8 Hip Thrust Exercise Progressions For Glutes
How To Activate And Build Strong Glutes With Hip Thrusts
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing 8 hip thrust exercise progressions for glutes.
The simple hip thrust exercise modifications will help you activate and build stronger glutes, also known as the:
- Buns
- Booty
- Backside
- Badunkadonk
Yes, we’re talking glutes today.
In particular, I’m going to show you 8 simple hip thrust exercises to activate, and fire up some of the most powerful muscles and calorie torchers in your body, the butt.
By training your glutes, you can:
How Do You Activate Your Glutes?
What do I mean by activate?
Well think of it this way.
More than likely, you sit on your butt all day at the office, in the car, or at home on the couch.
Sitting on your butt for long periods of time, essentially flips the switch to turn your butt off.
Most people think deadlifts and squats are key to build stronger glutes.
This can be correct, if your glutes are correctly firing and contracting during those compound movements.
In many instances, your glutes may not be properly activating during these lifts.
This can be an issue since the glutes are a major muscle group involved in the deadlift and squat.
It’s time to fire up the glutes, and turn your booty switch back on, by performing one of the 8 variations of the best glute activation exercises around, the hip thrust.
8 Hip Thrust Exercise Progressions For Glutes
The first glute activation variation is the simplest, then we will work our way up to the most challenging exercise progression of the hip thrust, using a loaded barbell.
#1. Glute Bridge
The Glute Bridge is simple bodyweight exercise to activate and contract the muscles in the glutes.
How To Do A Glute Bridge Properly:
- Lie down on your back on the floor, bend your knees, and plant your feet flat into the floor.
- Keep your arms at your sides with your palms into the floor.
- Raise your hips and contract your glutes by pressing your heels through the floor until your body forms a bridge in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
- Hold this bridge for 5 seconds and really focus on squeezing your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back to the floor and repeat.
#2. Hip Thrust
The shoulders elevated hip thrust is a simple way to target and create more activation in the muscles in the glutes, as you have a greater range of motion.
How To Do A Hip Thrust Properly:
- Place your upper mid back and shoulders on a stable bench, box, couch, or chair with your arms extended to the sides, or bend your elbows at a 90 degree angle and press them into the bench, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and feet firmly planted into the floor.
- Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the floor, while keeping your core contracted.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back to the ground and repeat.
#3. Shoulders Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust
The Shoulders Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust is one of the advanced bodyweight progressions of the hip thrust that targets and isolates both glutes.
How To Do A Shoulders Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust Properly:
- Place your upper mid back and shoulders on a stable bench, box, couch, or chair with your arms extended to the sides or bent at a 90 degree angle and pressed into the bench, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and feet firmly planted into the floor.
- Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the floor while keeping your core contracted.
- Tuck one knee towards your chest as your press off with the other foot.
- Pause and contract the glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your single leg back to the floor, then without touching the floor, repeat with the same leg.
- Repeat all the reps on one leg, then switch legs and repeat.
#4. Feet Elevated Hip Thrust
The Feet Elevated Hip Thrust is another advanced bodyweight progression of the hip thrust that targets your glutes and hamstrings.
How To Do A Feet Elevated Hip Thrust Properly:
- Lie down with your back on the floor, arms extended out to the sides, and place your feet on a stable bench, box, couch, or chair.
- Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the bench, while keeping your core contracted.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back towards the floor and repeat without touching the floor.
#5. Single Leg Foot Elevated Hip Thrust
The Single Leg Foot Elevated Hip Thrust is an advanced bodyweight progression of the hip thrust that targets and isolates both glutes and your hamstrings independently.
How To Do A Single Leg Foot Elevated Hip Thrust Properly:
- Lie down with your back on the floor, arms extended out to the sides, and place your feet on a stable bench, box, chair, or couch.
- Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the bench, while keeping your core contracted.
- By pressing your heel into the bench, you incorporate more hamstring, by pressing your toes into the bench you target more calves.
- Tuck one knee towards your chest as your press off with the other foot.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back towards the floor and repeat without touching the floor.
#6. Shoulders And Feet Elevated Hip Thrust
The Shoulders and Feet Elevated Hip Thrust is one of the most advanced bodyweight progressions of the hip thrust, as it provides the greatest range of motion to contract and activate the glutes.
How To Do A Shoulders And Feet Elevated Hip Thrust Properly:
- Place two equally elevated benches approximately 2-3 feet apart from each other.
- Place your upper mid back and shoulders on a stable bench with your arms extended to the sides, or with your elbows bent at a 90 degree angle and pressed into the bench, with your feet elevated on the other bench, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
- Raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders by pressing your feet into the bench, while keeping your core contracted.
- By pressing your heels into the bench, you incorporate more hamstrings, by pressing your toes into the bench you target more calves.
- To make this hip thrust more advanced, tuck one knee towards your chest as your press off with the other foot.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back towards the floor, and repeat without touching the floor.
#7. Shoulders And Feet Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust
The Shoulders and Feet Elevated Single Leg Hip Thrust is one of the most advanced bodyweight progressions of the hip thrust, as it isolates each leg independently, while also providing the greatest range of motion to contract and activate the glutes.
How To Do A Shoulders And Feet Single Leg Hip Thrust Properly:
- Place two equally elevated benches approximately 2-4 feet apart from each other.
- Place your upper mid back and shoulders on a stable bench with your arms extended to the sides and pressed into the bench, with your feet elevated and heels pressed into the other bench, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle.
- Contract your core for balance, then raise one heel off the bench as you press the planted heel into the bench to extend your hips, while bringing the opposite bent knee up towards the ceiling.
- Once the hips are extended, it should create a straight line from your planted knee to your shoulders.
- Pause at the top to contract and squeeze your glute hard.
- While keeping your core contracted, under control, slowly lower your glutes back down towards the floor, without touching your elevated heel to the bench.
- Repeat all the reps on one leg, then switch legs and repeat.
#8. Barbell Hip Thrust
The shoulders elevated barbell hip thrust is one of the most advanced progressions of the hip thrust, as the extra weight on the barbell overloads the glutes, requiring maximum contraction.
How To Do A Barbell Hip Thrust Properly:
- Sit down on the ground with your upper mid back and shoulders against a bench.
- Carefully roll the loaded barbell over your legs and across your hips.
- With your knees bent at a 90 degree angle and feet firmly planted into the floor, grip the barbell with an overhand grip for balance, then raise and extend your hips to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders, by pressing your feet into the floor while keeping your core contracted.
- Pause and squeeze your glutes hard.
- Under control, slowly lower your glutes back towards the ground and repeat without touching the floor.
There you go Live Lean Nation.
Try adding in any of these 8 hip thrust exercise progressions to fire up your glutes before your next booty workout.
Try Our Build A Butt Extreme Workout Program
If you’re looking for a full 9 week glute strengthening workout, check out Jessica’s Build A Butt Extreme program.
Guys, it’s not just for the ladies.
Dudes, need powerful glutes too.
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Question For You:
- Do you ever feel like your glutes aren’t firing during squats and deadlifts?
- How many of these hip thrust exercise progressions have you tried?
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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