How to Do Hip Rows, the Best Butt Exercise You Don’t
There seem to be two types of gyms: one where everyone does hip rows, and one where no one has ever heard of them. In the first, you can feel fear; in the second, you may not want to be such an eccentric . Fear not: we’ll help you get started with confidence.
What are hip thrusts and what are they for?
The hip row is an exercise in which you load a barbell and sit down on the floor under it. Then, resting your shoulders on the bench, you push your hips towards the ceiling, lifting the barbell.
This is a really good glute workout because your glutes (gluteus muscles) are able to do the most intense part of the lift when they are fully contracted. Bret Contreras popularized this exercise and incorporated it into several of his glute-focused training programs; in just a few years, it became popular. Some gyms even have specialized hip pelvis. This is definitely an exercise worth knowing if you want to get stronger or more muscular glutes.
Great, but how do I do it?
It is difficult to set up, but the effort is worth it. You need:
- Bench to lean on your shoulders
- There is a seating area on the floor next to the bench
- Barbell with the desired weight
- Thick lining to cushion the thighs
The video below takes you through everything, so watch it before you head to the gym and start rearranging furniture.
If you’re the only freak in your gym doing this exercise (that’s okay, really!), The first hurdle is finding the right bench and seat. Remember, it’s okay to move things!
If you are concerned about the bench tipping over (this is not a problem for most benches, to be honest), you can place it against a wall or use heavy slabs to weigh down the bottom of the bench.
If there is no thick soft pillow, do what I do and get one of those thick yoga mat type pillows. Fold it in half or three and it’s perfect. Some people just buy themselves a thick foam pad and bring it to the gym.
Am I really going to lift that kind of weight?
Your glutes are really strong! It’s okay to be able to push your hips more than you can lift in any other exercise.
This may be the first time you don’t want to start with a large (45 lb.) barbell cymbal. In some gyms, all plates are the same size, so just choose something smaller – like 10 pound plates – and set up as shown in the video.
But if the lighter plates are smaller, you have a problem: how to get the barbell on your knees if you can’t roll it over your legs? There are several options:
- For a light weight that is not difficult to do in the deadlift, just grab it and sit on your knees. This might work for your warm-up sets on the first day, but it won’t work for heavy work sets as you get used to the exercise.
- Fold a few plates or blocks on either side of you and roll the barbell over them.
- Use a barbell with a fixed plate (the smaller one to which weights are permanently attached). Place it next to you, sit down and lower it on your lap.
- Use a Smith machine orthis technique to push the thighs on the leg extension machine . Barbell training is actually more fun in my opinion, but I definitely used the Smith machine on the first day because it felt less intimidating.
So give it a try and look forward to lifting weights! Want some inspiration? Here’sThe Rock hip pushing 455 pound reps … and Brie Larsonpushing her way to 400 .