The hip thrust is the go-to glute builder because it develops strong, muscular glutes that look good, boosts athletic performance, improves squat and deadlift strength, and protects the lower back. But let’s be honest—not everyone loves it, and some lifters force-feed this exercise to their detriment. Enter these five hip thrust alternatives.
You may find the setup awkward, dislike having a barbell across your hips, or experience hip or lower back discomfort, making the movement more frustrating than effective.
The good news is you don’t have to rely on the hip thrust to build the glutes of your partner’s dreams. Many alternatives still hammer the glutes through full hip extension—without the hassle of setting up a barbell.
Here, we’ll explain why the hip thrust is effective—but not always ideal for everyone—what makes a great alternative, and five legitimate alternatives to loading up a barbell.
What Makes the Hip Thrust Effective?
The hip thrust is an excellent exercise for targeting the glutes and moving them through a full range of motion. Unlike squats and deadlifts, where other muscles share the workload, the hip thrust emphasizes the glutes and allows you to go heavy without excessive spinal compression. But as great as it is, it’s not the only way to build glute strength. Many alternatives offer similar benefits without drawbacks if you don’t enjoy it, feel discomfort, or want to add variety.
Next, let’s discuss what makes a good alternative so you can train hard and smart.
What to Look For In A Good Alternative
If you’re looking for a solid alternative to the hip thrust, you need movements that check the right boxes and deliver serious glute activation. A good substitute should:
Effectively Target the Glutes: The primary goal of the hip thrust is to train the glutes through full hip extension. Any alternative should do the same by focusing on the hips rather than the quads or lower back.
Allow Progressive Overload: To build stronger, more muscular glutes, you need an exercise that allows you to increase weight, reps, or resistance over time, like the hip thrust.
Be Joint-Friendly: If the barbell hip thrust causes pain or discomfort, a good alternative should still challenge the glutes without unnecessarily stressing the lower back, hips, or knees.
Support Athletic and Strength Training Goals: A strong set of glutes isn’t all about vanity—it improves deadlifts, squats, sprinting speed, and lower-body power. A great alternative should do the same.
Now, let’s get into five hip thrust alternatives that will still give your glutes the gains they deserve.
5 Hip Thrust Alternatives For More Muscular Glutes
If the barbell hip thrust isn’t working or you need added variety, these five lower-body movements will still help you build strong, muscular glutes without the awkward setup.
Bulgarian Split Squat
The Bulgarian Split Squat is a unilateral strength exercise emphasizing glutes and hamstrings. It helps build lower-body strength, balance, and mobility. Unlike the hip thrust, it trains the glutes through a larger ROM (because of the elevated rear foot) while improving unilateral strength. To make this more glute-dominant, maintain a slight forward lean to ensure the glutes stay juicy.
Programming Suggestions: 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps per leg.
Cable Pull-Through
The Cable Pull-Through is a pure hip hinge that places constant tension on the glutes and hamstrings, making it an effective alternative to the hip thrust. The combined constant tension from the cable machine, large ROM, and lower back-friendly nature make it an excellent glute alternative, but only if you don’t make friendly eye contact with anyone. For best results, keep the chest up and shoulders down to avoid overusing the lower back. Focus on driving the hips forward and squeezing the glutes at lockout.
Programming Suggestions:
- Sets & Reps: 3-4 sets of 12-16 reps.
Kettlebell Swing
The Kettlebell Swing is a ballistic hip hinge that builds explosive hip power and strengthens the posterior chain and glute lockout strength. Instead of a slow, grinding, heavy hip thrust, it is a dynamic power-based movement that trains the glutes. It also trains the hamstrings and core while improving cardiovascular endurance. Please avoid using your arms to swing the bell to get the most out of it for your glute gains; let the hips do the work.
Programming Suggestions:
- Sets & Reps: 3-5 sets of 15-25 reps.
Resistance Band Hip Thrust
The Resistance Band Hip Thrust is a modified version of the barbell hip thrust, using ascending resistance from a looped band. As the band stretches, the tension increases, creating a strong contraction at the lockout, and this is its most significant advantage over the barbell hip thrust. The band tightens at the top, forcing the glutes to work harder to achieve full hip extension. Ensure the band is secured correctly, and keep your core tight to avoid overworking the lower back.
Programming Suggestions:
- Sets & Reps: 3-4 sets of 10-25 reps.
Mini Band Frog Hip Thrust
The Mini Band Frog Hip Thrust is a high-rep glute isolation exercise incorporating hip abduction and external rotation. It emphasizes the glutes while reducing hamstring and lower-back involvement. Due to the increased hip abduction, this trains the gluteus medius and minimus more than a standard hip thrust for enhanced glute development. To get the best out of it, keep your feet together, knees pushed outward, and glutes squeezed hard at lockout to feel the burn..
Programming Suggestions: 3-4 sets of 20+ reps.
