12 Best Hip Thrust Alternatives For Powerful Glutes

Hip Thrusts are an excellent exercise for developing strong glutes and hamstrings.

However, sometimes you may need an alternative for Hip Thrusts.

Maybe you don’t have a barbell or maybe you’re just looking to add some variety to your workouts.

Whatever the reason, you’re in the right place. I’m about to share with you 10 of my favorite Hip Thrust alternatives.

Alternatives for Hip Thrusts

I’ve tried to make this list of Hip Thrust alternative exercises as diverse as possible. There are exercises that use a barbell, dumbbells and even no equipment at all.

Hopefully, no matter what equipment you have or what your lifting experience is – one of these alternatives can serve as a replacement for Hip Thrusts.

Hyperextensions

My first suggestion on this list of Hip Thrusts alternatives is Hyperextensions.

Hyperextensions may look very different, but they’re actually a very similar movement pattern as Hip Thrusts and they also work the same muscles (Hyperextensions will also work the Erector Spinae of the low back much more than a Hip Thrust will).

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Position yourself on the hyperextension bench with your thighs against the pad and feet securely under the footplate.
• Cross your arms over your chest or place hands behind your head. Ensure your spine is neutral.
• Begin the exercise by bending at the hips, lowering your upper body toward the floor.
• Lower yourself as far as comfortable while maintaining a straight back.
• Lift your torso by extending your hips until your body forms a straight line from head to heels.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, ensuring your back remains straight, not hyperextended.
• Slowly lower back to the starting position and prepare for the next repetition.

Coaching Points

Hyperextensions are surprisingly easy to mess up. One of the easiest ways to make a mistake is going down too fast and “whipping” yourself back to the starting position. As with any exercise, the setup, initial breath before eccentric movement, maintaining control, pausing, and breathing out during concentric contraction are important.

It is important for the lifter to maintain a neutral spine, maintaining tension in the abdomen and upper back. Remember to breathe in and hold the breath during eccentric (lowering your body) and breathe out as you perform the concentric movement (bringing your body back up).

Romanian Deadlift (RDL)

One of the best posterior chain movements that can be used to replace Hip Thrusts is the Romanian Deadlift, or RDL.

Romanian Deadlifts are also a hip-hinge movement pattern that works the glutes and hamstrings, but will also strengthen the low back as well.

How To

• Begin by standing upright, holding a barbell in front of you with an overhand grip.
• Feet should be hip-width apart with a slight bend in the knees.
• Keeping a neutral spine and your chest up, hinge at the hips, pushing them backward.
• Allow the barbell to slide down close to your legs. Your back remains straight throughout.
• Lower the bar until you feel a strong stretch in your hamstrings or it reaches mid-shin level, whichever comes first.
• Engage your hamstrings and glutes, then reverse the motion, bringing the barbell back to the starting position.

Coaching Points

The ‘depth’ that each person gets will be different and absolutely solely dependent upon hamstring flexibility.

Do NOT try to ‘reach’ the barbell toward the ground because you believe the plates should touch the floor. If you have tight hamstrings you may be doing well to get the bar to mid-shin.

Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

If you’re looking for a Hip Thrust alternative because you don’t have a barbell, then you may be able to try Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift is the same movement as a Barbell RDL, just with a different piece of equipment.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Choose a pair of dumbbells and hold them in front of you with palms facing your thighs.
• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, maintaining a slight bend in the knees.
• Begin by hinging at your hips, pushing them backward, and lowering the dumbbells along your shins.
• Keep your back straight and chest up, ensuring the dumbbells stay close to your legs throughout the descent.
• Once you feel a stretch in your hamstrings or the dumbbells reach mid-shin level, reverse the motion.
• Engage your hamstrings and glutes to pull yourself back to the starting position.

Coaching Points

During Dumbbell RDLs, it is important for the lifter to maintain a neutral spine, maintaining tension in the abdomen and upper back. Remember to breathe in and hold the breath during eccentric (lowering the weight) and breathe out as you perform the concentric movement (bringing the weight back up).

Single Leg Dumbbell RDL

The Single-Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift variation has some unique advantages that make it a great Hip Thrust alternative. You get to work each leg isolaterally and having to maintain balance on one foot can help improve proprioception and coordination.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Opt for a dumbbell or kettlebell that you can control throughout the movement.
• Stand on one leg, holding the weight in the opposite hand.
• Keeping a slight bend in the standing leg, hinge forward at the hip while extending the free leg straight behind you.
• Lower the weight towards the ground while maintaining a straight line from head to extended foot.
• Pause briefly at the bottom without rounding your back.
• Engage your hamstring and glute to return to the starting position, maintaining balance.

Coaching Points

Do not let the weight drift over the midline when doing Single Leg RDLs. You will train for more structural stability if you keep the dumbbell in front of the down leg.

Maintain the arch of the foot. When performing single-leg movements, it is very important to maintain balance to yield all the benefits of single-leg exercises.

It is important for the lifter to maintain a neutral spine, maintaining tension in the abdomen and upper back.

Kettlebell Swing

Kettlebell Swings are more of a dynamic Hip Thrust alternative. If you want to incorporate a little more power into your training, Kettlebell Swings can be a good option.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Choose an appropriate weight that you can swing with control.
• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding the kettlebell with both hands in front of you.
• Push your hips back, bending slightly at the knees, and lowering the kettlebell between your legs.
• Powerfully extend your hips and knees, swinging the kettlebell forward and upward to chest height.
• At the peak, your body should be in a straight line from head to heels.
• Allow the kettlebell to swing back down, hinging at the hips, and preparing for the next repetition.

Coaching Points

The Kettlebell Swing is a great movement to train rapid hip extension and flexion. Remember to always keep a neutral spine (DO NOT ROUND YOUR BACK).

Choosing the proper kettlebell weight is important. Heavier is not always better. Because of the rapid nature of the kettlebell swing, the emphasis should be on velocity, speed, and power.

Glute Ham Raise

Glute Ham Raise might just be the most challenging Hip Thrust alternative on this entire list. They essentially combine a Hyperextension with a Nordic Hamstring Curl. I’ve seen many athletes humbled very quickly when first trying Glute Ham Raises.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Position yourself on a Glute Ham Developer (GHD) machine with your feet secured under the roller and your knees just behind the pad.
• Start with your body in a straight line from your knees to your head, torso upright.
• Begin the movement by slowly lowering your torso forward and downward, maintaining a straight line from your knees through your head.
• When you’ve descended as far as possible with control, use your hamstrings and glutes to reverse the motion.
• Pull yourself back up to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.

Coaching Points

One of the common mistakes I’ve seen with Glute Ham Raises is athletes will pull with the hamstrings and not engage the glutes.

What this looks like is the athlete leaves their hips behind and they don’t quite get to perpendicular because they didn’t extend the hips and engage the glutes.

Reverse Hyper

If you have access to a Reverse Hyperextension machine, Reverse Hypers can be a great Hip Thrust alternative.

How To

• Grab the handles of the Reverse Hyper Machine and lay your torso across the platform.
• Set up your legs/feet with the resistance (will differ depending upon the machine)
• Keeping your legs straight, raise them up until they are parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze the glutes at the top and then lower the legs back down under control.

Coaching Points

There are specific Reverse Hyper machines. These machines allow you to add weight and lift the legs with added resistance.

If you don’t have access to a Reverse Hyper machine, you can use a regular Glute Ham Machine to do Reverse Hypers. To add resistance, you can hold a medicine ball in between your feet.

Banded Good Mornings

I like using Banded Good Mornings as part of a warm-up to target the posterior chain or sometimes as part of a larger core circuit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Stand on a resistance band and pull it up over the head and across the back of the shoulders.
• Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, hands holding and securing the band in place.
• Put a slight bend in the knee and pull the shoulder blades back.
• Now, hinge at the hips by pushing the hips back and bending at the waist. Push your knees out slightly as you descend.
• Keep the back slightly arched throughout the movement.
• Continue the hinge until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings.
• Stand back up tall and push the hips forward to the starting position.

Coaching Points

Banded Good Mornings can serve as a warm-up movement or as a strength-building exercise, usually as part of a circuit.

Listen to your body. Depending on your hamstring (and sometimes glute or low back) flexibility, you may be able to lower down quite far or not very much at all. The key is to move just to the edge of your range of motion. Don’t try to force anything.

Stability Ball Leg Curl

Stability Ball Leg Curls focus more on the hamstrings as opposed to the glutes as Hip Thrusts do. But, depending on what you’re looking for in a replacement exercise, they can be a good option.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Lie down on your back and almost fully extend your legs.
• Place your heels on the ball.
• Drive your elbows into the floor and keep your abdomen tight. Drive your heels into the ball.
• Drive your hips to the ceiling and engage your glutes.
• Keeping your core tight, pull the ball under your butt as much as possible.
• At the top of this movement, keep the glutes engaged and core tight.
• Engaging the hamstrings, roll the ball back until your body is almost fully straight.

Coaching Points

Make sure the stability ball is properly inflated when doing Stability Ball Leg Curls. If it is not, the muscles we are training will not engage fully.

Remember to always squeeze with the glutes and actively engage the hamstrings. Do not round the back and push your belly to the sky. Keep the anterior core locked in throughout the movement.

Glute Bridge

Glute Bridges are essentially a Barbell Hip Thrust without the barbell. They obviously won’t work as well to build strength, but they can work perfectly in a warm-up.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Start by laying on your back on the ground.
• Bend both knees to about a 90-degree angle and place both feet flat on the floor.
• Begin the rep by driving your hips up into the air. Try to attain a straight line from the shoulders through the hips and knees.
• Squeeze the glutes at the top of the rep and then lower back down to the starting position.

Coaching Points

As you raise the hips up, try to drive the knees slightly forward. This can help with getting a strong glute contraction and a full extension of the hips. Don’t rush through Glute Bridges. Make sure to pause and squeeze at the top of each rep.

Floor Slider Leg Curl

Like Stability Ball Leg Curls, Floor Slider Leg Curls are more hamstring-focused. They’re an excellent movement though that doesn’t need much equipment.

Step-by-Step Instruction

• Lie down on your back and bend your knees at about 90 degrees.
• Place the sliders under the heels of your feet.
• Drive your elbows into the floor and keep your abdomen tight.
• Drive your hips to the ceiling and engage your glutes.
• Keeping your core nice and tight, slowly slide your heels away from your body until your knees are almost fully extended.
• At the end range of this movement, your body should be straight, hips up, and core engaged.
• Engaging the hamstrings, pull your heels back to the starting position and squeeze the glutes to resume the starting position.

Coaching Points

One of the most important points about this movement is the surface you are sliding on and the type of slider you’re using.

The furniture slide should freely move with little resistance, I would say carpet is ideal if available. If there is resistance, this may affect your technique and coordination.

Remember to always squeeze with the glutes and actively engage the hamstrings. Do not round the back and push your belly to the sky. Keep the anterior core locked in throughout Floor Slider Leg Curls.

Supermans

My final Hip Thrust alternative doesn’t require any equipment at all. Supermans may not build strength as well as some of the other alternatives above, but they are extremely versatile either as part of a warm-up or bodyweight circuit.

Step-by-Step Instructions

• Lay on your stomach with arms stretched out overhead.
• Contract the low back and glutes and raise the chest, arms and legs (thighs) off the ground.
• Squeeze and hold for a one count and then lower back down to the ground.
• Repeat until all reps are completed.

Coaching Points

Take your time and don’t rush through the movement. Squeeze the top of each rep and lower yourself back to the ground under control. Too often I see athletes just quickly go through the motions with Supermans – focus on each rep to get the max benefit.

Final Thoughts

Hip Thrusts are a great exercise for strengthening and developing the glutes and hamstrings. However, I also understand that there are situations where you simply can’t do Hip Thrusts.

Maybe you don’t have a barbell or maybe you’re not comfortable with your technique.

Hopefully, this list of Hip Thrust alternatives has helped you figure out a different movement that you can use as a substitute.

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