Study: Back Squat produces better glute growth than hip thrust

[robinto]

@transparency Nah. It’s just way easier to activate your glutes with hip thrusts. Plus it takes a long time for a lot of girls to even be comfortable doing them that they lean towards squats...I don’t do hip thrust enough because I find setting them up a bitch...but my butt burns so much more with them that I’ve been trying to be strict with it. I love squats but my glutes didn’t get activated from doing them for years until I started adding in hip thrusts....

 

[dawn16]

@transparency I'm curious, since when are hip thrusts not "work" though? And since when is getting results in an effective way not a good thing?

If squats or any other exercise (even hip thrusts) aren't working for you and your goals then why do them?

It seems like you're saying that hip thrusts are some kind of easier "cheat code" alternative to squats and I have to say that's not true at all.

Unless I'm misreading this then please ignore me lol.

Edit: spelling + some extra words...

 

[genenco]

@dawn16 Not OP and I don't really think hip thrusts are cheating, but I do feel like maybe one of the reasons it's loved is also because it's easier to make big progress on the number with HT compared to other lifts? There are people who can HT 200kg or 440lbs who might not be able to squat half that, and and you can't deny that that kind of progress (e.g. saying that you can lift 200kg or just seeing/know that number increases every week) is very exciting, encouraging, and ego-boosting, regardless of aesthetics.

I definitely have seen comments from people talking about how that sorta thing affects their motivation to do a lift. Like it's not cheating per se, but you can argue that with HT you don't need to put in as much effort to increase your numbers or make progress. Maybe that is because as others point out, it's less risky so people feel more unafraid to push more, or maybe because it's technically not as difficult/particular as squats, but it generally is easier to master.

You definitely still need to put in the work though! As with anything you only get out of it as much as you put in. I guess what I'm saying is it's easier to both find the motivation and do the work with HT compared to other lifts. Maybe that's why it can feeeeeel "cheat"-y?

 

[dawn16]

@transparency

People want results without the work.

not sure if you mean that negatively or positively, but achieving results with more efficiency is definitely ideal...

 

[smith1]

@dawn16 What is the advantage of excluding quads?

 

[ironfeather]

@smith1 I run as well and my physio said that my quad strength was contributing to my runners knee and anterior pelvic tilt. So on his advice I stopped squats and started doing isolation exercises like hip thrusts and Romanian deadlifts with a lot of foam rolling and massaging my quads to loosen them.

 

[novkhan]

@smith1 My quads are tight from sitting all day, but strengthening the glutes can help prevent the pelvic tilt that can come from that sitting all day. I like to throw in some accessory work that targets only the glutes after my squats to help strengthen them without further tightening/straining my quads.

 

[smith1]

@novkhan That’s an interesting idea. I’m also an all day sitter so I do glute stretches to prevent the always-looming sciatica issue. I haven’t noticed a tilt in my pelvis- maybe I should video myself in profile and compare.

Thanks for the idea!

 

[dawn16]

@smith1 giant quads look terrible (to me at least)

 

[dawn16]

@smith1 To target glutes after quads have been exhausted

 

[dawn16]

@smith1 Some people are very quad dominant with weaker glutes and so want to create more balance by focusing on glute-centric exercises like hip thrusts (although they do recruit the quads, adductor, hamstrings, core etc. as well).

 

[savedbygrace2000]

@smith1 i think some people have trouble firing their glutes during squats (hence the phrase “quad dominance”) so hip thrusts can be useful for targetting glutes specifically.

 

[dawn16]

@savedbygrace2000 I was told that squats should activate both your glutes and your quads. Is that incorrect?

 

[pandacakes82]

@dawn16 A squat *should* activate both, but there's factors that might inhibit activation. For years, I was squatting pretty heavy (1RM of 235# or so), but it was nearly all quads and lower back. My glutes barely activated. It took a year of focusing on my glutes and retraining them on how to fire and activate, increasing the mind-muscle connection, etc.

Many women are quad dominant and fall into this boat. If you're squatting and not seeing your glutes grow, this is usually the first thing to look at.

 

[genenco]

@pandacakes82 How do you know if your glutes are/aren't activated?

I know DOMS isn't a good indicator of a good workout, but is it a good indicator if your muscles were activated?

I always get DOMS on my glutes (specifically the bottom part, like where the glutes meet the hamstrings) the day after squats. I also know that my legs/quads are the weak point in my squat so I always assume it means my glutes are activated. Does this sound right?

 

[pandacakes82]

@genenco I wish I had a good answer, but I don't. I thought my glutes weren't activating, but it took a running coach to watch me running to diagnose it.

If you're seeing the glute hypertrophy you want, and you're not having chronic lower body injuries or muscle imbalances, I would assume you're fine.

Most people I know that get told they have glute inactivation, it's because they went to a trainer or therapist complaining of something in their lower back or legs being sore (not DOMs, but like tendinitis or something), and then the pro watches them move and realize that they're quads, IT band, lower back, whatever, is taking over. That results in overwork and overuse which causes the nagging pain. Once the athlete starts using their glutes and "turns off" that overworked area, the pain subsides.

If you're not having those nagging pains, keep doing what you're doing.

 

[genenco]

@pandacakes82 Thank you for the explanation!

 

[stanlester]

@savedbygrace2000 Tbh, I'm having trouble imagining doing a squat without activating my glutes. How would one come out of a squat without squeezing your butt?

 

[cherylhannah]

@stanlester It sounds weird but I would ALWAYS squeeze my glutes coming out of them and still didn't find they were being activated. It's only after I learned more glute-activation exercises I am finally able to feel squats in my glutes as well. I think there is a muscle/mind connection that is hard to grasp for some of us!

 

[robinto]

@savedbygrace2000 Yep! It took me a very long time to realize my glutes were never being fired from squats. Hip thrusts along with others helped me activate my glutes.