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.

Scientific Claim

Strength gains from resistance training are highly specific to the exercised movement: back squat 3RM increases by 14 ± 2.5 kg more in the squat group than the hip thrust group, and hip thrust 3RM increases by 26 ± 5 kg more in the hip thrust group than the squat group.

Original Statement

“Squat 3RM increases favored SQ [14 ± 2.5 kg] and hip thrust 3RM favored HT [−26 ± 5 kg].”

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 direct strength testing supports definitive causal claims. The effect sizes are large and precise, and the language accurately reflects the data without overreach.

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 Jul 5

People who trained squats got better at squats, and people who trained hip thrusts got better at hip thrusts — each group improved most in the exact exercise they did, proving strength gains are movement-specific.

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: 53

DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.21.545949

Similar Assertions

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.

98%

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.

79%

Doing hip thrusts or squats for 9 weeks with the same total work builds your butt muscles just as much, even though hip thrusts feel like they work your butt harder during the exercise.

79%

If you want to get stronger at squats, doing squats is way better than doing leg extensions—but if you want to get stronger at leg extensions, both exercises work about the same.

78%

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.

78%