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The Hip Thrust

The hip thrust is the perfect exercise for men and women.

How to Perform Hip Thrusts

Hip thrusts are performed by laying the upper back across the backpad, resting the feet on the foot bars or foot platform, sinking the hips downward, then thrusting the hips upward into the air. Hip thrusts can be thought of as flexing the butt muscles against gravity through a full range of motion. See our Exercises page for visuals on the unique movement of the hip thrust.

Butt/Thigh Shaping

Before hip thrusts were made possible by Skorcher, the best butt- and thigh-shaping exercises were thought to be squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Not anymore – hip thrusts blow them away! The hip thrust is scientifically proven to be over twice as effective as squats, lunges, and deadlifts at shaping the butt muscles, and also better at working the backs of the thighs and inner thighs. To gain a better understanding of the hip thrust, click here to view the EMG chart.

Fat Burning

The hip thrust is a better fat-burning exercise than squats, lunges, and deadlifts for a couple of reasons. The amount of fat, calories, and energy burned while performing a certain exercise can be simplified by the following formula:

Fat-Burning Formula = (resistance*) x (distance**)
                                       time***

*extra resistance plus bodyweight in applicable exercises such as hip thrusts, squats, lunges, and deadlifts

**distance is measured by multiplying the range of motion of the exercise times the number of repetitions times two (to account for the concentric and eccentric portion of the exercise)

***time taken to complete the set

When applying this formula to squats, lunges, deadlifts, and hip thrusts, the hip thrust reigns supreme. It is a total backside blaster that works the entire posterior chain – the lower back muscles, gluteals, hamstrings, and calves – better than anything else. These are the biggest muscles in the human body. Since the hip thrust works more muscle through a full range of motion at a faster speed than squats, deadlifts, and lunges, it burns more overall body fat. It can make the rest of the body – including the back of the arms, abdominal region, butt, and thighs – look better. Hip thrusts are a high-intensity exercise that burns fat for up to 39 hours after the workout, so you burn fat while you’re sleeping!

Improved Athleticism

The gluteals are the most athletic muscle group in the human body. They are the most intensely contracted muscle in sprinting, leaping, and cutting side to side, the three most important athletic maneuvers. Since hip thrusts strengthen the gluteals better than any other exercise, they will improve athleticism more than any other exercise. Hip thrusts will help you run faster, leap higher, and change direction quicker, improving your strength, power, and agility. 

“The Bench Press for the Lower Body”

The bench press, which is currently the most popular exercise among men, requires a bench. Similarly, the hip thrust requires a Skorcher to perform the exercise. Without a bench, it is not possible to perform the bench press with the necessary range of motion. Without a Skorcher, it is not possible to perform hip thrusts with the necessary range of motion.

 

 
Bench Press – 20-inch range of motion
(33% more than Floor Press)

 
Floor Bridge – 8-inch range of motion

 
Hip Thrust – 24-inch range of motion
(300% more than Floor Bridge)

The bench press is thought of as the ultimate upper-body exercise and is performed by lying down on a bench. The hip thrust is the ultimate lower-body exercise and is performed by lying on a Skorcher. The hip thrust is “the bench press for the lower body” and in time will become the most popular exercise in the gym. 

Lower Back Injury Prevention

The hip thrust assists in preventing lower back injury. Most back injuries are caused by rounding the lower back while lifting an object or by falling down. Hip thrusts strengthen the gluteals better than any other exercise. Strong gluteals prevent lower back rounding and produce proper lifting mechanics. Strong gluteals also improve balance and coordination and prevent falls. 

Sports Applications

The hip thrust will benefit most athletic endeavors. Since the hip thrust is the best gluteal-strengthening exercise, it improves all athletic motions that utilize the gluteal muscles. These motions include sprinting, leaping, cutting from side to side, rotating the torso, striking, and swinging. Almost every sport known to man relies heavily on strong gluteals, including:

 

 

Easy to Learn, Comfortable, and Natural

Hip thrusts are extremely easy to learn. You simply lay your back on the backpad, place your feet on the platform or footpads, sink the hips down, and thrust the hips into the air. Nearly every person who first tries them – no matter how out of shape, how heavy, or how old he or she may be – can perform the hip thrust. 

Hip thrusts are very comfortable and natural. Many exercises, such as squats, lunges, and deadlifts, can be uncomfortable and take many years of training for the form to feel right. The exercise technique for these exercises just doesn’t seem natural, especially if the exerciser is new to training or has an especially long torso or upper or lower legs. Hip thrusts feel very natural the first time they are performed. 

Easy on the Knees and Lower Back

Hip thrusts are easy on the knees and lower back, unlike some unfriendly exercises such as squats and lunges – which can be problematic for the knees – and deadlifts, which can be problematic for the lower back. Many exercisers complain that squats and lunges hurt their knees. The knee joint is stable during hip thrusts, which prevents the knees from experiencing pain. Many exercisers complain that deadlifts hurt their lower back. The hip thrust doesn’t cause any compressive loading on the spine, which protects the lower back from experiencing pain due to herniated discs. 

The Perfect Butt Exercise

The hip thrust is the perfect butt exercise. There are three critical factors that make it so effective. First, the exercise pulls the hips straight back, isolating the butt muscles as they squeeze against gravity. Second, both knees stay bent at around a 90-degree angle throughout the motion. Third, the hips move through a full range of motion with the contracted position at the top of the motion being the most difficult portion of the exercise. These three movement components, which are unique to the hip thrust, combine to: 1) isolate tension on the butt, inner thighs, and hamstrings by taking the quad out of the movement; 2) increase muscular activity and, thus, fat-burning; and 3) improve range of motion. This combination makes the hip thrust a truly revolutionary movement and is the reason it blows away all other butt exercises.

How it was Discovered

Bret Contreras, Skorcher inventor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, created the hip thrust after watching a UFC fight. He noticed that one fighter wasn’t even trying to escape the full-mount position, and committed himself to creating an exercise that would help mixed martial arts fighters escape this hold. In his garage-gym, he wrapped a dip belt loaded with 180 pounds backwards around his waist, laid his back against a glute ham raise machine, placed his feet onto a reverse hyper machine positioned about four feet away, sunk his hips down, and thrust his hips in the air. After about 15 repetitions, he couldn’t help but notice how much his glutes were burning – despite years of weightlifting, he had never felt a sensation of this kind in this particular muscle region. He then drew up a design, applied for a patent, developed a prototype, and shipped the prototype to Human Performance and Wellness to test the exercise against the three most popular exercises for the gluteals – squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Bret was sure that the exercise was effective, but he was still shocked when he got the results of the electromyography study. He learned the exercise he created worked the gluteals over twice as much as squats, lunges, or deadlifts while the single-leg hip thrust worked the gluteals over three times more. He realized he had come up with an amazing new exercise that would ultimately change the way people exercise.