Hip thrusts are a very popular exercise in resistance training designed to primarily target the muscles involved in hip extension. Given that hip extension is used for many aspects of daily living, including walking, this exercise can be extremely valuable. The movement involves positioning your upper back against a stable surface, placing resistance across the hips and driving the hips upwards. By doing so, you activate and place mechanical tension primarily on the gluteus maximus, as well as the hamstrings, adductors and the core musculature. 

Although hip thrusts have become a popular method to increase the size of your glutes, there is a deeper reason why you should include hip thrusts in your training regimen. Thus, this blog will cover 'Hip Thrusts: Why They're Worth Doing', where we dive into their benefits and how to incorporate them into your training.

 

What Muscles Do Hip Thrusts Work?

Muscles used during hip thrusts: 

• Gluteus maximus
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Adductors
• Core musculature

Gluteus Maximus

The gluteus maximus (AKA Glutes) is the primary muscle responsible for producing force through the hip extension movement. This includes not only hip thrust exercises, but also powerful lower-body movements, running, jumping, other resistance exercises, and everyday movements such as sitting/standing, walking, and climbing stairs. 

People often misconceive that you should only do hip thrusts to grow your glutes. However, hip thrusts will help you achieve a large range of training goals. Indeed, hip thrusts will lead to glute hypertrophy; increased muscle size is one component of increased strength, which is associated with increased function in movements involving hip extension.

Hamstrings and Other Supporting Muscles

Although the glutes are the major contributor in hip thrusts, there are numerous other muscles involved. Not only does research identify that hip thrusts activate the glutes significantly more than a barbell back squat, but hip thrusts also require significantly greater activation of the biceps femoris (1 of 4 hamstring muscles) (Source). This study also identifies that the vastus lateralis (1 of 4 quadriceps muscles) is activated to the same degree during hip thrusts as it is during back squats. This highlights that you could implement hip thrusts into your training programme to target some of the similar musculature to the back squat while shifting some focus onto the glutes. 

Additionally, to stabilise the spine, the hip thrusts also engage some core musculature, such as the abdominals and obliques. Some research also identifies that deeper core musculature is also heavily activated, with the multifidus presenting activity levels of 68% of its maximal output (Source).

What Are the Benefits of Hip Thrusts?

Now you know the range of musculature involved, hip thrusts present a wider range of benefits than you can imagine. Introducing hip thrusts into your training will significantly improve hip extension strength, which has serious implications.

For activities of everyday living, hip extension is essential for walking, climbing stairs, lifting objects from the floor, sitting/standing, etc. As such, improving strength in hip extension can improve your ability to complete daily tasks, which is often declined in sedentary and older individuals. As for athletes, strength is a foundation of power; thus, increasing strength at any joint flexion/extension will subsequently increase power. Therefore, increasing hip extension strength will improve your sprinting/running and jumping performance, which is integral for a wide range of sports and exercises. Hip extension also plays a role in your ability to change direction; another crucial movement in multi-directional sports.

Furthermore, the glutes also play an important role in controlling movement around the hips and pelvis. Having weak glutes could lead to excessive movement, placing strain on the lower back. Additionally, core and deep musculature that surround the spine lead to lumbar instability (Source). Combined, these can lead to lower back pain. Therefore, including hip thrusts in your programme could assist in recovery or prevention of lower back pain. Importantly, however, lower back pain is very complex; thus, if you are experiencing persistent back pain, you should seek advice from a physiotherapist or healthcare professional. 

What equipment you should include in your training space

So, how can you integrate this into your programme? Our multifunctional hip thrust bench is the perfect piece of equipment to introduce into your space. This alone will allow you to perform bodyweight hip thrusts. Like any training programme, you should ensure you are able to progressively overload to continue to induce adaptations. You can do this in multiple ways; for instance, you can progress to single-leg hip thrusts and/or include an isometric hold (squeeze) at the top of the movement. 

To progress even further, you should include external resistance, either with dumbbells or barbells. If you are struggling for space and need a more versatile option, you could opt for adjustable dumbbell & barbell sets. These will also support progressive overload across other exercises. These could be more impactful in your space considering the versatility of the multifunctional hip thrust bench. Not only can this be used for hip thrusts, but it can also be used for split squats, step-ups, bench press and core exercises. 

How to Incorporate Hip Thrusts Into Your Training

How Often Should You Do Hip Thrusts?

There is not a universal frequency for completing hip thrusts in your training. The frequency should depend on your training goals. For instance, some runners may experience fatigue early in their glutes, or people who experience lower-back pain may have been told by a physio that a potential cause is due to glute weakness. For these individuals, hip thrusts may be prioritised and included 2-3 times per week. However, hopefully this isn't the case! For people wanting to improve athletic performance in the lower limbs, they might include it twice per week. Though for most people, you are best incorporating hip thrusts into your lower or full-body sessions.

How Many Sets and Repetitions?

Again, the sets x reps you complete is dependent on your training goals and ability. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you should complete 3-5 sets with lower reps (6-8 reps) at higher loads (> 75% one-repetition max) to increase strength. For hypertrophy, you should slightly decrease the load (~60% one-repetition max) and increase the rep volume (8-12 reps). With this said, if you are completing hip thrusts for some form of rehabilitation, you will likely decrease the load significantly (potentially to bodyweight) and increase the number of reps. 

Importantly, remember to progressively overload by increasing the external load or even adding an isometric hold at the top of the thrust. 

Technique

Finally, let's give you a breakdown of the hip thrust technique and common mistakes to avoid!

1. Position your upper back securely against a stable surface.
2. Place your feet approximately hip-width apart.
3. Position the resistance securely across your hips.
4. Brace your core.
5. Drive through your feet and extend your hips.
6. Control the descent.
7. Repeat.

Some of the most common mistakes to avoid include: 

• Overarching the lower back
• Using excessive weight
• Losing control during the lowering phase
• Relying solely on momentum
• Using an unstable surface

Conclusion

So, are hip thrusts worth doing? Yes! Hip thrusts significantly engage a range of lower-limb and core musculature. In doing so, hip thrusts improve hip extension strength and subsequently power. This improves lower-limb performance, such as sprinting, running, jumping, and change of direction. Most importantly, increased hip extension strength would also lead to improved ability to perform daily tasks, for instance walking, climbing stairs and sitting and standing. Furthermore, they complement other lower limb exercises such as squats and deadlifts to complete your lower limb resistance training sessions. By including our multifunctional hip thrust bench into your training bench, you can start reaping the benefits of improved hip extension strength.

Ready to add hip thrusts to your home training? Explore Exersci's multifunctional hip thrust bench and build a lower-body setup that works for you.