RIRLift

Exercises

Hip thrust: how to do it, what it works, and what to swap it for

Published October 16, 2026

The hip thrust is a loaded hip extension done with your upper back on a bench and a barbell across your hips. It loads the glutes hardest at the top of the movement, with the hamstrings helping. What makes it work is finishing every rep: hips fully up, ribs down, a one-second squeeze at the top, then a controlled lower.

Your last hip thrust set

How to do the hip thrust

The hip thrust loads your glutes heaviest right where they are shortest and hardest to challenge with squats or deadlifts, and your lower back stays out of the way. Most lifters can thrust far more than they squat, so it is the easiest way to keep adding load to the glutes for months.

Steps

  1. Sit on the floor with the edge of a flat bench just under your shoulder blades, and roll a padded barbell into the crease of your hips.
  2. Plant your feet about hip width, a foot or so in front of you, so your shins will be vertical when your hips are up.
  3. Hold the bar with both hands, tuck your chin slightly and brace as if someone is about to poke your stomach.
  4. Push the floor away through your whole foot and lift your hips until your thighs and torso are level, pivoting on the bench.
  5. Hold the top for one second with your glutes squeezed and ribs down, then lower until the plates almost touch the floor.

Cues

  • Ribs down, chin tucked
  • Shins vertical at the top
  • Squeeze for one second, then lower

Common mistakes

  • Arching your lower back to get the hips higher: stop when your thighs are level with your torso and keep your ribs pulled down.
  • Feet too close or too far: if you feel it mostly in your quads move your feet out, if mostly in your hamstrings move them in, until your shins are vertical at lockout.
  • Bouncing out of the bottom with half reps: let the plates nearly touch the floor and start each rep from there.
  • Skipping the bar pad: use a thick pad or folded mat so the bar sits still and you can load it without flinching.

Swap for: Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Glute Bridge

Muscles the hip thrust works

The hip thrust mainly trains the gluteus maximus, with the hamstrings and adductors helping to extend the hip. It is hardest at the top, with your hips fully extended, which is the opposite of a Romanian deadlift or a deep squat where the glutes are loaded most in the stretch.

Sets, reps and reps in reserve for the hip thrust

GoalSets × repsRIRRest
Build muscle 3 × 8–12 2 2:30 min
This is what the session builder prescribes; add weight when you hit 12 reps on every set at 2 reps in reserve.
Strength 3–5 × 5–8 1–2 3 min
Use it after your squat or deadlift and add a small jump each week while the top-second squeeze stays clean.
At the end of a session 2–3 × 12–20 0–1 90 s
Lighter, higher-rep sets taken close to failure fit after heavy lower-body work without needing much more load.
Beginners 2–3 × 10–15 2–3 2 min
Start with the bar or a light pair of dumbbells and earn the full lockout before you load it.

Hip thrust variations

  • Smith Machine Hip Thrust start position

    Smith Machine Hip Thrust

    Pick this if setting up a loose barbell is awkward; the fixed bar path lets you push heavy without the bar rolling.

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  • Dumbbell Hip Thrust start position

    Dumbbell Hip Thrust

    Use the dumbbell hip thrust at home or in a busy gym when you only have dumbbells and a bench.

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  • Single-Leg Hip Thrust start position

    Single-Leg Hip Thrust

    Choose this when one side does more of the work or you run out of weight, since one leg doubles the load on each glute.

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  • Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust start position

    Dumbbell Staggered Hip Thrust

    A middle step between two legs and one: one foot forward takes some load off it and puts more on the back leg.

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  • Kettlebell Hip Thrust start position

    Kettlebell Hip Thrust

    Use a kettlebell held on your hips when that is the heaviest single weight you have.

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  • Band Hip Thrust start position

    Band Hip Thrust

    Pick the band version for high-rep sets at home or as a warm-up before heavy thrusts.

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Hip thrust alternatives

No bench

  • Glute Bridge start position

    Glute Bridge

    Same movement with your back on the floor; a shorter range, but it loads heavily and needs only a barbell.

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  • Dumbbell Glute Bridge start position

    Dumbbell Glute Bridge

    The floor version with one dumbbell across your hips when you have no barbell either.

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Cable or machine

  • Cable Pull-Through start position

    Cable Pull-Through

    A standing hip extension with steady cable tension, good when the floor setup bothers you.

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  • Multi-Hip Glute Extension start position

    Multi-Hip Glute Extension

    A machine kick back that trains one glute at a time with no setup.

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  • Cable Glute Kickback start position

    Cable Glute Kickback

    Use it as a lighter, higher-rep glute finisher when your gym has a free cable stack.

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Glutes in the stretch

  • Romanian Deadlift start position

    Romanian Deadlift

    Hinging loads the glutes and hamstrings at long lengths, which the hip thrust does not; do both for complete glute work.

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  • Bulgarian Split Squat start position

    Bulgarian Split Squat

    Lean your torso slightly forward and take a long stride to work the glutes deep in the bottom position.

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Power

  • Kettlebell Swing start position

    Kettlebell Swing

    Choose swings when you want fast, explosive hip extension rather than slow heavy reps.

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  • Dumbbell Swing start position

    Dumbbell Swing

    The same explosive swing with one dumbbell held by the head when you have no kettlebell.

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Hip thrust vs glute bridge

Both lift a weight across your hips by extending them. In the hip thrust your upper back rests on a bench, so your hips travel further and start below your knees; in the glute bridge your back is on the floor, so the range is shorter and you can lift more weight than you expect for it.

Use the hip thrust as your main glute lift when you have a bench. Use the glute bridge when you have no bench, when the bench setup is crowded, or as a heavier top-range finisher after thrusts.

Hip thrust vs squat

The squat trains your quads and glutes together and loads the glutes most at the bottom. The hip thrust loads the glutes most at the top and barely uses your quads. If your goal is bigger glutes, keep one of each: a squat or split squat and a hip thrust, ideally on different days or one after the other. See Romanian deadlift for the hinge that fills the third gap.

Questions

What is the best way to do hip thrusts?

Set the bench under your shoulder blades, put a padded bar in your hip crease, place your feet so your shins are vertical at the top, then drive your hips up until your thighs are level with your torso. Keep your chin tucked and ribs down, squeeze for one second, and lower under control.

What is the difference between a glute bridge and a hip thrust?

A glute bridge is done with your back on the floor, so the hips move through a shorter range. A hip thrust puts your upper back on a bench, so the hips start lower and travel further. Both train the glutes; the hip thrust is the better main lift when you have a bench.

Are hip thrusts better than squats?

Neither replaces the other. Squats train the quads and glutes and load the glutes in the bottom; hip thrusts load the glutes at the top with little quad work. For glute growth, do both across the week.

How do you do weighted hip thrusts at home?

Put your upper back on a sturdy couch or bench and hold a dumbbell or kettlebell across your hips with both hands. When it gets light, switch to one leg or slow the lowering to three seconds before adding more weight.

What can I substitute hip thrusts with?

Without a bench, do glute bridges. Without a barbell, use a dumbbell hip thrust or a single-leg version. In a gym with cables, use cable pull-throughs. Add a Romanian deadlift or Bulgarian split squat to train the glutes in the stretch.

How many sets of hip thrusts should I do?

Three to four sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping about two reps short of failure, is a good default. Count hip thrusts toward the 10 to 20 hard sets per week that most lifters need for each muscle to grow.

Is the hip thrust necessary to grow your glutes?

No. Squats, lunges, split squats and hinges all grow the glutes. The hip thrust is worth doing because it loads them heavily at the top of the range, many lifters find it easier to push hard on than a heavy squat or hinge, and it is easy to progress week to week.