Written by Shane Mclean | ACE CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
This is not going to be an article bashing the barbell hip thrust.
The barbell hip thrust is a great exercise popularized by Bret ‘The Glute Guy’ Contreras. It is the gold standard exercise for strengthening and adding muscle to your backside. When you walk into most gyms, you'll find someone hip-thrusting hard and heavy.
Building strong and muscular glutes is the key to having an impressive body, improving hip stability, reducing low back pain, and putting some pep in your step, both in daily life and athletically. The barbell hip thrust is one of the most effective exercises to achieve strong, muscular glutes...
However, the barbell hip thrust isn’t for everyone, because not everyone feels comfortable with a heavy barbell across their pelvis. Some are put off by the awkwardness of getting in and out of position, some it causes pain in their hips and back. And for others, they may simply not have or be ready for a barbell.
Note: For the men reading this, you may even feel it is more of a woman's exercise, but that is certainly not true!
In any case, if the barbell hip thrust isn't for you or you simply want to switch things up, in this article we go into what makes for a good barbell hip thrust alternative and 8 excellent alternative exercises you can do (some of which are hip thrusts, just without a barbell!).
WHAT IS A HIP THRUST?
A hip thrust is a lower body exercise that specifically activates your gluteal muscles and hamstrings. This most popular variation is the barbell hip thrust. Oh, how we love barbell exercises! With your back to a bench, barbell across your pelvis and knees bent at 90 degrees, you perform a loaded hip extension by hinging up (pushing your hips upward), squeezing your glutes, then lowering your hips back down while keeping your spine in a neutral position.
Because of the relatively straight bar path and your glutes being one of the biggest and strongest muscles in the body, you have the ability to train this movement hard and heavy.
When it comes to glute and hamstring activation, studies show that the barbell hip thrust is superior to barbell squats. That's not to say that barbell squats should be replaced by barbell hip thrusts, as barbell squats are superior in other areas such as quad activation and stretching tension (eccentric contraction) for the glutes. But, when it comes to glute contraction (concentric contraction), the barbell hip thrust (and other appropriately loaded variations) are the gold standard.
MUSCLES TRAINED BY THE HIP THRUST
The hip thrust is an exercise that primarily targets the glutes but there is other bigger lower body involved too. Here are the main muscles trained by the hip thrust:
- Gluteus Maximus: The gluteus maximus is the largest of the gluteal muscles and is the prime mover in extending and to the hips and provides stability to hips and knees in movements like walking or running.
- Gluteus Medius: The gluteus medius plays an assisting role in hip extension and supports hip movement and stability, particularly in the frontal plane.
- Gluteus Minimus: The gluteus minimus main functions are hip abduction and the stabilization of the hip. This muscle is working isometrically to prevent hip abduction to allow the bigger muscles to do their job
- Hamstrings: The hamstrings are three muscles located at the back of the thigh. Seeing the knee is flexion during the hip thrust their main role is assisting the glutes in extending the hip.
- Quadriceps: The quadriceps are four muscles located on the front of the thigh. But the one that works during the hip thrust is the rectus femoris because it crosses the knee and hip joint. This muscle is a hip flexor and is a direct antagonist to the hamstrings allowing the to fully extend during the hip thrust. When performing the hip thrust you shouldn’t feel it too much in the quads, but they will be activated.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD HIP THRUST ALTERNATIVE?
The prime movers in the hip thrust are the glutes and hamstrings. The secondary muscles used in the hip thrust are the lower back, quads, and adductors. The hip thrust takes the glutes through a large range of motion for more muscle-building potential.
When selecting a barbell hip thrust alternative, consider the following factors:
- Primary target is the glutes.
- Maximizes glute contraction (concentric contraction) - you must be able to squeeze your glutes against resistance.
- ideally allows for progression.
8 BARBELL HIP THRUST ALTERNATIVES
Considering the above factors that make for a good barbell hip thrust alternative, here are eight exercises that fit that criteria:
1. Stability Ball Hip Thrust
The stability ball hip thrust gives you instant feedback because any deviation in your hip extension and you and the floor become one. This variation of the hip thrust lights up your hamstrings too, and is difficult to lockout without losing your balance. Because it’s the same movement like the barbell hip thrust, you’re training the same muscles without the uncomfortableness of the barbell. Performing this exercise slowly because of the instability will give you time under tension benefits.
Feel free to load this exercise with implements like a dumbbell, kettlebell or sandbag.
How to do it:
- Sit upright on the stability ball, walk forward until your upper back is on the ball.
- Make sure your knees are 90 degrees with a vertical shin angle. This will minimize quad involvement.
- Keep your chin tucked, ribs down, back in neutral.
- Hinge down towards the floor keeping your chest up and raise up and squeeze the glutes at lockout.
- Reset and repeat for reps.
Best rep range: 12-20
2. Cable Pull Through
The cable pull-through is a great barbell hip thrust alternative to groove better hip hinge technique This exercise is great at isolating the glutes and hamstring because it’s a pure hip hinge movement and the cable machine allows you to contract your glutes against resistance while standing up (which isn't really possible with free weights). Moreover, the cable pull through puts your glutes through a bigger ROM range of motion without stressing the lower back too much. This makes it a great alternative if your lower back is bothering you.
How to do it:
- Put the cable machine on the lowest setting because butting into your private parts isn’t an option.
- Walk forward until you feel the tension in your hands with your feet a little wider than hip-width with your toes pointed forward.
- Keep your chest up, shoulders down, and hinge back until you feel a good stretch in your hamstrings.
- Then powerfully extend the hip until lockout.
- Reset and repeat for reps.
Best rep range: 8-15
3. Kettlebell Swing
Kettlebell swings are great for the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings similar to the barbell hip thrust except they are trained in a more ballistic fashion. Plus, the KB swing trains the stability and stabilizing muscles of your body because you’re constantly adjusting to the kettlebells shifting center of mass with each rep. There is a somewhat smaller ROM than the hip thrust, but you train more muscle and do it in a powerful way.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and have the kettlebell just in front of you.
- Hinge down to grip the kettlebell with both hands and squeeze your armpits together and get your chest up. This keeps your spine neutral.
- Hike the kettlebell between your leg and then thrust your hips forward, using this momentum to swing up the kettlebell.
- Finish by squeezing your glutes and quads with a quick breath out.
- Repeat in a continuous loop for reps.
Best rep range: 10-15 reps
4. Single-Leg Band Hip Thrust
As with all unilateral exercises, the single-leg hip thrust is great if you have strength imbalances between sides. It's also great to become aware of those imbalances. This exercises trains the same muscles but without the heavy barbell. Because it’s unilateral, your load (bodyweight ) is all on one side. Plus, the ascending resistance of the band will improve lockout strength and makes it easier to unilaterally load your glutes. You'll be required to move slowly on the way down, which increases activation of the eccentric phase comparing to a barbell hip thrust.
How to do it:
- Get your upper back on the bench, take one foot off the ground and make sure your knee is bent at 90 degrees.
- Keep your ribs down and squeeze your glutes to put your back in neutral
- Perform a hip extension until lockout and slowly return to the starting position and reset and repeat.
You can also load this exercise without a squat rack by looping the band around the heel of your grounded foot and placing it over your knee or waist.
Best rep range: 12-15 on each side
5. Bulgarian Split Squat
Bulgarian split squats train the glutes, quads, adductors, and hip stabilizers probably making it one of the best alternatives to the barbell hip thrust This exercise is similar to barbell hip thrust because the elevation gives you a larger ROM for better glute building potential. You have multiple ways to load this exercise like a goblet, front racked, or arms by your side which is all more comfortable than a heavy barbell across your pelvis.
How to do it:
- Choose the way you load this. Dumbbells, kettlebells, or barbell. Load closer to your legs=easier. Further away=harder.
- Put your back foot flat on the bench and get your front foot in your preferred squat position.
- Squat down by bending your back knee towards the ground.
- Keep your chest up, shoulders down, and maintaining a slight forward lean keeps your spine in neutral.
- Drive through your front foot to squat back up.
- Reset and repeat for reps.
Best rep range: 6-15 on each side
6. Mini Band Frog Hip Thrust
With the mini band frog hip thrust you’re abducting and externally rotating the hips and flexing the lower back. This takes out the hamstrings and lower back and focuses on the glutes and abductors more. Adding a band and a bench adds more resistance and range of motion for better glute building potential. The beauty of this exercise is your ability to perform for higher reps for a great glute burn and pump. Because of this perform this exercise at the end of your training as a finisher for the glutes.
How to do it:
- Place a mini band above your knees and put your feet together to abduct and externally rotate the hips.
- Place your upper back on a weight bench.
- Keep your chin tucked, ribs and shoulders down, and squeeze your glutes as hard as possible at lockout.
- Slowly lower down and repeat for reps.
Best rep range: 20+
7. Resistance Band Hip Thrust
The resistance band hip thrust is the same in every respect of the barbell version except the way it’s loaded. The advantage of the band over the barbell here is the band's ascending resistance during the concentric part of the hip thrust will have your glutes feeling the pinch. Plus, when the resistance band isn’t stretched, there’s minimal load on your pelvis, making it easier on the joints of your hips and lower back. You’ll still get the training effect of the barbell hip thrust with less load and keeping the intensity high.
How to do it:
- The setting up of the band in the squat rack takes some time. Make sure the band is secure on both sides.
- Place the band directly across your pelvis with your feet flat on the ground and your knee bent at 90 degrees.
- Place your upper back on a bench behind you and place your feet hip-width apart.
- Perform a hip extension and squeeze your glutes at lockout. Don’t over-arch the lower back to get more ROM.
- Hinge back down to the floor and reset and repeat.
If you don't have a squat rack, you can also loop the band around the heels of your feet and over your waist, as seen here.
Best rep range: 10-25
8. Chaos Band Hip Thrust
If you like the chaos push-up the chaos hip thrust is for you. Like the stability ball hip thrust, the unstable band encourages you to perform this hip thrust variation with control and great technique. Again, it’s a great hip thrust alternative because it works the same muscles effectively without load and is a great technique fixer. Plus, this variation trains the hip stabilizer muscles to a greater degree, as well as the hamstrings, which is great for better hip stability and mobility.
How to do it:
- Set up the strongest looped band on the lower rungs on the squat rack, parallel with the weight bench.
- Carefully place each foot on the band, hip-width apart, and your back on the bench. Keep your chin tucked, ribs down, and back in neutral.
- Slowly hinge down towards the floor keeping your chest up and with control perform a hip extension and squeeze your glutes at lockout.
Best rep range: 8-15
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WRAPPING UP
The barbell hip thrust is a great exercise, but there are also other options. If you find the barbell hip thrust is not for you or you want a change, then use these eight alternative exercises to build your glutes of steel. Your favorite pair of pants will thank you.
Related: 11 Best Glute Isolation Exercises
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Shane Mclean
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