{"id":20704,"date":"2026-05-22T02:12:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20704"},"modified":"2026-05-22T02:12:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T02:12:44","slug":"this-brutal-hip-thrust-variation-could-unlock-bigger-glutes-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=20704","title":{"rendered":"This Brutal Hip Thrust Variation Could Unlock Bigger Glutes Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"

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While the hip thrust is a great exercise for making gains in your glutes, many people fail to properly isolate the target area<\/a>, sharing the load with other muscles instead. To avoid this failure of form, Boston Barbell<\/a> head coach Chris Martin has a solution.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people who struggle with hip thrusts aren\u2019t weak\u2014they\u2019re leaking force, EVERYWHERE,\u201d explained Martin in a brutally honest Instagram post made on the Boston Barbell\u2019s channel. \u201cBecause the bar isn\u2019t on their back, they don\u2019t brace. Their joints aren\u2019t stabilized, so every muscle except the glute picks up the slack. The glute ends up sharing the work with muscles we were never trying to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The majority of hip thrust fans practice hip thrusts because they effectively build the gluteus maximus, our primary hip extensor. Other muscles recruited include the adductor magnus (inner thigh) and the hamstrings at the rear of your upper leg, but if your form is incorrect, you\u2019ll lose focus on the glutes and overuse other muscles such as the core in order to stay stable. \u201cHere\u2019s the fix,\u201d explained Martin.<\/a> \u201cOpposing pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

How to Perform the Hand-To-Knee Hip Thrust Correctly<\/h2>\n

With IFBB Pro and certified trainer Deborah Assuncao helping to demo this unilateral exercise<\/a>, Martin admitted that this \u201cwas never supposed to be an easier version of the hip thrust.\u201d But if you want a more muscular butt, and fancy a challenge, here\u2019s how to give it a try:<\/p>\n

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  1. Sit on the ground with a softbox or support behind you<\/li>\n
  2. Plant one foot on the floor and raise your body with back supported<\/li>\n
  3. Bend the other leg at a right angle and push both hands against the knee<\/li>\n
  4. With chin and chest tucked, push the knee into your hands<\/li>\n
  5. To create an opposing force, push the hands back into the knee<\/li>\n
  6. Rock down to around halfway from the ground, squeeze and come up<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why the Hand-To-Knee Hip Thrust is Great for Glute Focused Gains<\/h2>\n

    \u201cThat tension locks every joint in the chain into a fixed position. When the chain is fixed, only the glute has anywhere to go,\u201d explained Martin, providing further insight on how to master your reps. \u201cRock down to about halfway. Squeeze and tuck the glute at the bottom,\u201d he advised. \u201cDrive up from that squeeze\u2014not from momentum, not from your lower back, not from the hip flexor pulling the leg through. The shake you feel at the top is real. That\u2019s tension. That\u2019s the muscle working the way it\u2019s supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Best of all, there\u2019s no need for a barbell to get those glutes activated. \u201cIf you\u2019ve been doing hip thrusts and never felt your glutes the next day, this is why. The joints weren\u2019t locked. The glute was optional in the movement. This makes it mandatory. Single leg. Chin down. Knee into hand. Hand into knee. Squeeze up.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Sill, adding weight can make this move even more advanced, so long as you follow Martin\u2019s muscle building strategy. \u201cOnce you make it so every bodyweight rep hurts, you get strong. And then, and only then, you add weight. That\u2019s the standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

    To follow Boston Barbell on Instagram, click here.<\/a> <\/strong><\/p>\n

    To follow Deborah Assuncao on Instagram, click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n