The Claim

How much your butt muscles 'fire up' during your first hip thrust or squat doesn’t tell you how much they’ll grow over time — the feeling during the workout isn’t a reliable guide to results.

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

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
55score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

How much your butt muscles 'fire up' during your first hip thrust or squat doesn’t tell you how much they’ll grow over time — the feeling during the workout isn’t a reliable guide to results.

See the scientific wording

Acute surface electromyography (sEMG) amplitude during the first training session does not predict long-term gluteus maximus or medius hypertrophy outcomes in untrained individuals, as correlations between initial muscle activation and subsequent growth were negligible to weak across all gluteal regions.

What the research says

1 study

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

    Even though one exercise made the glutes fire more strongly the first time, that didn’t mean those muscles grew more over time — both exercises led to similar growth, so initial muscle activity doesn’t tell you who will grow bigger.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

Fit Body Science verdict — we translate health claims into clear verdicts backed by peer-reviewed research.

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