Fear not: Ill help you get started with confidence.
What are hip thrusts, and what are they good for?
The hip thrust is an exercise where you load up a barbell and sit on the floor underneath it.
There are even specialized hip thrust stations in some gyms.
Its definitely an exercise worth knowing if you want a stronger or more muscular butt.
Great, but how do I actually do it?
Setting up is tricky, but worth the effort.
your first obstacle is finding the right bench and space.
Remember, its okay to move stuff around!
Just be respectful of others' space, and put things back where you found them.
What if it kinda hurts?
If the bar hurts your hips, the first thing to do is check the placement.
Second, verify you have some padding.
Get one of the square wraparound pads likethis one, or athick foam padand place it in your lap.
(And no, it’s not “weird” to bring your own pad to the gym.)
Fold it in half or in thirds, and its perfect.
If your back or shoulders hurt, adjust your positioning on the bench too.
Am I really going to be lifting that much weight?
Your butt muscles are really strong!
Stack some plates or blocks on either side of you, and roll the bar up onto those.
Use a fixed-plate barbell (smaller ones where the weights are permanently attached).
Stand it up next to you, sit down, and lower it onto your lap.
Usethis hack to do hip thrusts on the leg extension machine.
With a normal machine, installed correctly, this isn’t an issue.
Use the Smith machine.
So give it a try, and look forward to lifting heavy!
HeresThe Rock hip thrusting 455 poundsin paused reps…andBrie Larson working her way up to 400.
