How to Do Hip Thrusts at Home: Great For The Booty

July 29, 2024

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The hip thrust has gained popularity over recent years, and rightly so—it stands alongside the squat as one of the best exercises to grow the booty. But not everyone trains at a gym full of dedicated hip thrust machines, benches, and weights.

Some people work out from home. So, does this mean they have to write off the exercise? Definitely not. The good news is that there are multiple ways to incorporate hip thrusts at home, even without equipment. Today, we'll explore different variations to help you master the hip thrust and build those glutes!

 

Why Hip Thrust

Since its inception in 2005 by "the glute guy" Bret Contreras, the hip thrust has skyrocketed in popularity, solidifying its place alongside squats and deadlifts as one of the premier exercises for building glute strength and size. What sets the hip thrust apart is its ability to target the glutes, specifically in their shortened position, providing a unique stimulus for muscle growth.

Research into glute exercises consistently shows that the hip thrust induces some of the highest muscle activation levels compared to other popular exercises to enhance glute development. This makes it a standout choice for sculpting and strengthening their posterior (1).

Beyond aesthetics, the benefits of the hip thrust extend to functional strength and athletic performance. Strong glutes are essential for running, jumping, and lifting, as they provide the power and stability necessary for optimal performance and injury prevention. Neglecting glute strength can lead to compensatory movements that strain other muscles, potentially resulting in lower back or hip discomfort.

In essence, integrating hip thrusts into your workout routine enhances the appearance of your buttocks and promotes overall strength, power, and stability. Whether your goal is to add inches to your backside or to improve your athletic prowess, the hip thrust is a pivotal exercise in achieving both aesthetic and functional fitness goals.

 

Hip Thrust Basics

The hip thrust is a simple yet effective exercise that targets the glutes. Here's how to perform it:

• Position Yourself: Sit on the ground with your upper back against a bench or sturdy surface. Your feet should be flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Set Up: Roll a barbell or place weights over your hips if you're using them. Keep your chin tucked and your core engaged.
• Thrust: Drive your hips upward, pushing through your heels. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees at the top of the movement.
• Lower: Slowly lower your hips back to the starting position.

The key movement pattern in the hip thrust is hip extension. At the bottom of the movement, your glutes are stretched. As you thrust upward, your glutes contract hard against gravity. This stretch and contraction cycle is what makes the hip thrust so effective for building and strengthening the glutes.

When first starting out, it’s worth experimenting with different foot positions to find the position that effectively targets the glutes. You’ll find that if your feet are too far forward, the emphasis will shift from the glutes to the hamstrings. Likewise, if your feet are too close to your butt, the emphasis will shift onto the quads. Play around with the positioning to find the spot where your glutes are doing the large chunk of the work. 

 

Hip Thrust Variations to Do at Home

Let’s take a look at the hip thrust variations we have available to us at home:

 

Traditional Hip Thrust

The traditional hip thrust is a fundamental lower body exercise targeting the glutes. To perform it, you'll need a sturdy, stable surface like a sofa, ottoman, or bed, preferably placed against a wall to prevent movement.

The exercise involves positioning your upper back against the surface, bending your knees, and placing your feet flat on the floor. Then, by driving through your heels, you lift your hips upward, fully extending your hips and squeezing your glutes at the top before lowering back down.

 

B Stance Hip Thrust

 

The B Stance Hip Thrust is a popular variation of the traditional hip thrust, focusing on one side of the body at a time. This unilateral exercise is ideal for those looking to progress beyond the standard two-foot hip thrust.

By working each side individually it helps correct muscle imbalances and ensures balanced strength development. To perform it, you position one foot flat on the ground while the other is slightly staggered, using only the heel for support, and then thrust your hips upward, primarily using the working leg.

 

Single Leg Hip Thrust

The Single Leg Hip Thrust is a unilateral exercise that serves as a progression from the B Stance Hip Thrust. In this advanced variation, one foot is completely off the floor, requiring greater strength and stability. This movement targets the gluteus maximus while also engaging the smaller gluteus medius and minimus muscles to maintain pelvic stability.

To perform it, you place your upper back against a sturdy surface, extend one leg out, and drive through the heel of the other foot to lift your hips upward, fully extending and squeezing your glutes at the top.

 

Wall Hip Thrust

The Wall Hip Thrust is an alternative hip thrust variation that uses a wall for support instead of a bench or elevated surface. This exercise focuses on glute activation and lower body strength. To perform it, you lie on your back with your feet pressed against a wall and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.

By driving through your heels, you lift your hips off the ground, fully extending and squeezing your glutes at the top before lowering back down. The wall provides stability, making it a great option for beginners or those looking for an interesting hip thrust variation.

 

Banded Hip Thrust

The Banded Hip Thrust adds resistance to the traditional hip thrust by incorporating a resistance band around the knees. This variation not only targets the gluteus maximus but also engages the smaller gluteus medius and minimus muscles responsible for hip abduction.

By pushing outward against the band while lifting your hips, you recruit these smaller muscles, enhancing stability and strength in the hips. To perform it, position your upper back on a stable surface, place the band around your knees, and drive through your heels to lift your hips, ensuring you push your knees outward throughout the movement.

 

Glute Bridge

The Glute Bridge is a simple yet effective hip thrust variation that can be easily performed at home. The movement pattern closely resembles the hip thrust but without elevating your back off the floor, resulting in a reduced range of motion.

While maximizing the range of motion is generally beneficial, the glute bridge remains a great alternative when a sturdy platform is unavailable. To perform it, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. By driving through your heels, lift your hips upward, fully extending and squeezing your glutes at the top before lowering back down.

If you’re new to the hip thrust exercises, the glute bridge is a great progression exercise to start with before jumping into the hip thrust. When you master the form with the glute bridge, you can move onto the more difficult hip thrust variations.

 

How to Make Gains with The Hip Thrust

If you’re a beginner, it's best to start these exercises with just your bodyweight (i.e., no added resistance). After a few weeks or months, you’ll likely master the form, and the exercises that once felt difficult will now be relatively easy. At this stage, it’s important to progress the exercise so that it continues to challenge you. An exercise that doesn’t challenge you won’t change you.

There are many ways to make an exercise or workout more difficult. These include adding resistance, increasing the number of reps/sets, decreasing rest time, and increasing workout frequency. However, the two most effective methods are increasing resistance or increasing reps. Studies have shown that increasing resistance or reps results in similar gains, providing more flexibility with your training (2).

 

Increasing Resistance

When you’re working out at home, you might not have many weights, if any at all. So, you need to get creative when it comes to adding resistance to your exercises. Look for something heavy and comfortable enough to place on your hips to create resistance.

Some creative solutions include using 15-liter water bottles, a rucksack full of books, or even your partner (though it may take some time before you can lift your partner!). The goal is to find something heavy enough to make the exercise challenging.

As you continue to progress, even these household items might not feel heavy enough. At that point, it’s worth investing in some free weights. Adjustable dumbbells or barbells with weight plates can provide the necessary resistance to continue challenging your muscles.

 

Increasing Reps

Another way to progress with hip thrust exercises is by increasing the number of reps. Research has shown that you can build muscle within a rep range of 5-30. If you’re failing after 12 reps and don’t have access to heavy objects to increase resistance, you can aim to perform more reps each week.

For example, if you perform 12 reps in week one, try to do an extra rep or two each week until you reach 30 reps. Once you hit 30 reps, it’s likely time to add some resistance to stay within the optimal 5-30 rep range, as going beyond 30 reps may be suboptimal for building muscle.

 

Using Glute Bands

Glute bands are another affordable resource to enhance your glute workout. The hip thrust primarily targets the gluteus maximus, which is responsible for hip extension. By adding a resistance band, you can also engage the smaller, yet important, gluteus medius and minimus.

The gluteus maximus is responsible for the majority of the butt’s shape, but building the medius and minimus helps to build the upper glutes, making them appear rounder.

To incorporate glute bands, place a resistance band over your knees during the exercise and push outwards. This will target the smaller glute muscles, and you’ll feel them burning after the workout.

 

Glute Building Workout Tips

1. Maintain Proper Form: Always ensure that your form is correct to prevent injury and maximize effectiveness. Your back should be pressed against a stable surface, feet flat on the floor, and knees bent at a 90-degree angle.
2. Consistent Progression: Consistency is key in any workout routine. Make sure to progressively overload your muscles by either increasing the weight or the number of reps.
3. Rest and Recovery: Allow adequate time for rest and recovery. Muscles grow and repair during rest, so ensure you’re not overworking the same muscle group without giving it time to recover.
4. Variation: Mix up your routines to avoid plateaus. Incorporate different variations of the hip thrust, such as the B Stance Hip Thrust, Single Leg Hip Thrust, or Banded Hip Thrust, to target the muscle from different angles and ensure balanced development.
5. Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds to different levels of resistance and reps. If you experience pain (not to be confused with the usual muscle soreness), adjust your routine accordingly.

By following these guidelines, you can continue to make gains with the hip thrust and build strong, well-rounded glutes, even while working out at home.

 

How To Grow The Butt

Diet For Building the Glutes

When it comes to growing the glutes, diet plays a crucial role. To build muscle, we need to be in a calorie surplus. This means consuming more calories than we burn. Building muscle is an energy-intensive process, so it's essential to fuel our bodies properly with the right nutrients.

A good starting point is a 10% calorie surplus. This extra energy supports muscle growth and recovery. To calculate how much you should be eating, check out our popular article “How Much Should I Be Eating To Build Muscle”.

In addition to eating more calories, focus on consuming a balanced diet rich in protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. Protein is particularly important as it helps repair and build muscle tissue. Aim to include lean meats, dairy, legumes, and protein-rich foods in your meals.

Healthy fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil are vital for overall health and hormone production. Complex carbs from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables provide sustained energy for your workouts.

Remember, building muscle takes time and consistency. Combine your calorie surplus with effective strength training and proper rest to maximize glute growth. So, eat right, train hard, and give your body the fuel it needs to build those glutes!

 

Working Out For Glute Growth

To effectively grow your glutes, it's essential to understand and apply the principle of progressive overload. This means gradually making your exercises more challenging over time. Progressive overload is key to building muscle, including the glutes.

When you start working out, you introduce a new stimulus to your body. Initially, your body responds by building muscle and strength to adapt to this new challenge. However, if you continue doing the same exercises with the same weight and reps, your body will eventually adjust, and progress will slow down.

To keep making gains, you need to consistently increase the difficulty of your workouts. This can be done by adding more weight, increasing the number of repetitions, or performing exercises with greater intensity. For example, if you're doing hip thrusts, you might start with bodyweight and then gradually add weight as you get stronger.

Incorporating different exercises and variations, such as those mentioned earlier (e.g., single-leg hip thrusts, banded hip thrusts), can also help prevent plateaus and keep your muscles challenged. Each variation targets your glutes slightly differently, which helps promote overall muscle growth.

Combining progressive overload with a muscle-building diet will maximize your results. Ensure you’re eating enough calories and protein to support muscle repair and growth.

By regularly challenging your glutes and providing them with the right nutrition, you can effectively build size and strength in your rear. Keep pushing your limits and adjusting your workouts to continue seeing progress.

 

The Final Say

Hip thrusts are a powerhouse exercise for building and strengthening your glutes, even when working out at home. By incorporating various hip thrust variations and sticking to a progressive overload approach, you can effectively target and grow your glutes. Remember, a combination of challenging workouts and a muscle-building diet is essential for seeing results.

Whether you’re using a bench, resistance bands, or just your body weight, the key is to consistently increase the difficulty and keep your muscles engaged. Alongside effective training, ensuring you’re in a calorie surplus with adequate protein intake will support muscle growth and recovery.

Stay committed, adapt your routine as needed, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving those strong, sculpted glutes. Keep pushing forward, and enjoy the process of reaching your fitness goals!

 

References

1. Neto, W. K., Soares, E. G., Vieira, T. L., Aguiar, R., Chola, T. A., De Lima Sampaio, V., & Gama, E. F. (2020, March 1). Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039033/

2. Plotkin, D., Coleman, M., Van Every, D., Maldonado, J., Oberlin, D., Israetel, M., Feather, J., Alto, A., Vigotsky, A. D., & Schoenfeld, B. J. (2022). Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 10, e14142. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14142

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