Who complains about a round and shapely butt? Appearances aside, the glutes are important for performing any activity. Whether walking or sitting comfortably on a toilet seat, your glutes work hard to ensure that your hips and lower back remain stable. You can strengthen your glutes by working out. Of the many glute exercises, two names often come up. One is squat and the other is hip thrust. In fact, many people wonder whether hip thrusts are better than squats for strengthening the glutes. Read on to find out which exercise is better for the glutes.
Health Shots got in touch with fitness expert Varun Ratan to find out whether hip thrusts will help or squats will work for stronger glutes.
What is hip thrust?
If you’re looking for a strength training exercise that targets mostly the glutes, go for hip thrusts. People who want to build strength, power, and size in their glute muscles often resort to hip thrusts, says Rattan.
How to do basic hip thrust?
• Sit on the ground with a bench right behind you.
• Place a loaded barbell on your feet. You can put foam on the bar if you want to reduce any discomfort from this exercise.
• Bring the bar directly above your hips, and press your shoulder blades into the edge of the bench.
• Drive through your legs and extend your hips vertically. Your weight will be supported by your upper back and legs as you go up. Then come back to the starting position.
The expert says that while doing this glute exercise, your chin should be tucked and should not be looking up but forward. This will help keep the spine neutral. Your feet should be flat on the ground and approximately shoulder-width apart, and your knees should not be bent inward or outward. You have to move your entire foot, not just your toes. Be sure not to excessively extend your lower back at the top of the movement.
What is squat?
Squat is one of the fundamental movements that primarily targets the quadriceps, adductors (inner thighs) and glutes. It is as if you are sitting down and standing up.
How to squat?
• Stand with your toes pointed slightly outward. Stance width will vary depending on a person’s anatomy.
• Keep your back straight and tighten your core, as if you’re about to be punched in the side of your stomach.
• Lower down by bending your knees and pushing your hips back as if you were about to sit in a chair.
• Lower your body as far as you can comfortably.
• Push off with your legs to return to the starting position.
• Maintain stable posture throughout the movement.
Ratan says that you need to warm up and stretch before doing squats to avoid injury. You can start with bodyweight squats or use a chair for support if you are new to this exercise. Make sure your back doesn’t round or your knees buckle in.
If you’re ready for more, you can try squat variations too!
1. Goblet Squat
When squatting, hold a kettlebell or dumbbell near your chest.
2. Front Squat
Hold a barbell in front of your shoulders while squatting.
3. Sumo Squat
Widen your stance and point your toes out far enough to target your inner thighs.
4. Jump Squat
Explosively jump upward from a squat position.
hip thrust vs squat for glutes
The expert says that both hip thrusts and squats are effective exercises when it comes to glute hypertrophy. But they target muscles slightly differently, which can affect their effectiveness depending on your goals.
Squats work multiple muscle groups including the glutes, quads, adductors and core. This means they can help improve overall lower body strength and stability. However, the glutes are not the primary muscle group worked in the squat. On the other hand, hip thrusts primarily target the glutes, with secondary involvement of the hamstrings, lower back, and quadriceps. This isolation of the glutes can make hip thrusts more effective, especially for those looking for a bigger butt.
Both exercises are effective for increasing glute muscle thickness, but there are differences in their effects on maximal strength. While squatting leads to a greater improvement in maximal squat power, hip thrusts lead to a greater improvement in maximal hip thrust power.
Squats and hip thrusts can both be effective for glute hypertrophy. So, you can safely include both exercises in your glute development routine.
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