How to Do Hip Thrusts: the Best Butt Exercise You’re Not Doing

There seem to be two types of gyms: the ones where everyone does hip thrusts, and the ones where no one has ever heard of them. First, you may feel scared; in the second case, you might not want to be such a weirdo . Have no fear: I’ll help you get started with confidence.

What are hip thrusts and what are they for?

The hip thrust is an exercise where you load a barbell and sit on the floor underneath it. Then, with your shoulders resting on the bench, you push your hips toward the ceiling, lifting the barbell.

This is a really good glute workout because your glutes (butt muscles) get the opportunity to perform the most intense part of the lift when they are fully contracted. Bret Contreras popularized this exercise and included it in several of his glute-focused workout programs; in just a few years it disappeared. Some gyms even have dedicated hip thrust stations. This exercise is definitely worth knowing if you want stronger, more muscular buttocks.

Great, but how do I do this?

The setup is not easy, but it’s worth it. You need:

• A bench to rest your shoulders on

• A room next to a bench where you can sit on the floor.

• Barbell with the weight you need.

• Thick thigh pad (like this one )

If you’re the only weirdo at your gym doing this exercise (that’s okay, really!), your first hurdle is finding the right bench and space. Remember that it’s okay to move things around! Just respect others’ space and return things to where you found them.

If you’re worried about the bench tipping over (honestly, this isn’t a problem for most benches), you can place it against a wall or use heavy plates to weigh down the bottom of the bench.

What if it hurts a little?

If a barbell is causing pain in your hips, the first thing to do is check its placement. You want the bar to sit right in the crease of your hip where there is no bone for it to press on.

Second, make sure you have padding. Those pads you find on a squat rack are better than nothing, but they don’t always provide enough cushioning when the weight gets heavy. Take one of the square pads like this one or a thick foam pad and place it on your lap. (And no, it’s not “weird” to bring your own mat to the gym.) If you don’t have a thick, padded mat, and you don’t have your own, do what I do and grab one of these thick yoga mats. pads. Fold it in half or in thirds and it’s perfect.

If your back or shoulders hurt, adjust your position on the bench as well. A standard exercise bench may actually be too high, so consider using aerobics steps or impact pads to get a more comfortable height.

Will I really be lifting that much weight?

You have very strong gluteal muscles! It’s normal that you can push your hips out much more than you can lift in any other exercise.

For the first time, you may not want to start with large (45 pound) weights on the barbell. Some gyms have all the weights the same size, so just choose something smaller—like a 10-pound plate—and set it up as shown in the video.

But if the lighter weights are smaller, you have a problem: How do you get the barbell onto your knees if you can’t roll it over your legs? There are several options:

• If you want a light weight that’s easy to deadlift, just grab it and sit on your knees with it. This may be fine for warm-up sets on the first day, but it won’t be suitable for heavy working sets once you get used to the exercise.

• Place several plates or blocks on either side of you and flip the barbell over them.

• Use a barbell with a fixed plate (a smaller barbell that has weights permanently attached to it). Place it next to you, sit down and lower it to your knees.

• Use this technique to perform hip thrusts on the leg extension machine . Just make sure the machine is secured to the floor – there’s a viral video where a gym didn’t secure the machine properly and bad things happen. On a regular computer installed correctly, this is not a problem.

• Use the Smith machine.

So give it a try and look forward to lifting heavy weights! Want some inspiration? Here’s The Rock hip lifting 455 pounds for paused reps… and Brie Larson lifting up to 400 pounds .

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