Hip Thrusts Are WAY Overrated

Key wellness / performance takeaways (Hip thrusts for glute growth)

Upsides of hip thrusts

• Direct glute isolation
  • Unlike many common glute exercises (e.g., squats, deadlifts, lunges), hip thrusts can more specifically target the glutes.
• Some people respond extremely well
  • For certain individuals, hip thrusts can lead to noticeable glute growth over weeks/months.
• Better mind–muscle connection (peak contraction focus)
  • The movement pattern makes it easier for some lifters to “feel” their glutes and learn that connection.
  • This skill may transfer to other exercises later.

Downsides / limitations

• Annoying setup (time/effort cost)
  • Barbell setup can be tedious: loading plates, positioning, rolling the bar, re-racking, and extra warm-up steps.
• “Force curve” issue for hypertrophy
  • Hip thrusts place relatively more load at the top (peak contracted position) and less load near the bottom stretch.
  • The argument is that for glute hypertrophy, the bottom/stretch-loaded portion is especially important, so hip thrusts may under-challenge that range compared with alternatives.

Practical programming advice (what to do instead / how to choose)

• If your goal is glute hypertrophy first, consider prioritizing:
  • Front-foot elevated lunges (especially on a Smith machine)
  • Walking lunges / barbell or dumbbell lunges
  • Reverse lunges
  • Emphasis: front-foot elevated lunges are often “first in line” vs. hip thrusts.
• If you still want to use hip thrusts:
  • Expect you may need more total sets to match the stimulus from lunges that load the glute stretch more.
  • Rule-of-thumb comparison mentioned:
    • Hip thrusts may need roughly 2× the sets of lunges (e.g., ~6 sets hip thrusts for ~3 sets lunges; varies by how the comparison is framed).
• Try to keep glutes loaded in the stretched position
  • Exercises that create a strong stretch under load may be superior for growth on a set-to-set basis.

Future / technology note (potential solution)

• Motorized / adjustable-force machines
  • A proposed solution is to mimic an ideal force pattern:
    • Low force at the top
    • High force as you move into the bottom stretch
  • This could preserve hip thrust benefits (isolation + mind–muscle connection) while correcting the force-curve mismatch.
  • It would also enable quicker setup and reduce the need to pile on weights.

Wellness-style “self-improvement” angle

• The advice is framed as measured, individualized optimization:
  • Use hip thrusts if they work well for you and you can feel your glutes.
  • If results are underwhelming, switch exercise selection to stretch-loaded options.

Sources / presenters

• Dr. Mike (Renaissance Periodization) — presenter
• Bret Contreras — referenced as a source of real-world success stories with hip thrusts