Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Daniel L Plotkin; Merlina A Rodas; Andrew D Vigotsky; Mason C McIntosh; Emma Breeze; Rachel Ubrik; Cole Robitzsch; Anthony Agyin-Birikorang; Madison L Mattingly; J Max Michel; Nicholas J Kontos; Sarah Lennon; Andrew D Frugé; Christopher M Wilburn; Wendi H Weimar; Adil Bashir; Ronald J Beyers; Menno Henselmans; Bret M Contreras; Michael D Roberts

doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170

Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift

Front Physiol. 2023 Oct 9:14:1279170. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Daniel L Plotkin¹, Merlina A Rodas², Andrew D Vigotsky^{3

4}, Mason C McIntosh¹, Emma Breeze¹, Rachel Ubrik¹, Cole Robitzsch¹, Anthony Agyin-Birikorang¹, Madison L Mattingly¹, J Max Michel¹, Nicholas J Kontos¹, Sarah Lennon⁵, Andrew D Frugé⁵, Christopher M Wilburn¹, Wendi H Weimar¹, Adil Bashir⁶, Ronald J Beyers⁶, Menno Henselmans⁷, Bret M Contreras⁸, Michael D Roberts¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
² Department of Psychological Sciences, Auburn, AL, United States.
³ Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Statistics, Evanston, IL, United States.
⁴ Department of Neuroscience, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States.
⁵ College of Nursing, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
⁶ MRI Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States.
⁷ International Scientific Research Foundation for Fitness and Nutrition, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
⁸ BC Strength, San Diego, CA, United States.

Abstract

We examined how set-volume equated resistance training using either the back squat (SQ) or hip thrust (HT) affected hypertrophy and various strength outcomes. Untrained college-aged participants were randomized into HT (n = 18) or SQ (n = 16) groups. Surface electromyograms (sEMG) from the right gluteus maximus and medius muscles were obtained during the first training session. Participants completed 9 weeks of supervised training (15-17 sessions), before and after which gluteus and leg muscle cross-sectional area (mCSA) was assessed via magnetic resonance imaging. Strength was also assessed prior to and after the training intervention via three-repetition maximum (3RM) testing and an isometric wall push test. Gluteus mCSA increases were similar across both groups. Specifically, estimates [(-) favors HT (+) favors SQ] modestly favored the HT versus SQ for lower [effect ±SE, -1.6 ± 2.1 cm²; CI_95% (-6.1, 2.0)], mid [-0.5 ± 1.7 cm²; CI_95% (-4.0, 2.6)], and upper [-0.5 ± 2.6 cm²; CI_95% (-5.8, 4.1)] gluteal mCSAs but with appreciable variance. Gluteus medius + minimus [-1.8 ± 1.5 cm²; CI_95% (-4.6, 1.4)] and hamstrings [0.1 ± 0.6 cm²; CI_95% (-0.9, 1.4)] mCSA demonstrated little to no growth with small differences between groups. mCSA changes were greater in SQ for the quadriceps [3.6 ± 1.5 cm²; CI_95% (0.7, 6.4)] and adductors [2.5 ± 0.7 cm²; CI_95% (1.2, 3.9)]. Squat 3RM increases favored SQ [14 ± 2 kg; CI_95% (9, 18),] and hip thrust 3RM favored HT [-26 ± 5 kg; CI_95% (-34, -16)]. 3RM deadlift [0 ± 2 kg; CI_95% (-4, 3)] and wall push strength [-7 ± 12N; CI_95% (-32, 17)] similarly improved. All measured gluteal sites showed greater mean sEMG amplitudes during the first bout hip thrust versus squat set, but this did not consistently predict gluteal hypertrophy outcomes. Squat and hip thrust training elicited similar gluteal hypertrophy, greater thigh hypertrophy in SQ, strength increases that favored exercise allocation, and similar deadlift and wall push strength increases.

Keywords: back squat; gluteus maximus; hip thrust; hypertrophy; strength.

Copyright © 2023 Plotkin, Rodas, Vigotsky, McIntosh, Breeze, Ubrik, Robitzsch, Agyin-Birikorang, Mattingly, Michel, Kontos, Lennon, Frugé, Wilburn, Weimar, Bashir, Beyers, Henselmans, Contreras and Roberts.

Grants and funding

T32 GM141739/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States