Tip The Missing Rep Range for Glute Growth Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip The Missing Rep Range for Glute Growth Butt building is bodybuilding not powerlifting Don' t make this mistake by Chris Shugart September 3, 2017August 1, 2022 Tags Bodybuilding, Glutes, Tips, Training The Pros and Cons of Barbell Humping The barbell hip thrust has become the go-to lift for people who want a strong, eye-catching butt. And they're on the right track. The hip thrust (back on bench) and the glute bridge (back on the floor) are both fantastic. Hip Thrust Glute Bridge But many of these same folks have made a misstep. They're treating the hip thrust like a deadlift and getting too caught up in chasing 1 rep maxes. There's a place for that, sure, but they're training the exercise as if there's prize money for the guy or gal who can dry-hump the heaviest barbell possible for one rep. The problem, besides low back issues, is that 1RMs don't do much for hypertrophy. And building your glutes is all about, well, BUILDING your glutes. That means you need time under tension and a pump, which you don't get from a single rep. Booty building is bodybuilding, not powerlifting. Add a Dumbbell Ditch the Bench Start a Fire Go ahead and go relatively heavy on your hip thrusts or glute bridges, but then do at least one lighter, high-rep finisher set. The best way to do this is with a dumbbell. Place a heavy dumbbell over your naughty bits and shoot for around 30 reps. Brush your butt on the floor at the bottom of each rep, but don't rest it there. Hold the top of each rep for a 1-second count. When you hit failure at full range-of-motion reps, do partials at the top. Just pulse it out and (dare I say it?) feel the burn. If you stand up and feel like your butt is twice as big as it used to be because of the pump, you did it right. Preferably, use the back-on-the-floor glute bridge variation. Since you'll be going to failure and then using good ol' bodybuilding partial reps at the top, the bridge will feel safer and more stable. As a bonus, most people will be able to go heavier on those high reps compared to the hip thrust. Most men, even pre-fatigued from their heavier sets, should be using a 100-plus pound dumbbell for the high-rep bridges. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training The Cure for Ostrich Legs Have your legs ever been compared to those of an ostrich? Keep reading and you'll gain the tools to cure your affliction. Bodybuilding, Training Erick Minor August 25 Training Tip Do the Trap-Bar Press This dead-stop press, along with the trap-bar push press, will blast your shoulders. Here's how to do them. Tips, Training Ben Bruno February 5 Training The Tao of Boyle 38 years of under-the-bar experience, the best exercises, and why back squats still suck. Bodybuilding, Training Nate Green April 12 Training Tip The Back Finisher You ve Never Tried Set your lats on fire (in a fun way). Finish off your back workout with one set of this. Training PJ Striet July 24