Doing squats or hip thrusts helps you get stronger at deadlifts and pushing against a wall about the same amount — neither exercise gives you a big edge over the other for these other movements.

Scientific Claim

Neither hip thrust nor back squat training significantly improves deadlift or isometric wall push strength beyond what is achieved by either exercise alone, indicating that these exercises transfer similarly to untrained functional strength tasks.

Original Statement

“3RM deadlift [0 ± 2 kg; CI95% (−4, 3)] and wall push strength [−7 ± 12 N; CI95% (−32, 17)] similarly improved.”

From study:Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Evidence Quality Assessment

Claim Status

appropriately stated

Study Design Support

Design supports claim

Appropriate Language Strength

definitive

Can make definitive causal claims

Assessment Explanation

The RCT design with objective strength testing and confidence intervals including zero supports definitive language that the effects are similar. No overstatement is present.

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2023

Both exercises—hip thrusts and squats—made people stronger at deadlifts and wall pushes about the same amount, even though they worked muscles a little differently. So neither one is better than the other for improving these unrelated strength tasks.

Contradicting (0)

No contradicting evidence found

Source Study

Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Score: 55

DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170

Similar Assertions

Whether you train with squats or hip thrusts, you’ll get just as better at deadlifts and pushing against a wall—both exercises improve real-world leg strength equally.

88%

If you want to get stronger at squats, you need to squat; if you want to get stronger at hip thrusts, you need to do hip thrusts. Training one doesn’t make you much stronger at the other.

78%

If you want to get stronger at squats, you need to squat; if you want to get stronger at hip thrusts, you need to do hip thrusts—training makes you better at the exact movement you practice.

76%

Squats build your thigh muscles (quads and inner thighs) more than hip thrusts do, because squats involve more knee and hip movement that engages those muscles more.

73%

Squats make your thighs bigger—especially the front and inner muscles—while hip thrusts don’t really change your thigh size, making squats better if you want to build overall leg muscle.

72%