10 Functional Trainer Leg Exercises for a Powerful Lower Body
Strengthen your legs with functional trainer leg exercises! Build glutes, improve stability, and target muscles with versatile workouts using this gym essential.
Looking to challenge yourself and spice up your glute workouts? Hip thrusts are an excellent exercise to work on your glutes and increase lower body strength. But sometimes following the same routine can get repetitive and may cause plateaus.That’s where hip thrust variations come in. Whether you’re new to strength training or a pro lifter, switching up your routine with different hip thrust variations can help you work on various muscle groups and keep your training fresh and engaging.
In this article, we’ll share the benefits, correct techniques, and step-by-step instructions for 7 different hip thrust variations—from the basic hip thrust to the more advanced single-leg hip thrust. You’ll also learn how various equipment such as a hip thrust machine or resistance bands can mix up and increase the intensity of your training. Let’s get started and find out the best hip thrust variations to improve glutes and the lower body muscles strength.
The hip thrust exercise is a strength training movement targeting the glutes, quads, and hamstrings. These muscles worked by hip thrusts are great for developing hip stability, improving overall lower body strength, and improving athletic performance. This exercise engages these muscles by making you extend your hips while keeping your upper back on a bench and feet flat on the ground, often with added weight like a barbell.
It’s essential to maintain proper form when doing hip thrusts, or any exercise for that matter. Ensure that your starting position is correct, keep your shoulder blades on the bench, and aim for a 90-degree angle at the top of the thrust.
Benefits of Hip Thrusts
Running, jumping, and lifting are only some of the daily activities you can do better and easier with the help of hip thrusts, since it improves pelvic and hip mobility [1]. If you’re looking to improve your posture, doing this exercise is also a great way to work on that. That’s not all—find out more about the perks of doing hip thrusts in our article: 10 Hip Thrust Benefits to Build Stronger Glutes.
Hip thrusts can be performed with different types of equipment. Each option provides unique benefits, giving you the opportunity to design your workout around your goals. Here are some hip thrust equipment and their specific benefits:
Are you trying to overcome plateaus or fatigue caused by repetitive movements? Or maybe you have specific goals like addressing muscle imbalances and injury? Switching up variations of the hip thrust could be your solution. Exploring different ways of doing this exercise can help you:
In this section, we’ll show you 7 different hip thrust variations you can try. The best part? These different variations cater to different fitness levels, which means you don’t have to worry if you’re a beginner or a pro lifter who’s looking for a challenge—there’s definitely a hip thrust variation for you. Check out these exercises’ notable benefits and steps to understand which one works best for your fitness goals.
This machine provides guided movement, making it ideal for beginners to focus on proper form.
A barbell hip thrust variation using the Smith machine.
Benefits: Offers a stable, guided path for the barbell, which can be easier for beginners to manage [2]. It allows for precise control over the movement and weight.
How to Do It: Position your upper back on a bench with a barbell resting on your hips. Use the Smith machine to help control the barbell as you thrust your hips upwards.
The banded hip thrust uses a long resistance band looped around the thighs for added resistance.
Benefits: Offers more control and is a good progression from body weight or banded variations, as it allows for incremental weight adjustments.
How to Do It: Place a dumbbell on your hips while resting your upper back on a bench. Perform the thrust motion, lifting your hips and squeezing your glutes.
Benefits: Enables the use of lighter weights to heavier weights, which is essential for building your strength and muscles. This meansthe barbell hip thrust can also be a great variation for advanced training.
How to Do It: Position a barbell across your hips and keep your upper back on a bench. Push your hips upward while keeping the barbell stable.
It’s essential to prepare your joints and muscles before every workout. This helps avoid injuries and intense body pain. Include dynamic stretches and hip activation exercises like:
Sets and Reps for Different Fitness Goals
For hypertrophy: Start with 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps for strength and hypertrophy. Adjust according to your goals and fitness level.
For endurance: Use lighter weights and aim for 3-4 sets of 15-20 reps. This helps improve muscle stamina and endurance.
Integrating Hip Thrusts Into Your Routine
Incorporate them into your lower body days or glute-focused workouts, ideally after compound lower body exercises like squats or deadlifts.
Aiming to work on a specific muscle group? Change your foot positioning and equipment. For instance, if you want to focus the glutes, place your feet in a high position or wrap a band around your knees. If it’s the hamstrings you want to strengthen, extend your feet away from your body. For safe and effective hip thrust workouts, the weight and range of motion can also be modified depending on your fitness level.
Including hip thrust variations into your strength training is a fantastic way to enhance the development of your gluteal muscles. From the standard ones such as barbell hip thrusts to advanced variations like single-leg hip thrusts, these variations are perfect for enhancing activation of the glutes, correct muscle imbalances, and achieve a stronger lower body for easier daily movements. Additionally, these exercises are quite versatile so you can alter your training intensity based on the equipment you’re using, foot positioning, and weights.
If you’re a beginner, you need to prioritize mastering proper form to ensure consistency and exercise effectiveness. Once you’ve learned the basics of performing the hip thrust, you’re ready to explore its variations. Experimenting with these variations can address muscle imbalances, prevent lower back pain, and achieve the best results for glute development.
Reduce risk of injury, improve form, and make the most out of your hip thrust workouts by using the best hip thrust machines or glute machines. In fact, wherever you are in your fitness journey, incorporating these exercises into your lower body workout can give you stronger, more defined glutes.
Joe leverages over 20 years of intense workout experience and six years in the fitness industry. As a former collegiate football player, Joe knows what it takes to stay in peak physical condition. He's dedicated to providing straightforward, expert advice on setting up home gyms, personal training spaces, and commercial facilities. Balancing his passion for fitness with being a devoted family man, Joe’s rigorous full-body and metcon workouts exemplify his commitment to staying strong and being a role model for his kids and customers alike.
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