Hip Thrust
Also known as: barbell hip thrust, glute thrust, hip thruster
For loading the glutes directly and heavily, nothing beats the barbell hip thrust. With your upper back on a bench and the bar across your hips, the glutes drive hip extension against resistance that peaks exactly where they are strongest — at full lockout. It has become the centerpiece of glute training because it allows serious weight, a hard squeeze at the top, and progress that shows up fast.
How to do the hip thrust, step by step
- Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench, the pad edge at the base of your shoulder blades.
- Roll a padded barbell over your hips into the crease of your hips.
- Plant your feet flat, about shoulder-width, close enough that your shins are vertical at the top.
- Tuck your chin, brace, and drive through your heels to lift the hips.
- Extend until your torso and thighs form a straight line, squeezing the glutes hard for a full second.
- Lower the hips under control until the plates nearly touch the floor, then drive up again.
Form cues that fix most reps
Ribs down, chin tucked — finish the rep with your glutes, not by arching the back.
Vertical shins at lockout; if the knees cave or the shins angle away, adjust foot position.
Treat the top like the point of the exercise: a genuine one-second squeeze on every rep.
Common mistakes (and the fix)
Hip Thrust sets and reps
Match the rep range to your goal, not the other way around. These are the standard evidence-based ranges:
| Goal | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 × 3–6 | 2–3 min |
| Muscle growth | 3–4 × 8–12 | 60–90 sec |
| Endurance | 2–3 × 15–20 | 30–60 sec |
How our free programs prescribe it
Hip Thrust FAQ
What muscles does the hip thrust work?
The gluteus maximus is the prime mover, contracting hardest at full hip extension where most other lifts unload. The hamstrings assist with hip extension, and the quads and adductors contribute to stabilizing the position.
Hip thrust vs squat for glutes?
Squats load the glutes most in the stretched bottom position; hip thrusts load them most at peak contraction. Both grow glutes, and the research goes back and forth, but the smartest reading is that they complement each other — one trains the stretch, the other the squeeze.
How many sets and reps for hip thrusts?
The glutes handle heavy loads well here: 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps with a firm pause at lockout. Progress the weight steadily but never at the cost of the top squeeze — a thrust without a lockout is a half exercise.
More glutes exercises
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