Jeff Nippard Uses Science to Rank the Best Glute Exercises

Glute Anatomy and Exercises for Building Stronger Glutes

Glute Anatomy

The gluteals comprise three muscles: Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. In addition to the trio of gluteus muscles, the glutes can be divided into the upper, mid-, and lower glutes.

Barbell Hip Thrust – B Tier

The barbell hip thrust is a well-researched exercise and has been shown to be an effective glute builder. It activates all three sections of the glute, biasing the mid-glute, thanks to more-targeted hip extension. It is simple to progress a barbell hip thrust by adding weight plates while maintaining the same form when training. However, Nippard issues with barbell hip thrusts are the potential discomfort applied to the front of the hip where the barbell sits at heavier weights and the time it takes to set up.

Nautilus Hip Thrust Machine – A Tier

Using a hip thrust machine with a belt could solve the comfort issue and speed up the setup process, as the only need is plate-loading. The added stability is a nice asset as well. Nippard ranks machine hip thrusts as the best exercise for the mid-glutes.

Single-Leg Dumbbell Hip Thrust – A Tier

These are easy to set up, as only a dumbbell is needed. The unilateral aspect of the exercises requires more stability, which places a lot of stimulus on the medius and minimus.

Glute Bridge – B Tier

It is similar to a hip thrust but easier to set up as it can be done from the floor. The downside of glute bridges is even less range of motion.

Frog Pump – C Tier

Similar to a glute bridge but with externally rotated hips and the soles of the feet together. The stability of frog pumps biases the medius, and the external rotation hits the Maximus. The downsides are their difficulty to load and lack of deep stretch. Nippard feels they are passable as a finisher for glute training.

Back Squat – A Tier

Nippard praises barbell back squats for their deep stretch, hitting all three glutes. Their downside is, as a compound movement, they aren’t glute-isolating. It isn’t the most targeted option for someone focused on glute hypertrophy.

Smith Machine Elevated Lunge – S Tier

All the benefits of a Smith Machine lunge but with a deeper stretch. Set it up by adding a small platform to elevate the starting position.

Curtsy Lunge – B Tier

While the stability needed to step back on a diagonal offers some upper glute benefit, Nippard finds curtsy lunges more awkward than a standard lunge and a bit more challenging to load.

Conventional Deadlift – B Tier

As a compound movement, deadlifts are more fatiguing than targeted movements despite the exceptional hip extension they provide. Deadlifts have a high stimulus-to-fatigue ratio, meaning that while the stimulus is exceptional, the fatigue involved to perform them is also steep.

Sumo Deadlift – B Tier

There isn’t a significant difference in glute maximus activity between sumo and conventional deadlifts. The external rotation presumes that the glute medius is better biased in a sumo position, therefore ranks it higher in the B tier as a glute builder compared to its conventional counterpart.

Romanian Deadlift (RDL) – A Tier

Nippard ranks RDLs as the best option for glute hypertrophy among the deadlifts. "It smashes the gluteus Maximus as a basic compound lift that’s easy to overload. He considers it the best exercise for building the lower glutes.

45-Degree Back Extension – S Tier

Typically thought of as a lower back exercise, back extension involves hip extension by driving the hips into the pad to extend the back. Rounding the back helps target the glutes better by easing the load on the erectors.

Cable Pull-Through – B Tier

Nippard considers cable pull-throughs mediocre overall. They are easy to set up but difficult to load as the grip will be awkward and limiting at higher weights.

Kettlebell Swings – D Tier

While kettlebell swings can be a great cardio session, they don’t offer much in the way of loading the glutes in the stretched position, and the tension of the hip thrust is lost to momentum.

References

1. Kassiano, Witalo & Kunevaliki, Gabriel & Costa, Daniella & Nunes, João Pedro & de Castro e Souza, Pâmela & Tricoli, Ian & Ribeiro, Alex & Cyrino, Edilson. (2024). Addition of The Barbell Hip Thrust Elicits Greater Increases in Gluteus Maximus Muscle Thickness in Untrained Young Women. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning. 10.47206/ijsc.v4i1.284.
2. Plotkin, D. L., Rodas, M. A., Vigotsky, A. D., McIntosh, M. C., Breeze, E., Ubrik, R., Robitzsch, C., Agyin-Birikorang, A., Mattingly, M. L., Michel, J. M., Kontos, N. J., Frugé, A. D., Wilburn, C. M., Weimar, W. H., Bashir, A., Beyers, R. J., Henselmans, M., Contreras, B. M., & Roberts, M. D. (2023). Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.21.545949
3. Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., Schoenfeld, B. J., Beardsley, C., & Cronin, J. (2015). A Comparison of Gluteus Maximus, Biceps Femoris, and Vastus Lateralis Electromyographic Activity in the Back Squat and Barbell Hip Thrust Exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 452–458. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.2014-0301
4. McCurdy, K., Walker, J., & Yuen, D. (2018). Gluteus Maximus and Hamstring Activation During Selected Weight-Bearing Resistance Exercises. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 594–601. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001893
5. Delgado, J., Drinkwater, E. J., Banyard, H. G., Haff, G. G., & Nosaka, K. (2019). Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2595–2601. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003290
6. Kubo, K., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 1933–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y
7. Escamilla, R. F., Francisco, A. C., Kayes, A. V., Speer, K. P., & Moorman, C. T. (2002). An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 682–688.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best exercises for building stronger glutes are the barbell hip thrust, nautilus hip thrust machine, single-leg dumbbell hip thrust, and Romanian deadlift. These exercises are effective in targeting the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles, and can help to improve overall glute strength and development.