Squats vs. Hip Thrusts: Which Builds Bigger Glutes?
Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Hip thrusts showed higher sEMG activation in the glutes during the first session, yet produced no more hypertrophy than squats.
For years, sEMG has been used as a ‘gold standard’ to rank exercises—this study proves it’s a terrible predictor of long-term muscle growth.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is glute growth, rotate squats and hip thrusts—either works. If you want bigger thighs, prioritize squats.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Hip thrusts showed higher sEMG activation in the glutes during the first session, yet produced no more hypertrophy than squats.
For years, sEMG has been used as a ‘gold standard’ to rank exercises—this study proves it’s a terrible predictor of long-term muscle growth.
Practical Takeaways
If your goal is glute growth, rotate squats and hip thrusts—either works. If you want bigger thighs, prioritize squats.
Publication
Journal
bioRxiv
Year
2023
Authors
Daniel L Plotkin, Merlina A. Rodas, A. Vigotsky, Mason C McIntosh, Emma Breeze, Rachel Ubrik, Cole Robitzsch, Anthony Agyin-Birikorang, Madison L. Mattingly, J. Michel, Nicholas J. Kontos, A. Frugé, C. Wilburn, W. Weimar, Adil Bashir, R. Beyers, Menno Henselmans, B. Contreras, M. Roberts
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Claims (5)
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.
Just because one exercise makes your muscles 'fire' more during the first workout doesn’t mean it’ll make them grow more over time—muscle activation during a single set doesn’t tell you what will work best for building muscle.
Doing hip thrusts or squats for nine weeks, with the same total amount of work, makes your butt muscles grow just as much—so neither exercise is clearly better for building glutes if you're new to lifting.
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.
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.