By Louis-Jimmy Liosis
This post is mostly for my female friends. It applies to everyone but I believe it will draw the attention of females a bit more!
A very popular exercise used at the gym setting as a gluteal booster is the 'so called' hip thrust. A more conventional method used by females for gluteal activation is the well-known squat exercise. I will provide you with my recommendations at the end of this article, but let's first examine what research has revealed about the comparison between hip thrust and squat variations in terms of muscle activation and growth.
One of the studies that I am going to use for this analysis compared the effects between back squats and hip thrusts on strength and muscle mass in well trained females. After a 12-week training period, the back squat exercise was found to be superior to the hip thrust in terms of quadriceps femoris and gluteus maximus muscle mass increases as well as back squat strength. Moreover, the back squat exercise seemed to cause similar hip thrust strength increases with the hip thrust exercise. So, this study clearly votes for Squat!
A systematic review examined muscle activation patterns during the hip thrust exercise versus conventional exercises and revealed that hip extensor muscles (gluteus maximus, biceps femoris) showed greater activation during the hip thrust compared to the squat exercise. Gluteus maximus seems to be the primary muscle activated in this exercise. So, this study clearly votes for Hip Thrust!
I will put science into practice now. Muscle activity patterns measured by EMG (electromyography) do not directly translate into muscle mass increases. Muscle growth is primarily a result of mechanical tension on the muscle fibers. During a hip thrust, we maximize muscle tension for a very brief period at the top of the movement and by using a very short range of motion. However, squats manage to cause high mechanical tension on the glutes and quads during most of their range of motion.
Be careful now....hip thrusts and squats maximize gluteal mechanical tension at different muscle lengths and as you may have guessed they are complementary and they can boost your booty if you include both in your workout.
So, when training your glutes always try to include at least one squat variation in your program for maximum growth. Do your squats BEFORE hip thrusts should you choose to jointly use them in your workout, since a squat is more demanding on the neuromuscular system. A last tip is to use an elevated hip thrust position to increase the range of motion and the effectiveness of the exercise.
Be sure to vary your workout and to experiment with different variations of both the squat and hip thrust so as to maximize training adaptations, gain more mass, improve your physical shape, and avoid plateaus.
Barbalho M, Coswig V, Souza D, Serrão JC, Hebling Campos M, Gentil P. Back Squat vs. Hip Thrust Resistance-training Programs in Well-trained Women. Int J Sports Med. 2020;41(5):306‐310. doi:10.1055/a-1082-1126
Neto, W. K., Vieira, T. L., & Gama, E. F. (2019). Barbell Hip Thrust, Muscular Activation and Performance: A Systematic Review. Journal of sports science & medicine, 18(2), 198–206.
