Dr. Andrew Lock’s Tips for Better Hip Thrusters and Stronger Glutes

Glute gains have been an increasingly common goal for gym goers, but despite the prevalence of hips thrusting in all directions, not everyone seems to understand how to execute the right exercises in order to properly exaggerate their posterior. Fortunately, physiotherapist Dr Andrew Lock can help you make history of bad glute workouts. So, here’s what you need to know.

Lock is a respected IFBB Pro League judge and Australia masters bench press record holder, and explained in a recent Instagram post that making efficient glute gains first requires an understanding of how we evolved as humans. You see, before our days as sedentary office staffers; sitting down for sleep inducing zoom calls and long meetings that should have been emails, we were once hunter gatherers required to spend most of our waking time on two legs just in case the opportunity to catch food presented itself. “The function of the glute max is to allow us to walk,” says Lock. “So the strength of glute max as a muscle, its maximum power position, is right here in the upright stance.”

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How to Correct Your Hip Thrusters

Understanding the mechanics of the human body allows us to replicate exterior loads by correctly targeting our muscles through specific exercises like the hip thruster. Dr Lock points out that the hip thruster was invented to tax the glutes while they are in-line with the rest of our body, just like what happens during the process of walking. “Because, going into the hip thrust is the maximum load at a straight-line position,” he shares.

People often make a huge mistake when attempting the hip thruster, by throwing on too many plates and straining themselves but never reaching the top of the lift, but fortunately it’s an error that is easily fixed says Dr Lock. If you fail to take your hip thrust to the top of the lift and make that all-important straight-line, you’re probably working with too much weight says the big man. “Because it’s the top position that actually requires you to be in your most strong position and you were too weak, so you cut it too low.” Instead, you’ll need to lower the load so that you can hit that line.

Try Supine Banded Abductions

If you are looking for a low-impact way to complete this line, Lock had his colleague Dr. Dani Antonellos demonstrate a great method for working on form, while adding strength and muscle, without ever needing a barbell. Try it for yourself:

For supine banded abductions, you will lie with your back on a bench but your posterior will be over the edge and in the air, supported by your legs and feet. “She’s put the body into its most effective position,” Lock says of targeting the glutes. “Dani has a straight line from her shoulder, to her hip, to her knee, now that’s evolution in exercise.

Dr Lock explains that this is also one of his favorite moves for rehabbing his patients and athletes. To get the most from this exercise, he advises placing the chin onto the chest in

order to engage the abdominals and reduce lumber load. “We then add abduction and rotation which increases the glute max contraction.”

Next time you complete a glute day, you’ll look like an expert thanks to Dr. Lock. Follow him on Instagram.