Tip Strong Glutes Healthy Back 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 Strong Glutes Healthy Back You already do the hip thrust for glutes Now try it like this to spare your back and really build your backside by Alexander Nurse Bey March 26, 2017January 19, 2022 Tags Glutes, Tips, Training Add the feet-elevated hip thrust to your glute training arsenal. You can do it with both feet or for an extra challenge, do it unilaterally. This modification is great for glute gains, joint health, and performance. The feet-elevated hip thrust can help those with knee issues (irritated quadriceps, patellar tendonitis, hyperactive popliteus, arthritis and/or diminished cartilage, etc.). But with your feet elevated, each rep involves less knee extension. Picture this: If your box is three inches high, then you eliminate a roughly equivalent amount of extension at the knee. When the knees hurt, use the hips, and the feet-elevated hip thrust is a great way to accomplish this while keeping the pain at bay. With your feet elevated it's much easier to distinguish between the oft-perceived gray area of hip extension vs. lumbar extension. Those with back pain who have trouble training hip extension exercises can do this exercise with a full range of motion and without the fear of irritating the tissue around the lumbar spine and SI. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the hamstrings are on a deeper stretch than the glutes (this is the opposite of performing a traditional hip thrust with the back elevated on a bench) and thus the biceps femoris is at a slight mechanical disadvantage and has greater opportunity to contribute. This increased propensity to contract the femoris creates a slightly greater posterior pelvic tilt (anti-extension action). This maximizes the ROM, allowing you to really push through the hips as high and hard as you can without relying on the lumbar spine. Second, at the top of the rep the torso is at an angle below the hips as opposed to being parallel, making it harder to fall or even force yourself into the unwanted area of lumbar extension. Another benefit of more hamstring recruitment is bigger hamstrings! This makes the feet-elevated hip thrust a great hypertrophy tool for hamstring supersets. Try this: A1. Leg curl x 12 A2. Romanian deadlift x 10 A3. Feet-elevated hip thrust x 8 For all three exercises, lower slowly, pause a second at the top and the bottom, and lift with power and control. 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 Tip The 3-Point Push-Up Test Want to get the most out of push-ups? Make sure you can pass this test. Tips, Training Mike Robertson January 31 Training The Belief Effect Knowledge is power, but knowledge can also be limiting. Real progress occurs when you harness the power of the belief effect. Motivation, Training Tim Henriques August 17 Training Tip 20-Minute Bench & Chin-Up Challenge Test your bench press, chin-up, and conditioning with this brutal (but smart) challenge. Check it out! Metcon, Tips, Training Martin Rooney June 26 Training 10 Ways to Squat What s Best For You Everyone should squat. Not everyone should do the same kind of squat. Here are the best variations for YOUR body type and goal. Training Christian Thibaudeau April 5