Hip Thrust vs Squat: Which Builds Bigger Glutes?

Few debates in the gym run as hot as this one. The hip thrust lights up the glutes like almost nothing else, and the squat has built lower bodies for a century. So if your goal is bigger, stronger glutes, which one actually deserves the first slot in your session?

The answer is more interesting than "it depends", and it carries a lesson that reaches well beyond glute training: the exercise that produces the loudest muscle signal is not automatically the one that produces the most growth.

Why this matters

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body and the primary hip extensor. It drives sprinting, jumping, deadlifting and squatting, and for many lifters it is also an aesthetic priority. Training time is finite, so exercise selection matters. If one movement reliably produced more glute hypertrophy per set, it would be worth knowing.

For years, much of the argument rested on surface electromyography (EMG). Acute studies showed that the hip thrust produced substantially higher glute EMG amplitude than the squat, and that finding was widely translated into "hip thrusts build bigger glutes". Over the past several years, longitudinal trials using ultrasound and MRI have tested that assumption directly. The results are a useful case study in what muscle activation data can and cannot tell you.

What the EMG studies show

The foundational comparison came from Contreras and colleagues, who recorded EMG in thirteen trained women performing estimated 10-repetition maximums in the back squat and barbell hip thrust. The hip thrust produced markedly higher mean upper gluteus maximus activity (69.5% vs 29.4% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction) and higher lower glute activity (86.8% vs 45.4%), along with greater biceps femoris activity. Vastus lateralis activity did not differ significantly between the two lifts.¹

A systematic review of the hip thrust literature reached the same conclusion: the mechanics of the hip thrust favour greater activation of the hip extensors than conventional exercises such as the squat, and the excitation sequence is consistent across variations, led by the gluteus maximus, then the erector spinae, hamstrings and quadriceps.² In male team sport athletes lifting at their 3-repetition maximum, peak glute EMG was again higher in the hip thrust than in both the back squat and the split squat, even though ground reaction force was lower.³

The picture is not one-sided, though. When Delgado and colleagues compared the back squat, Romanian deadlift and hip thrust at both a fixed 60 kg load and at 1RM, the hip thrust produced more glute activity than the squat, but the Romanian deadlift was just as effective at isolating the hip extensors. The squat, by contrast, activated the hip and knee extensors together.⁴ A broader systematic review of loaded hip extension exercises also classified a wide range of movements, including step-ups, hex bar deadlifts, belt squats, split squats and lunges, as producing very high gluteus maximus activation above 60% of maximum.⁵

Even within the hip thrust itself, small changes in foot position and the intended direction of force shift the activation pattern across the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps.⁶ In other words, glute EMG is highly sensitive to setup, and there is no single "best glute exercise" by activation alone.

Why higher activation does not guarantee more growth

EMG amplitude reflects the summed electrical activity of motor units beneath the electrodes. It is influenced by motor unit recruitment and firing rate, but also by electrode placement, skin and subcutaneous tissue, muscle length, crosstalk from neighbouring muscles, and the normalisation method used. Vigotsky and colleagues have argued that comparing amplitudes across exercises and then inferring which will produce more strength or hypertrophy is frequently unwarranted.⁷

In a later review, the same group examined each premise behind the "higher EMG equals more growth" logic and found counter-evidence for every step. Their conclusion was blunt: acutely measured surface EMG amplitude has not been validated as a predictor of longitudinal hypertrophy, and acute comparative studies that claim to assess stimulus potency should be met with scrutiny.⁸

One mechanical factor matters in particular for this debate. The hip thrust loads the glutes hardest at full hip extension, where the muscle is short. The squat loads the glutes hardest near the bottom, where the hip is deeply flexed and the muscle is long. A growing body of evidence suggests that training a muscle under load at longer lengths can be a potent hypertrophy stimulus, and that difference does not appear on an EMG trace at all.

What the training studies show

The most rigorous head-to-head trial was published by Plotkin and colleagues in 2023. Untrained young adults were randomised to set-volume-equated hip thrust or back squat training for nine weeks, with gluteal cross-sectional area measured by MRI. Glute hypertrophy was similar between groups. Point estimates modestly favoured the hip thrust at the lower, mid and upper glutes, but the confidence intervals were wide and overlapped zero. The squat group gained more quadriceps and adductor size. Critically, the hip thrust produced higher glute EMG amplitude during the first session, yet this did not consistently predict who grew more.⁹

In well-trained women, Barbalho and colleagues found a stronger result in the opposite direction. After twelve weeks, the back squat group increased gluteus maximus muscle thickness by 9.4% compared with 3.7% in the hip thrust group, alongside much larger quadriceps gains. Both groups improved hip thrust 1RM similarly, but only the squat group made large gains in squat strength.¹⁰ Muscle thickness by ultrasound captures a single site rather than the whole muscle, so this finding should be weighed alongside the MRI data rather than in place of it.

Squat depth also matters. Kubo and colleagues compared full squats with half squats and found that gluteus maximus volume increased by 6.7% after full squat training versus 2.2% after half squat training, a significantly larger gain. Quadriceps growth was similar between depths.¹¹ The squats that build glutes are deep squats, which is consistent with the idea that loading the glutes at long muscle lengths is a meaningful stimulus.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of gluteus maximus hypertrophy pooled these and other trials. Resistance training produced a moderate effect on glute size overall (standardised mean difference 0.71), with similar effects for single-exercise and combined-exercise programmes. The authors concluded that parallel or full-depth squats, hip thrusts, leg press and kneeling hip extensions can all drive glute growth, and that a single-joint option such as the hip thrust is most useful when the goal is to grow the glutes without adding as much size elsewhere.¹²

Strength and performance transfer

Strength outcomes follow a clear pattern of specificity. In the Plotkin trial, squat 1RM increased more with squat training and hip thrust 1RM increased more with hip thrust training, while deadlift strength and an isometric wall push improved similarly in both groups.⁹ You get stronger at what you practise.

Exercise choice also shapes which gluteal muscles bear the load. Using an EMG-informed musculoskeletal model, Collings and colleagues ranked eight hip-focused exercises by estimated muscle force. For the gluteus maximus, loaded split squats, single-leg Romanian deadlifts and single-leg hip thrusts formed the top tier. Peak glute forces generally coincided with the longest fibre lengths.¹³ This is a useful reminder that force, not just activation, is what the muscle experiences.

For athletes, the force-vector question is still open. In adolescent male athletes, a six-week hip thrust programme produced potentially beneficial effects on 10 m and 20 m sprint times compared with front squats, while front squats were better for vertical jump height and squat strength.¹⁴ The systematic review of hip thrust research found mixed chronic transfer to sprinting, with two studies showing improvements and two showing none.² The sensible interpretation is that both lifts have a place, and the choice should follow the qualities an athlete needs most.

What this means in practice

For most lifters, the question is not hip thrust or squat. It is how to combine them. Deep squats load the glutes at long muscle lengths and build the quadriceps and adductors at the same time. Hip thrusts load the glutes hard in the shortened position with less systemic fatigue and less demand on the knees and lower back. A programme that includes both, or pairs a deep squat or lunge pattern with a hip thrust or Romanian deadlift, covers the full length range of the muscle.

Setup also matters more than the exercise label. Foot position, depth, stance width and intended direction of force all change how much of the work the glutes perform relative to the hamstrings and quadriceps.⁶ This is where real-time feedback earns its place. A muscle-worn wearable such as ZELOS can show, set by set, whether a change in stance or depth shifts your glute signal relative to your own baseline, whether output holds or fades across a set, and how hard the muscle is working late in a set as fatigue accumulates.

The important caveat is the one this whole debate illustrates. A higher activation reading tells you the muscle is being driven harder in that moment. It does not, on its own, tell you that the exercise will produce more growth over months. ZELOS treats activation as an interpretive signal for placement, technique and effort, alongside load, proximity to failure and progression over time, rather than as a direct readout of hypertrophy. Used that way, it helps you confirm you are training the muscle you intend to train, then lets the long-term trends in load and output show whether it is working.

Key takeaways

• The hip thrust consistently produces higher acute gluteus maximus EMG amplitude than the back squat.

• Training studies show similar glute growth from both lifts, with squats also building the quadriceps and adductors. One trial in trained women favoured squats.

• Squat depth matters: full squats grew the glutes roughly three times more than half squats.

• Higher EMG amplitude has not been validated as a predictor of hypertrophy. Use activation to guide setup and effort, not to rank exercises for growth.

• Strength gains are specific to the lift trained. For complete glute development, combine a deep squat or lunge pattern with a hip thrust or hinge.

References

1. 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 Applied Biomechanics, 31(6), 452–458. https://doi.org/10.1123/jab.2014-0301

2. Neto, W. K., Vieira, T. L., & Gama, E. F. (2019). Barbell hip thrust, muscular activation and performance: A systematic review. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 18(2), 198–206. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31191088/

3. Williams, M. J., Gibson, N. V., Sorbie, G. G., Ugbolue, U. C., Brouner, J., & Easton, C. (2021). Activation of the gluteus maximus during performance of the back squat, split squat, and barbell hip thrust and the relationship with maximal sprinting. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 35(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002651

4. 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, 33(10), 2595–2601. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003290

5. Neto, W. K., Soares, E. G., Vieira, T. L., Aguiar, R., Chola, T. A., Sampaio, V. L., & Gama, E. F. (2020). Gluteus maximus activation during common strength and hypertrophy exercises: A systematic review. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 19(1), 195–203. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32132843/

6. Collazo García, C. L., Rueda, J., Suárez Luginick, B., & Navarro, E. (2020). Differences in the electromyographic activity of lower-body muscles in hip thrust variations. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 34(9), 2449–2455. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002859

7. Vigotsky, A. D., Halperin, I., Lehman, G. J., Trajano, G. S., & Vieira, T. M. (2018). Interpreting signal amplitudes in surface electromyography studies in sport and rehabilitation sciences. Frontiers in Physiology, 8, 985. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2017.00985

8. Vigotsky, A. D., Halperin, I., Trajano, G. S., & Vieira, T. M. (2022). Longing for a longitudinal proxy: Acutely measured surface EMG amplitude is not a validated predictor of muscle hypertrophy. Sports Medicine, 52(2), 193–199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01619-2

9. 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., Lennon, S., 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. Frontiers in Physiology, 14, 1279170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1279170

10. Barbalho, M., Coswig, V., Souza, D., Serrão, J. C., Hebling Campos, M., & Gentil, P. (2020). Back squat vs. hip thrust resistance-training programs in well-trained women. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(5), 306–310. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1082-1126

11. Kubo, K., Ikebukuro, T., & Yata, H. (2019). Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(9), 1933–1942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04181-y

12. Krause Neto, W., Krause, T. L. V., & Gama, E. F. (2025). The impact of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 16, 1542334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1542334

13. Collings, T. J., Bourne, M. N., Barrett, R. S., Meinders, E., Gonçalves, B. A. M., Shield, A. J., & Diamond, L. E. (2023). Gluteal muscle forces during hip-focused injury prevention and rehabilitation exercises. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 55(4), 650–660. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003091

14. Contreras, B., Vigotsky, A. D., Schoenfeld, B. J., Beardsley, C., McMaster, D. T., Reyneke, J. H., & Cronin, J. B. (2017). Effects of a six-week hip thrust vs. front squat resistance training program on performance in adolescent males: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(4), 999–1008. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001510