Hip Thrust

Why Should You do Hip Thrust?

Few exercises are as good for training the butt as Hip Thrust. The butt is called the gluteal muscle, or in an even fancier way, Gluteus Maximus, and is one of the body’s strongest muscles. The exercise is quite simple, and because the muscle is so strong, you can run with a relatively large amount of weight. However, there are a few essential things to keep in mind when performing Hip Thrust regarding the back, neck and where to place your legs but more on this further down.

Starting Position

Sit on your butt just in front of a bench (the bench should preferably stand on its side). The bench should not be higher than it reaches your shoulder blades. Have your legs extended straight in front of you and place the barbell across your legs. Now place the upper part of the back on the bench; a good benchmark is that the lower part of the shoulder blades should be fixed to the bench. Roll up the bar towards your body so that it ends up directly over your hips. Bend your legs and place your heels about 20-30 centimeters in front of your buttocks. Place your hands on the barbell a little more than shoulder-width apart and make sure it does not wiggle to the sides during the exercise. You are now in the starting position.

Performance

You perform the exercise by pushing the bar up against the ceiling using your hips. It is thus a hip extension that completes the activity, nothing else. You should not swing with your upper body and neck or push up the bar with the help of your legs; it is only with the use of the hips. Keep pushing the bar up until these that your body is in a straight line away from your knees, through your buttocks, and up to your shoulders. When you have reached this position, press your buttocks together and hold the position for 1-2 seconds and then slowly lower the barbell down to the floor again.

During the entire movement, your chin should lie against your chest, you should keep your eyes forward or at least obliquely forward. Your head should not go backwards during the exercise as it puts your back in an incorrect position which can damage the lower back.

Perform the exercise with gentle movements and feel that it loads your gluteus. Exhale on the way up and inhale on the way down.

The exercise should primarily be felt in the gluteal muscle. If you feel the front thighs too much, your heels are probably not in the correct position. When you are in the top position of the lift, there should be a 90-degree angle between the thighs and the shins. Your shins should be completely vertical to the floor, and your thighs should therefore be completely horizontal to the floor.