Are you hoping to get great glutes at the gym? If so, the hip thrust is one exercise you’ll want to include in your fitness routine. A hip thrust is similar to a glute bridge, except you keep your shoulders raised and add weight for resistance. That might seem like a relatively simple concept, but you’ll want to make sure to use correct form so you get the results you expect and prevent injury.

Read on to learn more about the benefits of hip thrusts and how to perform them properly at AFAC’s Thornton gym.

How to Do Hip Thrusts at AFAC Gym

The hip thrust — also known as a weighted hip bridge, weighted glute bridge, or hip thruster — has become increasingly popular over the last decade. In addition to giving you a rounder and firmer derrière, hip thrusts will help you build power in your gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, hamstrings, quads, core, and hip abductors. No other exercise, including squats, targets the posterior chain quite like hip thrusts. Put simply, your lower-body training program won’t be complete without them.

At first, it’s worth practicing hip thrusts without any weight to make sure you’re feeling the exercise in your glutes and not in your lower back or thighs. To perform a hip thrust, follow these steps.

1. Sit on the ground with a bench behind you.
2. Bend your knees so your feet are planted on the ground.
3. Hold a barbell across your body so that it’s resting just below your hips. The exercise will be a lot more comfortable if you have a padded barbell or some other type of protection, like a folded towel, between the barbell and your body.
4. Lean back so that your shoulders are on the bench and position the bar above your hips.
5. Drive your hips up, lifting the barbell. Make sure to look straight ahead at the wall in front of you, and not up at the ceiling.
6. In the top position, your shoulders should be near the top of the bench, your knees should be bent at 90 degrees, and your body should form a straight line between them, parallel to the floor.
7. At the top of the lift, pause and squeeze your glutes, and then slowly lower your hips back to the ground.
8. Do 8-15 reps.

Hip Thrust Variations You Can Try at the Gym

Depending on your situation, experience, and fitness level, you might want to try some variations of the hip thrust exercise. We’ve listed three below to help you get started.

Glute Bridge Exercise

To work the same muscles as the hip thrust but without weights, try the glute bridge. This exercise can be a good alternative to hip thrusts if you’re just starting out and looking to build strength and confidence before resting a barbell across your hips. The glute bridge is also a handy option if you don’t have access to weights.

Here’s how to perform a glute bridge:

1. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and your palms facing downward.
2. Bend your knees and plant your feet flat on the ground underneath your knees.
3. Squeeze your glutes while you press through your heels and drive your hips up.
4. Lift your body so that it forms a straight line between your knees and your shoulders.
5. Hold this position for a second and then slowly lower yourself back to the starting point.

Single-Leg Hip Thrust Exercise

This exercise is a more advanced variation of the hip thrust, so it’s best to attempt it without any weights at first. Otherwise, the instability you create by planting only one foot on the ground can cause you to fall over.

1. Set up for the hip thrust as you normally would.
2. Raise one foot off the ground, keeping your knee bent at about a 90-degree angle.
3. Keep your leg elevated as you drive your hips up and then slowly come back down.

The single-leg hip thrust can help you fix any strength imbalances in your body. It can also build your core muscles because your core must work to resist the rotation of having one leg lifted off the ground.

Hip Thrust Off the Bench

Another way to perform the hip thrust exercise is with your feet elevated and your head on the floor. The range of motion with this exercise is greater than the standard hip thrust, making it slightly more challenging.

1. Lay down on the floor in front of the bench.
2. Put your heels on the bench, keeping your knees at a 90-degree angle and your back flat on the floor.
3. Your hands should be at your sides with your palms facing upward.
4. Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line between your shoulders and your knees.
5. Lower your hips back to the ground.

Benefits of Adding Hip Thrusts to Your Gym Routine

While you need a variety of exercises to gain maximum glute growth, hip thrusts should be included in the mix with lunges, squats, and deadlifts. The main benefits of hip thrusts are listed below.

1. Hip thrusts are the best way to get a pure, isolated contraction of the glutes and hamstrings.
2. They can help people of all ages and fitness levels.
3. They can stabilize your pelvis, core, and lower body, helping you prevent knee pain, lower back pain, and other injuries.
4. There are many hip thrust variations available to suit your needs, whether you want an exercise that’s easier, more challenging, designed to correct muscle imbalances, or meant to target slightly different areas of the body.
5. You can add resistance to your hip thrusts with different types of equipment including dumbbells, barbells, weighted plates, or resistance bands.
6. The glutes and other hip extensors that you exercise during hip thrusts are important for activities of daily living like standing, walking, and climbing stairs. These muscles are also important for providing the power you need to reach peak athletic performance.
7. Some people need to avoid weighted barbell squats because they can’t comfortably place a barbell on their upper back. Hip thrusts allow you to strengthen your glutes without loading your upper body with weights.
8. And, last but not least, hip thrusts give you a nicely rounded and lifted backside.

Get Glorious Glutes With Hip Thrusts at AFAC Gym

While squats and deadlifts do wonders for hip strength, make sure you keep your fitness program well-rounded with hip thrusts. AFAC gym has the benches, barbells, dumbbells, weighted plates, and other equipment you’ll need to perform hip thrusts perfectly, not to mention personal trainers on staff to help you achieve the ideal form. Our team and equipment are some of the main reasons why our members say we’re the best gym in the Thornton area. To learn more, please visit our gym near you to look around and speak to our staff. You can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club for assistance.

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