This archive report was first published on 4 September 2019.
Perfecting the Hip Thrust ¶
When it comes to building stronger glutes, the hip thrust is a valuable exercise to add to your training routine. However, it's essential to ensure you're performing the exercise correctly to avoid injury and maximize its benefits.
According to Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., fitness director of Men's Health, perfect form is crucial, especially since the hip thrust is a simple yet essential exercise that can serve as a centerpiece of your training plan.
On September 4, 2019, Samuel and associate fitness editor Brett Williams shared their expertise on the subtleties of the hip thrust, helping readers avoid bad habits that can hinder their fitness progress.
Before starting the exercise, it's essential to pay attention to your positioning. Samuel emphasizes that your mental focus should be on aggressively driving your hips upwards, solely with glute power.
Choosing the Right Equipment ¶
Samuel advises against using a barbell for hip thrusts, especially if you have smaller bars available. The long levers of a barbell can take away from your focus on creating glute contraction, and you may end up balancing the bar with your arms.
Looking Forward ¶
When positioning yourself for the hip thrust, find something in front of you and a few feet higher than your head to look at, and maintain your focus throughout the exercise. This will help take your lower back out of the equation, which is exactly what you want to do.
Glutes Are the Drivers ¶
Don't think about trying to get your hips up to a certain level or on the same plane as your shoulders. Instead, drive your hips up only as high as they'll go from squeezing your glutes as hard as possible.
Open Those Knees ¶
Work to actively open your knees wide, which will protect your knees and get your hip abductors to aggressively fire, pushing even more glute involvement.
Reset Every Few Reps ¶
Don't worry if you need to reset your body or the weight every few reps. It's better to reposition yourself than to do sloppy reps with the bar tipping one way or the bench sliding out of position.
Want to master even more moves? Check out our entire Form Check series.
