
Once you have the standard hip thrust form down, you can add a barbell or dumbbell over your hips to make the move more challenging. That goes for all the variations below.
1. Barbell Hip Thrust With Isometric Hold
- Sit on the floor and anchor your shoulder blades on a stable, raised surface like an exercise bench.
- Place your feet on the floor slightly wider than hip-width apart. Feet should be turned open slightly to emphasize the glutes.
- Press into your heels as you activate your glutes and press your hips up.
- At the top, hold for 3 seconds, tucking your pelvis under and keep it below shoulder height.
- Lower back down toward the ground.
Tip
This is more challenging than the standard hip thrust, as you're increasing the time your muscles are under tension at the top of the thrust, says Holly Perkins, CSCS, author of Lift to Get Lean.
2. Elevated Single-Leg Hip Thrust
- Sit on the floor and place your shoulder blades on an exercise bench. Place your feet together on the floor with your toes turned opened slightly.
- Press into your left heel and lift your right leg so that your foot is is hovering above the ground.
- Activate your glutes and press your hips upward, keeping all your weight in your left leg.
- At the top, tuck your pelvis slightly, keeping it below shoulder height.
- Lower back toward the ground.
Tip
This version challenges your single-leg strength and balance and can help highlight any muscle imbalance in the given leg, Perkins says. Just make sure to do the same number of reps on both legs.
3. Mini Loop Hip Thrust With Pulses
- Place a circular resistance band (aka mini band or loop) around both legs, just above your knees.
- Sit on the floor and place your hands behind your butt. Alternatively, you can anchor your shoulder blades on a raised surface.
- Plant your feet on the floor slightly wider than hip-width apart. Turn your feet out slightly to emphasize the glutes.
- Keep tension on the band by pressing your knees outward slightly.
- Press into your heels as you activate your glutes and press your hips up, putting weight into both your hands and feet.
- At the top of the move, lower and lift just a few inches, keeping your glutes engaged.
- End with your pelvis tucked under and below the height of your shoulders.
- Lower back toward the ground.
Tip
This is more challenging than the standard hip thrust, as you're adding additional resistance by adding the band, says Perkins. This forces you to use glute medius, incorporating more muscle activation during the move. And the pulses increase the activation of the gluteus maximus.
4. Banded Hip Thrust
- Anchor each end of a long-loop resistance band to two heavy dumbbells on either side of your body, several inches away from a workout bench.
- Sit on the floor and anchor your shoulder blades on a raised surface, feet on the floor slightly wider than hip-width apart. Turn your feet out slightly to emphasize the glutes.
- Loop the band over the crease in your hips, making sure there's enough weight to keep the band anchored to the floor when you press up.
- Press into your heels as you activate your glutes and press your hips up.
- End with your pelvis tucked under and below the height of your shoulders.
- Lower back toward the ground.