2517: Hip Thrusts vs Squats… Which Builds a Rounder Butt?

Summary

Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Episode 2517: Hip Thrusts vs Squats… Which Builds a Rounder Butt?
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Hosts: Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge

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Introduction to the Debate [01:21 – 03:03]

In this episode, the Mind Pump hosts delve into one of the most debated topics in the fitness industry: Hip Thrusts vs. Squats for building a rounder, more muscular butt. The hosts acknowledge the strong opinions on both sides, highlighting influential figures like Brett Contreras advocating for hip thrusts and numerous athletic trainers supporting squats.

Notable Quote:

Justin Andrews [02:48]: "This is the biggest social media debate of the last few years."

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Examining the Evidence [03:03 – 10:36]

The discussion begins by exploring scientific studies comparing the two exercises. A key point is that when volume and frequency are controlled, both hip thrusts and squats produce similar gluteal gains. However, squats have the advantage of loading the glutes in a stretched position, which research suggests is more effective for muscle hypertrophy.

Notable Quotes:

Lucy [03:25]: "Studies essentially show that they’re right around the same."

Adam Schaefer [09:28]: "The fact that you can load it in a stretch position makes the squat win this category."

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Advantages of Squats [10:36 – 19:02]

Squats are praised for their functional benefits beyond glute development. They engage multiple muscle groups, improve athletic performance, and enhance overall lower body strength. The hosts emphasize that squats contribute to balanced muscular development, which is crucial for both aesthetics and functionality.

Notable Quotes:

Lucy [11:42]: "If you perform squats and want your butt to grow, they have to be full squats. Stopping just short."

Adam Schaefer [16:37]: "Squats have the point for functional carryover."

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Advantages of Hip Thrusts [19:02 – 28:57]

Hip thrusts are lauded for their superior ability to target and activate the glutes, especially for individuals who struggle with mind-muscle connection in other exercises like squats. The hosts discuss how hip thrusts can be performed more frequently without overtaxing the Central Nervous System (CNS), allowing for greater cumulative gluteal stimulation.

Notable Quotes:

Adam Schaefer [12:17]: "How many clients have you guys helped that squat all day long but have flat asses because they can't connect to their glutes in that movement?"

Lucy [13:38]: "It's easier for your clients to connect to the glutes with hip thrusts."

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Frequency and Functional Carryover [28:57 – 35:32]

The conversation shifts to the frequency at which each exercise can be performed. Hip thrusts can be incorporated into training programs more often due to their lower demand on the CNS, making them ideal for quick glute development. Conversely, squats, while highly functional, require more recovery time and technical proficiency, limiting their frequency.

Final Verdict: After weighing the pros and cons, the hosts conclude that hip thrusts are generally more effective for rapid glute hypertrophy, especially for beginners or those prioritizing butt development. However, for long-term functional strength and overall lower body development, squats hold their ground. The ideal approach, as advocated by the hosts, is to incorporate both exercises into a well-rounded training regimen.

Notable Quotes:

Lucy [28:57]: "Here you have people who want to build their butt. Maybe they're struggling to connect to it... the victor is hip thrust."

Adam Schaefer [30:40]: "If you have six months or longer with you, squat."

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Listener Questions and Recommendations [35:32 – 35:32]

The hosts address listener questions regarding exercise programming and nutrition for glute growth. They recommend a combination of both hip thrusts and squats for optimal results and emphasize the importance of a high-protein, calorie-surplus diet to support muscle growth.

Notable Quotes:

Sal DeStefano [31:57]: "How should I eat if I want to grow my butt?"

Lucy [33:00]: "You have to eat high protein. So 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and you have to eat more calories than you're burning."

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Conclusion

The episode provides a comprehensive analysis of hip thrusts and squats, offering listeners informed insights backed by both scientific research and practical experience. The hosts advocate for a balanced approach, utilizing both exercises to achieve the best possible glute development while maintaining overall functional strength.

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Connect with Mind Pump:
Follow the hosts on Instagram @mindpumpmedia, @mindpumpsal, @mindpumpadam, @mindpumpjustin & @mindpumpdoug and visit mindpumppodcast.com.

For expertly programmed training protocols, visit mapsfitnessproducts.com.

Transcript

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[Sal DeStefano]

Wherever you get your podcasts, if you want to pump your body and expand your mind, there's only one place to go. Mind Pump Mind Pump with your hosts Sal DeStefano, Adam Schaefer and Justin Andrews.

[Lucy]

You just found the most downloaded fitness, health and entertainment podcast. This is Mind Pump. Today's episode. It's the battle of the ages. Which one builds a bigger rounder, better butt? Is it the hip thrust or is it the squat? Today we dive in and we come up with a winner. Now today's episode is brought to you by a sponsor, Hiya Health. These are multivitamins for children. This is not a candy, it's not sugar filled and it has adequate nutrients. The ones that your children need. Go check them out. Go to Hiyahealth.com that's H I Y A health.com mindpump and on that link you'll get 50% off your first order. Also, we have some workout program bundles this month. So this is where we put multiple programs together in a workout program bundle. But check this out. Each bundle I'm about to tell you about is $300 or more off. Literally $300 or more off the retail price. Here's the bundles. We have the new to Weightlifting bundle The Body Transformation Bundle, the New Year Extreme Intensity Bundle, and the body transformation bundle 2.0. If you're interested, go to maps january.com. all right, here comes the show. The great debate is going to get settled today. Hip thrusts versus squats. Which one builds bigger glutes? Which one gives you a better butt? Today we decide for once and for all which one's the best. And believe me, we will give you the conclusion.

[Adam Schaefer]

Oh, wow. We're weighing in on this one.

[Lucy]

We are.

[Justin Andrews]

This is the biggest social media debate of. Of the last few years.

[Lucy]

This is like the biggest debate in fitness, and it has been for a.

[Adam Schaefer]

Long time, maybe also amongst our. Our peers.

[Lucy]

Yes.

[Adam Schaefer]

Our respected friends of ours.

[Lucy]

That's why this one's such a big one, is because you have. It's. You have really smart people weighing in on both sides. Some people saying, oh, it's the hip thrust. Brett Contreras, right? Good friend of ours. Yeah. He's the. You know, he regards himself as the inventor of the squit hip thrust. And I say regards himself because. Pretty sure they existed before you, Brett.

[Adam Schaefer]

But I'll believe you, he popularized it.

[Lucy]

He popularized.

[Adam Schaefer]

He actually says that. I don't think he said the weighted.

[Lucy]

Hip thrust, which, you know, I. I guess I'd give that to him. Right. I don't know anybody was really doing heavy weighted hip thrust before Brett. Pop. Nonetheless, super smart guy, knows his stuff, does studies, cites data. He's pro hip thrust. Then we have the other side, other really smart athletic trainers, scientists, coaches, strength coaches.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

Saying squats. Squats are better for developing the glutes. So it's. It's a debate. And. And you have people on either side, really smart people, and almost nothing will elicit an argument on social media in our space like this debate right here.

[Adam Schaefer]

I mean, I think. I think it's a. This is a fun one. It's a. It's a. It's a great conversation. And I do think there. I do think that I can make an argument in both directions, which is why I think this makes it. I don't think it's as clear as one or the other, per se. I mean, I think something that we've. We've communicated on this podcast many times is why. Why, you know, relegate yourself to just one, Right. Why? I mean, it's a tool in your tool belt. Why not utilize both? Um, not to mention the individual variants that we always talk about that we have found with so many clients. I can't tell you how many times an exercise a Diet that I've put one client on that is. Was just magical and life changing for them, and then somebody else. It didn't move the needle. And so I, I think we believe in the nuance of. Of the individual and would never say, I'm a. This guy only. We would take that case by case on the client and probably determine it that way.

[Lucy]

Now, to be clear, I mean, when I was started training clients, you know, 20, 25 years ago or more, hip. Weighted hip thrusts were not a thing. I don't really. Nobody did no weighted hip thrust. Now, to be fair, very few people also did barbell squats and deadlifts.

[Justin Andrews]

There was bridging, but there wasn't really hip thrust.

[Lucy]

Yeah. So nobody really did them. It wasn't really an exercise. Now, we did hip thrusts, body weight. You know, I did them as a trainer to help people connect to their glutes, but I never did them with. With weight. And I didn't have. I didn't really struggle with clients developing their glutes with the tools that I use, which did not include the hip thrust. That being said, they, they became popular really fast, and you have a lot of people swearing by them for glute development. So in a relatively short period of time. It's one of the few times I've seen because you. You could say barbell squats and deadlifts weren't super popular either when we were trainers, but before we were trainers, they were popular. They just kind of fell out of favor. In favor. Hip thrust is one of the few exercises I could think of that almost nobody did. And then all of a sudden, everybody started doing. So there's a lot of value there, for sure. And now it's hard to go to a gym and not see people doing hip thrust.

[Adam Schaefer]

Yeah. I would love to do this in a way where Doug is keeping track of the points made. And so we could literally score this as we make an argument or a debate for either or, and we keep track. And then at the end of it, we can make our. Our final statement on what we're doing.

[Lucy]

And we have to come up with a winner at the end. So that's what I'm gonna say right now.

[Justin Andrews]

Okay, what's the qualifiers? Because, I mean, right away you can build your butt.

[Lucy]

That's it.

[Justin Andrews]

Just building a butt.

[Lucy]

Just what builds.

[Adam Schaefer]

I mean, that is why if you were hip thrusting, at least I think most people that are hip thrusting are in pursuit of a bigger. Of bigger glutes. This is not an argument to say which one Is better for sprinting or jumping higher or overall leg development? This is. You want to build an ass. Is the hip thrust the king of building an ass, or is the squat.

[Justin Andrews]

The king of building a hypertrophy perspective?

[Lucy]

That's it. Now, what's cool is this debate started a while ago, ever since Brett Contre really popularized the exercise. And since then, we've had studies that have been done on it. One of them got questioned. There was one study that showed that barbell squats developed bigger glutes than the barbell hip thrust. However, afterwards, Brett and other scientists went in, broke down the data, and it's likely that the study itself was not. There were some numbers that were funny in there. That being said, I've looked at a lot of studies on this one, which we'll post up one of my favorite ones. And now when you look at studies on exercises, comparing exercise versus exercise, you want to look at who they're studying. Are they beginners, are they advanced? What's the frequency and the volume? Are they controlling for those things? Because obviously if you're doing more volume, more frequency of one than the other, then that could change the effect. But the studies essentially show that both produce similar gains when the volume is controlled. In other words, the studies show that they're right around the same. Now, I'm not ending there, okay? So I know I said we're gonna come up with a winner because we've trained clients for a long time. Studies give you some information, but they don't tell the whole story. They really don't. Because anecdotally, if I were to do a survey among people who strength train regularly, especially women who strength train regularly, and I say women cause they're the ones that typically are most concerned or interested in developing bigger butts. If I were to tell them to rank the top butt building exercises, anecdotally, the hip thrust would win. I would bet that all day long. So in the world of fitness, they say that hip thrusts build bigger butts, yet the data shows they're similar. So I think we should go down some of the points and, you know, pluses of either exercise and what makes them maybe why. Why do they develop similar amounts of glutes? Why do some people, like. Why anecdotally, do people tend to prefer hip thrust for butt development? So let's talk about that for a second. So first off, squats have an advantage in that they load the glutes in. In a stretched position. So if you look at the data on the. On a range of Motion of a muscle. Right.

[Adam Schaefer]

By the way, that, that to me, I mean, I guess you presented that as an advantage. That is a point for squats. So that to me is. It's more. This is a, this is a point of why. Yes, because there's, there's, there's tons of studies that support why that is such an important part. Muscle.

[Justin Andrews]

It's a load in the stretch position.

[Lucy]

Yes, that's right.

[Adam Schaefer]

So the fact that you can load it in heavier in a stretch position than you can a hip thrust makes the squat win this category.

[Lucy]

Yeah.

[Adam Schaefer]

This is one point towards the squat.

[Lucy]

One point towards the squat. So if you look at the squat versus the hip thrust, what you'll see is. So when you look at data on where a muscle is loaded and what produces the most hypertrophy or muscle gain, first off, all ranges of motion build muscle. So it's not like one builds muscle and the rest don't. But what they show in the data is when a muscle is loaded in a stretched position that produces the most muscle growth. In other words, loading my bicep when it's fully lengthened versus when it's fully contracted, the lengthened position is going to produce the most muscle growth. If we're comparing just, you know, head to head. Squats load a lot. And like the hardest part of a squat's the bottom.

[Justin Andrews]

Yes.

[Lucy]

And that's where your glutes are in a lengthened position.

[Adam Schaefer]

I also want to make the point that the pro squat people and anti hip thrust people will, will attach this study. This is the argument they will make.

[Lucy]

Yes.

[Adam Schaefer]

On why it's completely better. And I'm glad you preface that with it doesn't. It doesn't mean it's the only place you build muscle. This is just. This is a point for squatting.

[Lucy]

Yes.

[Adam Schaefer]

Over a hip thrust. It doesn't tell the entire. Yeah, it doesn't tell the entire story. And it doesn't mean just because of that, it is superior to building.

[Lucy]

That's right. Now, a hip thrust, if you, if you perform a hip thrust or watch a hip thrust, the load in the stretch position isn't very high. You're not in a fully stretched position with a hip thrust because you're kind of limited by the ground. Right. So when you start at the bottom, you're not fully stretched, but you do get a crazy squeeze at the top. Right. But again, the shortened position doesn't produce as much muscle growth as the lengthen. So again, one point goes to the squat in this category because it's Loading the stretch. By the way, if you perform squats and you want your butt to grow, they have to be full squats. Stopping just short.

[Justin Andrews]

Full range of motion.

[Lucy]

Yeah. Full range of motion is where you're going to get glute development. There's lots of studies that point to this. Like, if I'm doing parallel squats or above parallel squats, most of it's going to go to the quads. But if I'm going all the way down, all the way up, Good technique. Right. Good control. Those are the prerequisites. Then I'm going to get a lot of activation in the glutes.

[Adam Schaefer]

Now, I want to defend the hip thrust and give it a point for one of the reasons why we used to use it before it even became popular for loading. And one of the reasons why we used this as a tool well before it became popular to load, was it was easier for your clients to connect to the glutes.

[Lucy]

Yes.

[Adam Schaefer]

So and this matters when you're talking because.

[Justin Andrews]

Especially when you're quad dominance.

[Adam Schaefer]

Well, exactly. Because even though the squat traditionally should be better for building the glutes, how many clients have you guys helped that squat all day long but have flat asses because they can't connect to their glutes in that movement? And so therefore, an exercise or a movement like in hip thrust, where it's really easy to connect to the glutes for that person. Okay, here's an example where that hip thrust would be a better movement for that client than the squatting.

[Lucy]

Totally. And, you know, as a trainer, point, hip thrust, point one, point, hip thrust. As a trainer, every. And by the way, this is a fact. Okay. It's harder to connect to a muscle in its lengthened position than it is in its shortened position. In other words, if somebody has trouble connecting to their pecs, the way that I get them to figure out how to connect to their pecs is I have them squeeze their pecs in a shortened position, not in the lengthened position. This is true for any muscles. Anytime I worked with a client, and they're like, man, I can't feel muscle X. The way I get them to feel is to have them squeeze that muscle in a shortened position. Trying to get somebody who has trouble feeling a muscle to feel it in a length of is good luck. Yeah, it's not going to happen. This may be one of the reasons why people who have a history of poor glute development love hip thrust.

[Justin Andrews]

Oh, yeah. Just to, you know, emphasize that and. And stay. Stay there in an Isometric position to be able to recruit. It's so much more effective in the shortened position like that.

[Adam Schaefer]

Oh, I. I also think this is the reason why the earlier point you made by. If you were to survey just 100 random women, 100%, they would feel it more like that. Exactly. Because. And this is a mistake, though, by a lot of clients, a lot of clients think that just because you feel it more, it's necessarily a better exercise. It can be, yes. And that. That's a great point to it, but it doesn't. Because you can feel an exercise more than another exercise doesn't necessarily mean it's better for developing that. But that is what will that will be the perceived value of that exercise. And why, if you were to do a survey of a hundred random women that all exercise, I feel that one, they would say, oh, hip thrust is the best for me. And their logic behind that isn't necessarily because, oh, I grew 4 inches by doing hip thrust versus 2 inches of doing squats. It's because you hip thrust with them, you squat with them. You can guarantee all hundred of those people felt the hip thrust.

[Lucy]

Now, that's. Now, I don't want to understate that, though, either. Adam. Like being able to feel a muscle you're trying to develop, even if the feel part doesn't contribute to the growth, it does contribute to your ability to target that muscle with other exercises. So the way I use the hip thrust as a trainer was when I did deadlifts or, you know, squats or sumo squats or Bulgarian squats. And I had a client who's like, I don't feel my glutes. I don't feel them activating. I would do hip bridges, which is, you know, kind of a version of a hip thrust. Get them to feel their glutes squeeze hard at the top, go back to doing the squats. And now, because they know where the glutes are and how they feel them, they're able to perform the squats in ways that target the glutes even better. That's one of the main reasons.

[Justin Andrews]

How are you going to get a pump if you can't really recruit properly?

[Lucy]

Like. That's right. That's right. 100%. All right, next. So now we got one point each, right? Squats loaded them in a. Loads them in a stretch position. Hip thrust, easier to connect to. Now this next one is. Is going to go to the squat. It's which one has more functional carryover. All right, let's define functional.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

Which exercise is Going to make you stronger and better at other stuff. Let's just, let's just loosely label it that way. Squats here, hands down, hypertrophy alone, if you look at the data on which one builds a bigger butt, you'll notice that they're very similar. However, in those same studies will show that you get more quad gains with the squat and similar gains with the glutes. So one exercise is going to give you as much glute gains in those studies as a hip thrust, but you're going to get more gains in other places as well. Yeah, from an athletic standpoint, there's just more joints involved. Good luck finding a strength and conditioning coach that's going to say hip thrust is better than a barbell squat. It just, it makes you faster, it makes you more stable. It's. You're gonna get more ankle, you know, development, you know, muscles around the ankle, the knee. It's. It's gonna give you healthier hips if it perform properly. Function for functional overall development.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah, because you have to consider like the multitude of variables to, you know, lateral forces, rotational forces, all these things you need to stabilize with a squat versus just the isolated, you know, hip thrust. Now you're getting that hip hinge movement, which is valuable for sure. But like, there's just a lot more variables, a lot more, you know, joints and everything else that have to accommodate for this load.

[Adam Schaefer]

Now I 100 agree with this. Is this also where you would lump in the. The carryover from the benefits of the CNS from the squad also?

[Lucy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Justin Andrews]

Because this is a louder signal too.

[Adam Schaefer]

Exactly. The. The. And then also just the. To organize all those muscles together in order to perform it properly, that that skill translates to other movements that you're going to have to get good at. Like if you're.

[Lucy]

I can also develop your glutes.

[Adam Schaefer]

Like, like, exactly. Like not a lot of people. At least not off top of my head. Can I think of that were really good squatters that I couldn't teach how to deadlift, like do any. Almost any other hip. Obviously hip thrust, that's very easy for that person. So if you were a really good squad squatter, that was if not the most difficult movement I had to teach you. And so it just. Everything else I taught you to do seemed easy compared to that. And so there's value to that versus someone who's just really good at head thrusting. But they're terrible at squatting. I'm not getting any of that carryover from that too.

[Lucy]

And so you're not Developing much of the rest of the body. You're not going to get lots of carryover in comparison to athletic performance unless that particular style or type of hip.

[Justin Andrews]

Extension is horizontal, you know, versus vertical. It's just, it's a completely different animal.

[Adam Schaefer]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

And you know, functional carryover. I know people who just want to develop a body that looks different think this isn't a big deal. But you keep working out for years, keep doing this for five years, 10 years, 15, 20 years and you'll see how big of an impact your ability to be functional has on your body, on your ability to develop a good looking body. You take someone who's been working out for 15 years who loses functional ability because they only focus on developing muscles to look a particular way and little by little they lose the ability to do different exercises and their ability to develop a nice looking physique starts to decrease. So it's not just about performing better on the field or being a better athlete. It's also about being able to maintain a better looking body for longer, you know, for, for a long period of time. So functional carryover is important for many, many reasons. And the squat has the point.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah, it wins for sure.

[Adam Schaefer]

So squats two.

[Lucy]

Yep.

[Adam Schaefer]

Hip thrust one.

[Lucy]

Hip so far. Next this. Now it's funny is that this is the counter to what I just said. Hip thrusts require less skill. Now we just made the case that the functional ability of the squat is better. But there's actually a positive here for hip thrust in that you can go, you can train it and go heavy and hard with the hip thrust way before you go.

[Adam Schaefer]

Well, let me, and let me give you a scenario where this comes to play. Brand new client.

[Lucy]

That's right.

[Adam Schaefer]

Hires me. No experience lifting weights whatsoever. Part of their primary goal. I want to build my glutes. I don't know how to squat, I don't know how to deadlift. I don't do anything. I'm just learning how to exercise. And I want. But my primary goal is Adam, help me build my butt. I am. And I got six weeks time to show this client the most results I can. My hip, I'm going to the hip thrust period. Period. Because the it's going to take that client more than six weeks to even get a decent squat before I can even get the benefits of loading it super heavy in the stretch position or full range of motion or connecting to the glutes already. So in a. And this is again why studies don't tell the full story. Because hey, if I had a beginner client. I only had six weeks and I compared head to head. Those hip thrusts are going to win all day right there. So there's an example of where that tool becomes extremely valuable is I've got a brand new client, they want to build their glutes and I, I've got a short period of time to show them results in their glutes. The hip thrust is going to be the prime, the prime one I go to over squat.

[Lucy]

You need way more mobility, way more pract, way more skill to be able to perform a deep butt building squat. Whereas with a hip thrust I could take so long as they're healthy, no crazy injuries, I could take the average person and within by week two we could load a hip thrust. By week two I can load it appropriately. I can't do that with the squat. It's going to take me months to get them to develop the mobility, the control, the stability. Now once we develop those things, then the value of the squat goes through the roof. Yeah. But when it comes to like which one can I jump into and just build my glutes? Like hip thrusts require very little skill and that's actually in, in, in this particular case, an advantage.

[Adam Schaefer]

Yeah. But I also don't want to confuse the audience because they're different. Right. It's like you're going to the, the early on ROI on the the hip thrust is going to be really high and then it's going to fall off. It's going to drift off relatively quick because the skills learn. You got really quick and strong at it. You got all the, the return on you just keep adding Y. Eventually you peak out, you're hitting your max, whatever and you're probably inching out the rest of the way where the squat is going to be a slower roi but it's going to continue to compound over time. And so if we extend this out over two years, they're going to look more close, the same after two years or maybe even the squat edges it out in two years because of the other things that we're talking about. So keep that in mind. It's not saying that oh that oh, then that sounds like hip thrust is the way to go because I can get good at it, faster at it, get the, well, yeah, the initial return, but then it's just going to look different over.

[Lucy]

Right. But if you're watching this or listening to this and you're like, oh man, squatting deep, it's tough for me. I have challenge with it. I really want to build my butts, my Butt. I want to get really good results relatively quickly. Like, this is a point for hip thrust. You could literally turn this off, go to the gym, start hip thrusting, and within a couple weeks, you're adding load to it and you're building your butt. Whereas with the squat, that's a complex exercise. It takes time, requires a lot of, a lot more mobility and control and stability than the hip thrust. So one point for hip thrusts. And so I think now we're. We're tied. Right. Okay, Next is what builds better legs. We're not just talking about the butt, but the overall lower body.

[Adam Schaefer]

And let me tell you why that's important. Okay. Because. Because someone might be going, wait a second, I thought you guys said this is only building butt and hypertrophy for butt. But here's the thing. Like, if you. Yeah, and I've talked about this. Let me use another part of the body. I've talked to this. But like somebody who wants developed looking arms, what I'll focus on many times is their shoulders.

[Lucy]

Yeah.

[Adam Schaefer]

Because the shoulders, the aesthetic. That's right. It'll add the aesthetic. So even though maybe if we. And this is again, why the studies don't tell the whole story, maybe that client who I developed the entire legs doesn't show the same circumference. I. Oh, I grew an extra inch on her butt. But because her legs are more shapely, it creates the illusion of a better butt, which I'll tell you, every client is just as happy with. If I can, if I can give a client symmetry, the look that they want, regardless of what the tape measure says or not, is less important now for studies and arguing purposes that matters for people. But let me tell you, from training, lots of people who said, I want a better butt, if I can give you a better butt, whether the circumference on the tape measure says less or more doesn't really matter, so long as the client goes, oh, my God, Adam, the way my butt looks, looks better. Well, yeah, Part of that is because we developed your hamstrings really good. And your hamstrings and your quads look really good in shapely. And now it's making your butt look even better.

[Lucy]

100%. And I never saw this before. I never saw this in place before until recently. Recently. Now, because the hip thrust is so popular for developing the glutes, I'm starting to see out of proportion, disproportionate bodies, and it doesn't look good. Yeah, your butt's bigger.

[Justin Andrews]

Instagram.

[Lucy]

But your legs are underdeveloped. And it doesn't look as good. In fact, you'd be better sacrificing a little bit of butt gains, develop some more quad and hamstring. You'd have a better overall look. So what develops better legs? Like, this is a point. For squats, you want the overall lower body to look good, not just the butt area. Because when people look at you, it's not just your butt they're looking at.

[Adam Schaefer]

You know, you brought that up the other day off air. And I. I guess now that you've said it, I've really started to notice the difference. And it reminds me of when we first started seeing the butt surgeries.

[Lucy]

Yes.

[Adam Schaefer]

And I remember telling. I tell Katrina, like, when I pointed out, and she'd be like, how do you know? And I'm like, well, it's really obvious because you have this girl who has this crazy round butt and she has no hamstrings. They just fall off like a cliff. There's no shape to them. They're just straight. So that tells me she's not training her posterior chain. She went and bought that ass because what she's done is she's slapped on this huge, oversized muscle on the backside. On her backside. And the hamstrings don't match it. So it's real. For a trainer, it's really obvious to see that for the first time ever, I kind of agree with you. You're starting to see a little bit of that.

[Lucy]

Because it's not as extreme as the implant.

[Adam Schaefer]

Yeah, it's not as extreme.

[Lucy]

But you could tell.

[Adam Schaefer]

But you can. Yeah, you can see this. That. Oh, my God. There's like no emphasis.

[Justin Andrews]

It's an overdevelopment versus. Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Schaefer]

And I. And I can't tell you what a difference when. When the goal is, I want a better butt. I want a rounder, fuller, better looking. But the hamstring and quad development plays a major role. And trust me, like, yes. From a circumference, if that's all we cared about, then. Okay, well, then you're. But then that's like the same argument as the guys who are wearing waist trainers who want a smaller waist going. It's like the dumbest argument ever. It's just like you want a better, stronger, better looking physique. Yeah. You could atrophy your waist just to show that taper. Yes. You could disproportionately grow your butt to make it look an inch bigger. But it'll look way better if you have the legs developed.

[Lucy]

Totally. All right, so now Looks like squats in the lead. But here's the last one, and that is that hip thrusts can be done more frequently. Now, squats will ha. Now, you can squat relatively frequently, but there comes a point where you keep squatting, you're going to fry yourself and you cannot continue.

[Adam Schaefer]

This is the CNS point that I was.

[Lucy]

This is the CNS point just fries your body. Like, try squatting hard four days a week. It's not gonna happen if you do squat four days a week, at least two of those days, if not, three of them are gonna have to be really easy. Now, hip thrusts are interesting. This is one of those rare exercises that you can load heavy and do a lot of. I mean, you can hip thrust five days a week and four of those days can be relatively hard if you're well trained and it won't over train you like a barbell squat with a barbell squat will fry you way before hip thrust. Now, why is this a benefit when you're trying to build your butt? Like, if I could do an exercise more often, then that means I can send a louder signal. This is why those studies that I talked about, when they equate for volume and frequency, they both develop similar glute muscles. But anecdotally, people are like hip thrust. Why? Here's the main reason why. Because they can hip thrust more often than they can squat.

[Adam Schaefer]

And people need to understand why this is such a secret weapon and a massive point for the hip thrust.

[Lucy]

Huge.

[Adam Schaefer]

It's a massive point because here's an example of in the real world and not in a study. That's right. Do they have to match up? You don't like if. Yes. If you compare the hip thrust, the exact amount of volume, exact amount, intensity, everything as the. The squat, then we do see this really even thing. But in real life, you wouldn't do that. If with a client that wants to build the greatest butt, I'm going to do everything in my power to give them the results that they want. And if that means I'm adding an extra day of hip thrusting, because I can, because they can handle it, I'm going to do that. Now, I know from making mistakes in the past of just adding more squats, no, I end up taxing them. They end up plateauing, even going backwards sometimes because they can't handle that. Where with hip thrusting, I can push that lever a little bit more, which I would recommend doing if that's what I'm trying to get out of it. And so this is a massive point for the hip thrust that is hard to tease out from a study because it's not going to be even.

[Lucy]

Right? So here's the deal. We have a tie right now, okay? They're both tied with points, but we have to pick a winner. Now here's the deal. We train clients, real people in the everyday world. And like you said, Adam, studies are great, but the real world is not a study. So here you have people who. They want to build their butt. Maybe they're struggling to connect to it. They want to do everything they can to develop it. And what we're. The criteria is glute growth only. That was the standard. What builds the biggest butt. With all those things being considered, the victor is hip thrust. You could do more volume, more frequency, and for. Especially for people. And you can. It's easier to perform, so you don't have to have as much skill. And especially for people who have trouble connecting to their glutes, like the hip thrust, weighted hip thrust is the best because if you have trouble connecting your glutes, you're gonna have trouble connecting your glutes on a barbell squat. You probably won't with the barbell hip thrust.

[Adam Schaefer]

Are you hip thrusting?

[Lucy]

No.

[Justin Andrews]

It's two to one.

[Adam Schaefer]

Well, I'm asking you. That's why I haven't said my. I haven't said my vote. He says his right there. Because it's a tie. Right now. It's a tie. It's Sal's pushing over to hip thrust for his reason. I have an argument that hip thrusting is kind of a pain in the ass to set up. I mean, Jordan. Jordan Sight had a great little rant that he went on that I saw Brett concierge countered and went back and forth. And of course, it was a great opportunity for Brett to talk about his tool that he made some of that. But not everybody's got one of those in their house or in their gym. And I mean, at my house, Katrina sets the bar up. I mean, I see her get it all together and this and that. And she's obviously a fan of the hip thrust. She utilizes that. We've got it in some of our programs. So I'm definitely not an anti Guy.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah.

[Adam Schaefer]

But I'm such a. I. This is how I guy either I. It's early brand new client. I'm pro hip thrust first. But if I got you for a year or more, and I know you're my client, I'm. I'm investing more of my time in the squat for the late.

[Lucy]

For the Just. Just for pure glue Growth.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah. So that's, that's, that was the qualifier to begin. That's why I asked that. Because it does matter. And if it is just about, like, growth and, you know, the. If we're going to pit them together and take just your average person, I'd go hip thrust just to grow. But, like, for. If I'm actually trying to establish something that's like, going to have longevity, have a multifaceted approach where I can now put them in a performance situation, you know, I could build upon that in terms of a key that unlocks a whole new host of exercises that they could challenge themselves with. It's squat.

[Adam Schaefer]

So can I say that, Can I say if I have you for six months or less, build glutes the fastest.

[Lucy]

Shortest period of time.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah. With a novice.

[Adam Schaefer]

If I have six months or longer with you. Squat, Squat guy.

[Lucy]

Okay.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

All right.

[Adam Schaefer]

And I feel like that's a fair. A fair because. Because it covers general. And that's why, too. If I had to. If you had to corner me into, like, you're talking to the masses. You have to choose one or the other. I am going to choose hip thrust because I recognize that most people can squat well.

[Lucy]

Yeah.

[Adam Schaefer]

And squatting is very difficult to teach. And it takes a long time for.

[Lucy]

A lot of people part. You guys don't. Don't underestimate that.

[Adam Schaefer]

You know, that's a huge plus.

[Justin Andrews]

That's why I always thought with the sled. You know, this is another reason I love having low risk options that are, you know, ready to go and you can add a lot of volume and.

[Adam Schaefer]

We speak to a lot of general pop. Right, Right. It's like we're not, we're not arguing this for my trainers or my advanced lifters. I think that's that. I think that's squat all day in that situation. But that's not. Most people. Most people don't want to go to the gym. Most people have all kinds of dysfunction going on. Most people can't do a beautiful deep ass to grass squat. So in. That's. In knowing that, that that's a majority of people, I've got to help out. The hip thrust wins for hypertrophy. It for sure wins for that reason. For that reason alone, it wins. But of course, I always want my clients to squat.

[Sal DeStefano]

Totally got some questions here. The first is if I squat and hip. Hip thrust, how should I program them?

[Lucy]

So. Thank you. Great question. Because doing both.

[Adam Schaefer]

Yeah. Which is what we advocate for.

[Lucy]

Yeah. Do them both like this. I know we're pitting them against each other. But if you really want the best glute development, overall development, you should do both. Brett does both. He has his clients do both. He doesn't just have them. Hip thrust. I think if we're just looking at hip thrusts and squats. I think if you squat once a week and hip thrust twice a week, so three days a week. If your. If your goal is developing great glutes, I think that's a great way to kind of break it down. So three days a week, you're hitting your glutes.

[Justin Andrews]

One of those is more volume hip thrust. A little less from school.

[Lucy]

That's right. Two of them are hip thrust.

[Adam Schaefer]

What would you. If we had a generic. Okay, you could obviously squat really heavy on that day. You could probably get a really heavy, loaded hip thrust day. And then what do you have? Moderate hip thrust. Yeah. So you can go heavy squat, heavy hip thrust. Moderate, moderate. And you. By the way, why that's different. That if it was all squatting, you couldn't do that. You couldn't go heavy squat, heavy squat, moderate squat. You'd have to go heavy, moderate, light. Like if you were all squatting where hip thrusting, you could technically go all that. But the combat. The combo would be the best.

[Lucy]

Totally.

[Sal DeStefano]

How should I eat if I want to grow my butt?

[Lucy]

Oh, high protein. To gain, you got to eat high protein. So 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, and you have to eat more calories than you're burning when you're trying to build your butt. You're trying to build.

[Justin Andrews]

Yeah.

[Lucy]

You are building muscle.

[Justin Andrews]

Same rules apply.

[Lucy]

Good luck trying to build your butt in a calorie deficit. It ain't going to happen.

[Adam Schaefer]

It ain't happening. I love this question because I think it's the most important question and probably the number one reason why I would see clients that try to do this on their own fail was because they were doing all the right exercises. They were following all the. All the right people that were. That were touting this information. The part that they were missing enough was they weren't hitting their protein intake and they weren't hitting enough calories to build to grow. It's no different than the guy who wants to build his chest or build his arms. You got to put them on a calorie surplus. They got it consistently day in and day out at their protein intake. That goes. I mean, I don't care how. We could argue all day over these exercises, and you could be forming both of them perfectly if you're not giving the body enough calories and enough protein, the building blocks to go build that butt. You ain't gonna build a butt.

[Sal DeStefano]

Is the Stairmaster good for building butt?

[Adam Schaefer]

Horrible.

[Lucy]

Cardio is not a muscle building form of exercise. That's it. Period. End of story. Now, if you had to pick a form of cardio, that would give you some muscle building effect. Still tiny. Maybe sprinting uphill. But don't do cardio to build muscle. That's a. That's a terrible. It's not. That's not what it's for. Cardio is to build endurance. It is not muscle building.

[Adam Schaefer]

Not to mention when I just said the number one reason why people fail on doing this themselves is not getting enough calories and not hitting their protein intake. So adding cardio on top of that just exacerbates that problem. That's already the number one problem. Okay, women not hitting protein intake and hitting a calorie surplus in order to build. But number one problem for not. Not. It's not the exercises. Number one is not hitting enough calories and protein. Take. So if you pair that with they also like to get on and do cardio, you're only exacerbating that challenge.

[Lucy]

Yeah, because you see people in a StairMaster and. Or a step mill and they'll kick their leg out each time. They're like, oh, I feel it burning my butt. I'll tell you something right now, you could be doing everything right and do too much cardio and not prevent. And also prevent your butt.

[Adam Schaefer]

That's right.

[Lucy]

So, in fact, if you really want to build your butt, walking for health is good. But I would tell you to avoid car. If your goal is like, I really want to build my butt and I want to build it quick, and I want great results. Get stronger, eat in a surplus, hit high protein, and don't do cardio.

[Justin Andrews]

The rest in recovery. Just walk any other muscle.

[Lucy]

That's it. Look, if you like the show, come find us on Instagram. Justin is mindpumpjustin. I'm @mindpump distephano. And Adam is mindpump.

[Sal DeStefano]

Adam, thank you for listening to Mind Pump. If your goal is to build and shape your body dramatically improve your health and energy and maximize your overall performance, check out our discounted RGB Super [e-mail] the RGB Super Bundle includes maps, Anabolic Maps, performance and Maps, aesthetic. Nine months of phased expert exercise programming designed by Sal, Adam and Justin to systematically transform the way your body looks, feels, and performs with detailed workout blueprints and over 200 videos. The RGB Super Bundle is like having Sal, Adam and Justin as your own personal trainers, but at a fraction of the price. The RGB Super Bundle has a full 30 day money back guarantee and you can get it now. Plus other valuable free [e-mail] if you enjoy this show, please share the love by leaving us a five star rating and review on itunes and by introducing Mind Pump to your friends and family. We thank you for your support and until next time, this is Mind Pump.

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