6 Hip-Dominant Exercises for Glute & Hamstring Mass

You will have heard that if you’d like an even bigger butt or beefier hamstrings, you have to squat—after which squat some extra.

Whereas there’s little question that squats are an awesome begin, they aren’t sufficient to construct balanced glute and hamstring mass.

To make higher general progress, you additionally want hip-dominant workouts, particularly those who mean you can prepare your glutes, hamstrings, and surrounding hip muscle tissues via giant ranges of movement with heavy weights.

Which hip-dominant workouts must you prioritize? 

Based mostly on my expertise working with 1000’s of individuals, listed here are my prime picks:

Deadlift
Romanian deadlift
Deficit deadlift
Hip thrust
Single-Leg hip thrust
Cable pull-through

On this article, you’ll study why these hip-focused workouts are so efficient, how they rework your physique and increase efficiency, and easy methods to match them into your routine to maximise your features.

Key Takeaways

A hip-dominant train is any decrease physique power coaching train the place a lot of the motion happens on the hips, not the knees.
Folks generally check with hip-dominant workouts as “glute-dominant workouts” or “hamstring-dominant workouts” primarily based on which muscle tissues they emphasize. 
Hip-dominant workouts primarily prepare the glutes and hamstrings, but in addition contain different smaller muscle tissues across the hips, just like the hip adductors and abductors.
The six finest hip-dominant workouts for constructing glute and hamstring mass are deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, deficit deadlifts, hip thrusts, single-leg hip thrusts, and cable pull-throughs.
These workouts are efficient as a result of they mean you can carry heavy weights via giant ranges of movement, which maximizes muscle development and power features.
Hip-dominant workouts enhance decrease physique aesthetics, improve athletic efficiency, and will scale back damage threat.

What Are Hip-Dominant Workouts

Hip-dominant workouts are decrease physique power coaching workouts the place a lot of the motion happens on the hips. They distinction with knee-dominant workouts, the place a lot of the motion happens on the knees. Right here’s a visible to focus on this distinction:

By “hinging” on the hips and holding knee motion minimal, you primarily prepare the glutes, hamstrings, and different smaller muscle tissues across the hips, just like the hip adductors and hip abductors (the muscle tissues that transfer your thighs collectively and aside).

Glute vs. Hamstring-Dominant Workouts

Folks generally label hip-dominant workouts otherwise relying on which muscle tissues are most concerned. For example, folks usually name workouts that emphasize the glutes “glute-dominant workouts,” and workouts that concentrate on the hamstrings “hamstring-dominant workouts.”

No train isolates the glutes or hamstrings totally, nevertheless. Glute- or hamstring-dominant workouts might prioritize one muscle, however they nonetheless have interaction the glutes, hamstrings, and surrounding muscle tissues talked about above, so all of them qualify as hip-dominant workouts. 

The 6 Greatest Hip-Dominant Workouts for Glute and Hamstring Mass

Hip-dominant workouts are available in many varieties, however six stand head and shoulders above the remaining.

These workouts mean you can prepare your glutes and hamstrings with heavy weights via giant ranges of movement, that are essential elements for maximizing muscle development and power achieve. 

Add these hip-dominant workouts to your routine, and watch how your butt and gams develop.

1. Deadlift

The deadlift is the final word hip-dominant train as a result of no different motion targets as many hip muscle tissues with such heavy masses. In different phrases, it’s perfect for placing large pressure in your glutes, hamstrings, and adductors, which is essential for constructing muscle and power.

That mentioned, the traditional deadlift (proven above) isn’t for everybody, particularly when you have decrease again points. If it feels uncomfortable or awkward, strive the sumo or trap-bar deadlift as a substitute. These variations prepare your hip muscle tissues similar to the traditional deadlift however will be gentler in your backbone.

READ MORE: Learn how to Deadlift with Correct Approach

2. Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is one other top-tier hip-dominant train as a result of it trains the identical muscle tissues because the common deadlift—glutes, hamstrings, and adductors—with out being as taxing. This makes it good for coaching your hip muscle tissues extra regularly with out burning you out.

One other good thing about the Romanian deadlift is that it trains your hamstrings in a stretched place. Analysis reveals that that is vital as a result of coaching a muscle whereas stretched can increase muscle development. 

READ MORE: Learn how to Do the Romanian Deadlift: Kind, Advantages, and Variations

3. Deficit Deadlift

The deficit deadlift will increase the vary of movement by elevating your toes on a weight plate or step. This forces your hamstrings and glutes to work even more durable whereas stretched, making it a unbelievable hamstring-dominant train for constructing mass and power. 

Not everybody has the pliability to carry out the deficit deadlift accurately, nevertheless. Should you can’t decrease the burden with out rounding your again, keep on with the common deadlift till your flexibility improves.

4. Hip Thrust

Analysis reveals that the hip thrust is a powerhouse for glute growth, particularly when mixed with different efficient glute workouts. One among its primary advantages is that by positioning the barbell in your lap, it forces your glutes to work onerous all through your entire vary of movement—one thing few different workouts obtain.

One other benefit of the hip thrust is you carry out it together with your again supported on a bench, making it a stable glute-dominant train for these with decrease again points. 

READ MORE: Learn how to Do the Barbell Hip Thrust: Kind, Errors & Alternate options

5. Single-Leg Hip Thrust

The one-leg hip thrust trains both sides of your physique independently, which helps you achieve symmetrical glute mass. 

What’s extra, research recommend unilateral workouts (those who prepare every leg individually) are superior to bilateral hip-dominant workouts (those who prepare each legs concurrently) for creating smaller muscle tissues across the hips, just like the gluteus minimus. The instability of coaching one leg at a time forces these muscle tissues to work more durable, which spurs them to develop.

In different phrases, to maximise all-around development, it’s wise to incorporate a mixture of unilateral and bilateral hip-dominant workouts in your routine. 

RELATED: Unilateral vs. Bilateral Workouts: Which Is Higher for Muscle Constructing and Efficiency?

6. Cable Pull-By way of

The cable pull-through is a unbelievable hip-dominant train for coaching the glutes and hamstrings as a result of it supplies a special stimulus to free weights.

The good thing about doing hip-dominant workouts that prepare your muscle tissues in numerous methods—with completely different tools, via completely different ranges of movement, and at completely different angles—is that it helps you construct extra balanced dimension and power than much less various coaching, 

READ MORE: Learn how to Do Cable Pull-Throughs: Kind, Advantages & Alternate options

Learn how to Add Hip-Dominant Workouts to Your Routine

You possibly can add hip-dominant workouts to your routine in numerous methods, however one of the crucial efficient methods is to dedicate one decrease physique exercise every week to hip-focused coaching.

This method works finest in case you comply with a exercise break up with two decrease physique periods per week, just like the higher decrease break up. You possibly can emphasize hip-dominant workouts in a single exercise and prioritize knee-dominant workouts within the different to make sure you achieve balanced mass and power.

READ MORE: The Greatest 3-, 4- & 5-Day Higher Decrease Exercise Splits for Mass

Listed below are some tips for constructing an efficient hip-dominant exercise:

Begin with a deadlift variation: Standard, Romanian, or deficit deadlifts are perfect, however sumo and trap-bar deadlifts are stable alternate options. Do 3 units within the 4-to-6 or 6-to-8 rep vary.
Do a glute-dominant squat train: Whereas not a hip hinge, glute-dominant squat workouts add selection that maximizes glute development. Some good choices are the again squat, step-up, or Bulgarian break up squat. Once more, do 3 units within the 4-to-6 or 6-to-8 rep vary.
Do a hip thrust variation third: The barbell or single-leg variations are most becoming, although a machine hip thrust is viable. You possibly can prepare with barely lighter weights for these workouts—do 3 units of 6-to-8 or 8-to-10 reps. 
End with a glute and hamstring isolation train: Cable pull-throughs work finest, however machine or Nordic leg curls are respectable substitutions. Do 3 units within the 8-to-10 or 10-to-12 rep vary.

FAQ #1: What are the advantages of hip-dominant workouts?

The principle advantages of hip-dominant workouts are:

Enhanced Decrease Physique Aesthetics: Many weightlifters prioritize the muscle tissues they see within the mirror, however neglect these on the again of their physique. Doing hip-dominant workouts addresses this imbalance so that you don’t have weak factors in your physique.  
Improved Athletic Efficiency: The glutes and hamstrings are extremely concerned in all types of athletic actions, corresponding to operating, leaping, and touchdown. Strengthening them helps you carry out these actions with extra pace, agility, and energy. 
Lowered Harm Threat: Hamstring strains are the commonest decrease physique damage in athletes. However utilizing hip-dominant workouts to strengthen your hamstrings—particularly whereas stretched—can considerably scale back your threat of damage.

FAQ #2: Are squats knee or hip-dominant?

Squats aren’t strictly knee- or hip-dominant—they have interaction each knee and hip muscle tissues on the similar time. Once you squat, the glutes (and to some extent, the hamstrings) work to increase the hips, whereas the quads prolong the knees.

Variations just like the again squat possible emphasize the hip muscle tissues barely extra due to the place the bar sits in your again, whereas entrance squats are most likely marginally extra knee-dominant as a result of your knees bend extra and also you preserve a extra upright torso. Nonetheless, each variations prepare the identical muscle teams in comparable methods.

FAQ #3: Are step-ups knee or hip-dominant?

Whereas step-ups are much like squats in that they prepare each the knee and hip muscle tissues concurrently, folks typically think about them knee-dominant. It is because the quads bear the brunt of the load, notably if you preserve an upright torso.

That mentioned, the glutes are additionally closely concerned, so that they’re efficient for gaining glute mass and power, even when they aren’t an out-and-out hip-dominant train.