THE SCIENCE & PRACTICE OF HIP

THRUSTS
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WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE GLUTES? ...............................................3
ANATOMY ..........................................................................................3
MUSCLE SIZE AND WEIGHT .....................................................................4
MOMENT ARMS....................................................................................5
MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE .........................................................................6
MUSCLE FIBER TYPE ..............................................................................7
MUSCLE ACTIVITY ................................................................................8
WHAT IS A HIP THRUST? .....................................................................9
WHY IS THE HIP THRUST THE IDEAL GLUTE EXERCISE? .............................10
HOW DOES THE HIP THRUST COMPARE TO OTHER EXERCISES? ...................11
HIP THRUST VS. BACK SQUAT .................................................................11
HIP THRUST VS. HORIZONTAL BACK EXTENSION ...........................................12
HOW DO YOU SET UP THE PERFECT HIP THRUST? ....................................13
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................13
BENCH HEIGHT ..................................................................................14
BAR POSITION ..................................................................................15
HIP PROTECTION ................................................................................16
FOOT POSITION .................................................................................17
WHY USE A HIP THRUSTER? ..............................................................18
WHAT ARE THE BEST TRAINING TIPS FOR ENHANCING HIP THRUSTS? ..........19
REFERENCES ................................................................................20

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What do we know about the glutes?

Anatomy
Knowing the anatomy of a muscle is important in order to train it most
effectively. Anatomy is first and foremost about where the muscle
attaches to the rest of the body. These attachment points are called the
origins and insertions.

Essentially, muscles pull their origins and insertions closer together when
they shorten (contract) and allow them to move further apart when they
lengthen (relax). Origins are the points closer to the center of the body
(more proximal), while insertions are the points further away (more
distal).

The origins of the gluteus maximus include the pelvis, the lower parts of
the spinal column (the sacrum and coccyx) and the fascia covering the
lumbar spine (Neumann, 2010). The main insertions are the lateral part of
the hip bone and to the iliotibial band (ITB). The ITB then inserts on the
lateral condyle of the tibia (the shin bone), which connects the gluteus
maximus with the lower limb below the knee.

Studying the origins and insertions provides important knowledge about

what functions the gluteus maximus can perform. The origins and
insertions bridge the spine, the pelvis and the hip. When the hip and spine
are stabilized, the gluteus maximus has the ability to rotate the pelvis
backwards relative to the spine and hip and produce posterior pelvic tilt.
When the hip is free to move but the spine and pelvis are stabilized, the
glutes can extend the hip, moving the leg backwards.

Since the insertion on the hip is on the lateral aspect of the hip bone, the
gluteus maximus also produces hip abduction and hip external rotation.
And since the ITB inserts below the knee, the gluteus maximus almost
certainly affects knee movement in some way but there has been very
little research in this area to date.

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Muscle size and weight
Although many people know that the gluteus maximus is the biggest
muscle in the body, very few realize how much bigger it is than the other
muscles.

In fact, the gluteus maximus is 27% heavier than the second heaviest
muscle, the adductor magnus, and 49% heavier than all four hamstrings
muscles added together (Ito et al. 2003). All on its own, it makes up 15%
of the total mass of the entire leg musculature.

What is more, these findings were performed in elderly cadavers and

given that atrophy of the gluteus maximus muscle is very often observed
in the elderly, it is very likely that the difference would be even greater in
younger, living humans (especially those who were regularly performing
sports).

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Moment arms
Moment arms describe the amount of leverage that muscles have on
joints. For a fixed muscle size, the moment arm length of a muscle
changes mainly as a result of the plane, the region of the muscle being
measured, and the joint angle.

For producing hip extension, the crucial joint action for all sporting
movements, the gluteus maximus has a large moment arm that is
probably similar to that of the other primary hip extensors, the adductor
magnus, medial hamstrings, and lateral hamstrings (Nmeth and Ohlsn,
1985; Dostal et al. 1986; Blemker and Delp, 2005). This suggests that the
gluteus maximus contributes heavily to hip extension.

Importantly, the moment arm length of the gluteus maximus reduces

markedly as the hip flexes. So as the knee approaches the chest during
squatting, jumping or running, the ability of the gluteus maximus to
extend the hip reduces substantially (Nmeth and Ohlsn, 1985). The
moment arm length is greatest when the hip is nearly extended, which is
where you are standing upright or in the stance phase of sprinting.
Assuming that the other primary hip extensors with better leverage take
over when the hip is flexed, this suggests that the gluteus maximus will
work hardest when the hip is fully extended.

Although primarily seen as a hip extensor in the sagittal plane, research

has also identified that the gluteus maximus also functions as a hip
external rotator in the transverse plane (Dostal et al. 1986; Neumann,
2010), while the upper fibers may also serve as hip abductors in the
frontal plane, although the gluteus medius is the more important muscle
for this action.

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Muscle architecture
Muscle architecture describes the arrangement of muscle fibers within the
overall framework of the muscle itself, which is surrounded by a layer of
connective tissue, called fascia. Muscles are roughly cylindrical structures
comprising bundles of muscle fibers called fascicles that run at an angle to
the axis of force generation. Therefore, there are three measurements of
the structure of a muscle: the physiological cross-sectional area, the
pennation angle, and the normalized fiber length.

As might be expected from its very heavy weight in comparison with other
muscles, the gluteus maximus has a very large physiological cross-
sectional area, being greater than any other muscle. And since muscles
tend to increase in pennation angle as they increase in cross-sectional
area, it is also not surprising that the gluteus maximus is heavily
pennated, with angles reaching 30 45 degrees. These features suggest
that the gluteus maximus evolved specifically to produce large amounts of
force.

What is surprising is that the gluteus maximus also has a long normalized
fiber length (Ward et al. 2009). Most muscles with very large physiological
cross-sectional areas and pennation angles (like the gluteus medius) tend
to operate as joint stabilizers and have short normalized fiber lengths
(Ward et al. 2009). This combination of a large physiological cross-
sectional areas, large pennation angle, and long normalized fiber length
make the gluteus maximus a unique and extremely powerful muscle that
is capable of producing large excursions with very large levels of force
production (Ward et al. 2009).

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Muscle fiber type
Unfortunately, very little information exists about the muscle fiber type of
the gluteus maximus. Currently, there are only two studies that have
reported data. Johnson et al. (1973) found that the gluteus maximus had
an approximately equal proportion of type I and type II muscle fibers

(52% type I). However, Sirca et al. (1980) found that the gluteus
maximus has a greater proportion of type I than type II muscle fibers
(68% type I).

Importantly, both of these studies were carried out in older individuals

and younger individuals or those with sporting backgrounds may display a
higher proportion of type II muscle fibers. Even so, these findings suggest
that the gluteus maximus is not a muscle that is solely dedicated to
moving heavy loads or performing at high speeds. They indicate that it
has evolved to carry out a role in sustained force production, over longer
periods of time.

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Muscle activity
Muscles are activated when the central nervous system sends a signal,
which is called neural drive. Neural drive can be measured in the muscle
using electrodes, where it is called muscle activity. The greater the muscle
activity, the harder the muscle is working. And the harder the muscle is
working, the more likely it will grow afterwards.

Importantly, gluteus maximus muscle activity seems to change with joint

angle. It increases as the joint angle moves closer to full hip extension
(Fischer & Houtz, 1968; Worrell et al. 2001), it increases as the joint
angle moves to full hip abduction (Kang et al. 2013; Suehiro et al. 2014),
it increases as the joint angle moves to full hip external rotation
(Sakamoto et al. 2009; Suehiro et al. 2014), it increases as the joint
angle moves closer to full knee flexion (Sakamoto et al. 2009; Kwon &
Lee, 2013), and it increases with increasing posterior pelvic tilt (Queiroz
et al. 2010; Kim & Seo, 2015).

While at first these characteristics of the glutes seem complex, they are
actually very simple. Muscle activity increases when the gluteus maximus
is shortened (contracted) and reduces when it is lengthened (relaxed). So
muscle activity is high in hip extension, abduction, external rotation and
posterior pelvic tilt. In contrast, it is low in hip flexion, adduction, internal
rotation, and anterior pelvic tilt.

The effect of knee flexion on gluteus maximus activity is not explained by

the length of the gluteus maximus. It is more likely caused by a reduced
activity of the hamstrings muscle when the knee is flexed, causing it to
become less active, which places more load onto the glutes.

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What is a hip thrust?
The hip thrust is a loaded bridging exercise performed with the shoulder
blades resting on a bench (Contreras et al. 2011). The hip thrust can be
performed using a barbell loaded with free weights, with elastic resistance
only, or with a combination of a barbell with free weights and elastic
resistance.

Although it is primarily famous as a glute developer, the barbell hip thrust

actually works all of the key muscles in the lower body at least as
effectively as the barbell back squat, including the gluteus maximus,
hamstrings and quadriceps (Contreras et al. 2015).

The hip thrust is fundamentally different from traditional exercises

performed in a standing position because it involves producing its highest
level of force at the hip in full hip extension. In other words, the exercise
is very hard at the top, which in turn makes the glutes work very hard
(note that in contrast, the squat is very easy at the top).

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Why is the hip thrust the ideal glute exercise?
The hip thrust works perfectly for training the glutes, according to the
unique characteristics of the muscle.

Anatomy shows that The hip thrust is primarily a hip extension

the glutes are a exercise, with knee extension only occurring
primary hip extensor secondarily, as the barbell moves

Moment arm lengths Peak force production in the gluteus maximus

show that the glutes during the hip thrust happens at full hip
are most effective in extension, making the glutes work hardest where
hip extension they are strongest and where they contribute
most to the lift

The glutes are huge in The hip thrust makes sure that the gluteus
comparison with the maximus is trained at the joint angles where it
other muscles contributes most and where other muscles
contribute least

The glutes are both The hip thrust trains the glutes through a full
very large and very range of motion, but also allows the use of very
long heavy loads, allowing both high force production
and large excursions

The glutes displays Peak force in the gluteus maximus during the hip
greatest muscle thrust occurs when the hip is extended and the
activity when short gluteus maximus is short, making sure that the
muscle is fully activated when the exercise is
hardest

The glutes are short in The hip thrust is a hip extension exercise but can
hip abduction, external be performed in positions of hip abduction, hip
rotation and posterior external rotation, and posterior pelvic tilt to
pelvic tilt enhance the activity of the glutes during the lift

The glutes are The hip thrust is a hip extension exercise

activated more when performed with bent (flexed) knees, which
the hamstrings are shortens the hamstrings and increases glute
short activity

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How does the hip thrust compare to other
exercises?

Hip thrust vs. back squat

Until the hip thrust was invented, the standard exercise for strengthening
the gluteus maximus was the barbell back squat. Contreras et al. (2015)
compared the barbell back squat with the barbell hip thrust and found
that the hip thrust produced more muscle activity in both the upper and
lower regions of the gluteus maximus than the back squat.

Why is the hip thrust better for training the glutes than the squat? This is
probably explained mainly by the way in which the gluteus maximus is
activated at different joint angles.

In the squat, the exercise is hardest at the bottom, where the hip angle is
large. This means that the glutes must work hardest when they are
lengthened. In contrast, in the hip thrust, the exercise is hardest at the
top, where the hip angle is small. This means that the glutes must work
hardest when they are shortened.

Research comparing the activity of the gluteus maximus at different hip

joint angles has found that it is naturally much more active when the
muscle is shortened (when the hip is fully extended) than when the
muscle is lengthened (when the hip is bent) (Fischer and Houtz 1968;
Worrell et al. 2001).

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Hip thrust vs. horizontal back extension
The horizontal back extension is another common exercise for training the
glutes. The hardest part of the horizontal back extension is also at the top
of the movement, where the length of the gluteus maximus is shortest,
just like in the hip thrust. So is the horizontal back extension as good as
the hip thrust?

Unfortunately, no research has yet compared the hip thrust and horizontal
back extension. However, research comparing the activity of the gluteus
maximus at different knee joint angles has found that it is naturally much
more active when the knee joint is bent (so that the hamstrings are
shortened) than when the muscle is lengthened (when the hamstrings are
lengthened) (Sakamoto et al. 2009; Kwon & Lee, 2013). This might be
because shortening the hamstrings by bending the knee makes them less
active, which moves workload onto the gluteus maximus.

In the horizontal back extension, the knees are extended, so the

hamstrings can contribute more, which probably reduces gluteus
maximus activity. In contrast, in the hip thrust, the knees are bent, so the
hamstrings probably contribute less, which likely increases gluteus
maximus activity.

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How do you set up the perfect hip thrust?

Introduction
To set up the perfect hip thrust, you need to address the following key
areas of technique:

Bench height

Bar position or band position

Hip protection

Foot position

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In the following sections, we will run through each of these important
areas and give some hints on how to set up perfectly.

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Bench height
To perform the hip thrust, you need to set your back up in a position with
the bench lined up around the bottom of the shoulder blades. For most
people with average torso and thigh lengths, this means that the best
bench height is around 16 inches.

If you are quite tall, you might feel more comfortable with a higher bench
(say up to 18 inches) whereas if you are on the shorter side, or if you
have a short torso relative to your legs, you might prefer with lower bench
(maybe even as low as 13 inches). Trial and error can help determine
which bench height is best for you.

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Bar position
Once you have set up in the correct position against the bench, you need
to get the barbell into the right place. Most of the time, this involves
rolling the barbell up from around your feet along the floor up towards
your hips. The best position for the bar is in the crease of your hip, with
the hands holding the bar centered in position, so the bar does not move
forwards or backwards while you hip thrust.

If you are using Olympic bumper plates, rolling the barbell up should be
fairly easy, as even the very light plates are still large enough to allow you
to roll the bar up over your thighs from down at your feet. On the other
hand, if you are using normal gym weight plates, the lighter plates might
not be big enough in diameter to allow you to roller the bar up from the
feet. This is where a spotter can come in handy to help place the bar
gently over the hips for you or you can use blocks or plates under the
barbell plates to elevate them off the ground a couple of inches. This is
especially important if you have thick padding around the barbell, as this
will decrease the space in between the ground and the bar.

Band placement is very similar to barbell placement on the hips, although

where you anchor them will depend upon your ingenuity unless you have
a Hip Thruster, which comes with band pegs as standard. Without a Hip
Thruster, you could use the band peg placements in a power rack or very
heavy dumbbells to anchor the bands but care will be needed to ensure
that they are secure before beginning!

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Hip protection
Most people quickly find that their hip strength improves rapidly once they
start doing hip thrusts. While this is a good thing, it soon means that the
weight they are using is so heavy that some padding is needed for the
barbell. There are several ways to pad the barbell but the most effective
are a very thick wraparound barbell pad or a flat Airex pad.

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Foot position
Once you have set the barbell in the crease of the hips, with appropriate
bar padding in place, you only now need to get your feet in the proper
position.

Bring your feet up towards your butt and screw the feet into position. If
you have muscular thighs or are using a thick barbell pad, this can be
more difficult. However, the ideal position for hip thrusting requires the
feet to be in position so that the shins are approximately vertical at the
top of the movement.

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Why use a Hip Thruster?
The Hip Thruster is a bench specially designed for hip thrusting. It makes
your hip thrusts easier, safer, and more effective.

Easy to use The Hip Thruster is a standalone unit. It can be

used alone in the middle of the gym floor and
does not need to be secured against a wall or
rack. A standard bench slides backwards during
hip thrusts if not supported
Easier to set up The Hip Thruster has no moving parts and is
always set to the right height. Just add bands or
a barbell and start hip thrusting!
Safer The built-in back rest and foot platform make the
Hip Thruster more stable than a bench and safer
to perform hip thrusts on
Band pegs as The band pegs on the side arms of the Hip
standard Thruster mean you can easily perform hip thrusts
with band resistance or with both barbells and
band resistance combined
Easy to store The Hip Thruster is easily manoeuvrable and
stands up on end for easy storage, meaning that
it need not take up much space in a busy gym
except when in use

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What are the best training tips for enhancing
hip thrusts?
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1. Push through the heels. This helps to shift the workload away from the
quads and onto the glutes and hamstrings.

2. Get your shins as vertical as possible. This is determined by how close

your feet are to the buttocks. Letting the feet get too close to the
buttocks shifts the workload to the quads, while letting the feet get
too far away from the buttocks shifts the workload to the hamstrings.

3. Play around with your foot placement. Some people find that turning
their toes outwards helps to activate the glutes more in the hip thrust,
and some prefer wider or narrow stances.

4. Keep your knees out. This helps to activate the glutes more than when
the knees are closer together.

5. Make sure to hip thrust all the way to full hip extension (without
arching the low back). This is the point in the range of motion where
the glutes are naturally most activated, so make the most of it!

6. Use posterior pelvic tilt (which helps prevent arching the low back).
This helps to activate the glutes more than anterior pelvic tilt. If you
keep your chin tucked and ribs down at the top of the movement, you
will likely posteriorly tilt the pelvis.

7. Brace the core muscles during the exercise. Bracing the core increases
spinal stability, which makes the exercise safer, but also increases
abdominal muscle activation, which can enhance glute activation as
well because of the force couple acting across the pelvis.

8. Pause for a moment at the top of the hip thrust. This increases time
under tension, which is helpful for maximizing gains, and also
increases the amount of time spent in a fully-extended hip position,
which is where the glutes are naturally most active.

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REFERENCES
1. Beardsley, C., & Contreras, B. (2014). The Increasing Role of the Hip Extensor Musculature
With Heavier Compound Lower-Body Movements and More Explosive Sport Actions. Strength &
Conditioning Journal, 36(2), 49-55.

2. Beardsley, C., & Contreras, B. (2014). Increasing Role of Hips Supported by Electromyography
and Musculoskeletal Modeling. Strength & Conditioning Journal, 36(4), 100-101.

3. Blemker, S. S., & Delp, S. L. (2005). Three-dimensional representation of complex muscle

architectures and geometries. Annals of biomedical engineering, 33(5), 661-673

4. Contreras, B., Cronin, J., & Schoenfeld, B. (2011). Barbell hip thrust. Strength & Conditioning
Journal, 33(5), 58-61.

5. Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., Schoenfeld, B. J., Beardsley, C., & Cronin, J. (2015). A
Comparison of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis EMG Activity in the Back
Squat and Barbell Hip Thrust Exercises. Journal of Applied Biomechanics.

6. Dostal, W. F., Soderberg, G. L., & Andrews, J. G. (1986). Actions of hip muscles. Physical
therapy, 66(3), 351

7. Fischer, F. J., & Houtz, S. J. (1968). Evaluation of the function of the gluteus maximus muscle.
An electromyographic study. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 47(4),
182.

8. Ito, J., Moriyama, H., Inokuchi, S., & Goto, N. (2003). Human lower limb muscles: an
evaluation of weight and fiber size. Okajimas folia anatomica Japonica, 80(2-3), 47-55.

9. Johnson, M., Polgar, J., Weightman, D., & Appleton, D. (1973). Data on the distribution of fibre
types in thirty-six human muscles: an autopsy study. Journal of the neurological sciences,
18(1), 111-129.

10. Kim, J. H., & Seo, H. J. (2015). Influence of pelvic position and vibration frequency on muscle
activation during whole body vibration in quiet standing. Journal of physical therapy science,
27(4), 1055.

11. Kwon, Y. J., & Lee, H. O. (2013). How different knee flexion angles influence the hip extensor
in the prone position. Journal of physical therapy science, 25(10), 1295.

12. Nmeth, G., & Ohlsn, H. (1985). In vivo moment arm lengths for hip extensor muscles at
different angles of hip flexion. Journal of biomechanics, 18(2), 129-140

13. Neumann, D. A. (2010). Kinesiology of the hip: a focus on muscular actions. Journal of
orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 40(2), 82-94.

14. Queiroz, B. C., Cagliari, M. F., Amorim, C. F., & Sacco, I. C. (2010). Muscle activation during
four Pilates core stability exercises in quadruped position. Archives of physical medicine and
rehabilitation, 91(1), 86-92.

15. Sakamoto, A. C. L., Teixeira-Salmela, L. F., de Paula-Goulart, F. R., de Morais Faria, C. D. C., &
Guimares, C. Q. (2009). Muscular activation patterns during active prone hip extension
exercises. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 19(1), 105-112.

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16.
Sirca, A., & Susec-Michieli, M. (1980). Selective type II fibre muscular atrophy in patients with
osteoarthritis of the hip. Journal of the neurological sciences, 44(2), 149-159

17. Suehiro, T., Mizutani, M., Okamoto, M., Ishida, H., Kobara, K., Fujita, D., & Watanabe, S.
(2014). Influence of hip joint position on muscle activity during prone hip extension with knee
flexion. Journal of physical therapy science, 26(12), 1895.

18. Ward, S. R., Eng, C. M., Smallwood, L. H., & Lieber, R. L. (2009). Are current measurements of
lower extremity muscle architecture accurate?. Clinical orthopaedics and related research,
467(4), 1074-1082

19. Worrell, T. W., Karst, G., Adamczyk, D., Moore, R., Stanley, C., Steimel, B., & Steimel, S.
(2001). Influence of joint position on electromyographic and torque generation during maximal
voluntary isometric contractions of the hamstrings and gluteus maximus muscles. Journal of
Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 31(12), 730.

20. Yamashita, N. (1988). EMG activities in mono-and bi-articular thigh muscles in combined hip
and knee extension. European journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology,
58(3), 274-277.

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