Hip thrust
At least one paper behind this review states what this option was measured against. That is not a ranking, and this option carries no evidence profile of its own.
- hinge / hip-dominantStrength · 9 papers put it here
- isolationStrength · 2 papers put it here
Performed with a 35.5-cm bench height, 90° knee flexion angle, supinated grip, and externally rotated shoulders. Range of motion from barbell on floor to neutral hip position at 0° of extension. Same setup as BHT with an elastic fabric band around the distal thigh for abduction resistance. Subjects instructed to "break the band" as they extend their hips.
Effects of Band-Resisted Abduction on Muscle Activity between the Barbell Hip Thrust and Barbell Glute BridgeStart seated with back against bench, thrust barbell up until hip is fully extended, maintain neutral back, knees at 90 degrees.
Electromyographic Comparison of Barbell Deadlift, Hex Bar Deadlift, and Hip Thrust Exercises: A Cross-Over StudyStart with barbell on pelvis and scapulae on a box (height: 0.36 m). Descend by flexing hips and knees until weight plates are close to the ground. Ascent by extending hips and knees until torso is parallel to the ground.
Kinetics in lumbosacral and lower-limb joints of sprinters during barbell hip thrust compared to deadlift and back squatStandardized starting position and range of motion, 1 second concentric phase, 2 seconds eccentric phase.
Hamstring-to-quadriceps activation ratio during lower-limb strengthening exercisesUpper back pressed against a weights bench, feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, bar positioned across the hips.
Activation of the Gluteus Maximus During Performance of the Back Squat, Split Squat, and Barbell Hip Thrust and the Relationship With Maximal Sprinting.Start with upper back on a 40-cm high bench, barbell at hip crease. Extend through hips with feet firmly planted, aiming for a specific height marked by a wooden stick.
Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension.Performed on a self-selected leg with an approximate hip joint angular velocity of 30°•s -1. Starting position and range of motion not explicitly described in the paper.
Gluteal Muscle Forces during Hip-Focused Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation ExercisesUsed Thruster 3.0 apparatus. Brief contact with ground at bottom of each repetition. Torso position maintained to avoid excessive motion. Feet spaced 1-1.5 times shoulder width apart. Concentric action: 1 second; Eccentric action: 2 seconds.
Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift
Nothing states what this option's dose measures — no library step prescribes this option and its review states no dose unit.
No row states a dose or a time for this option.
barbell · intermediate — from the exercise catalogue, which is where equipment is authored.
Requires at least 1 year of lower-body strength training experience.
Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension.Requires engagement from knee, hip, and pelvic-trunk joints; no specific strength prerequisite mentioned.
The impact of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Hinge and scoop variations adjust ROM and leverage.
The impact of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
The papers behind this option report nothing on contraindications, which is not the same as saying there are none.
Facility or specialist (bench or hip thrust machine)
Hamstring-to-quadriceps activation ratio during lower-limb strengthening exercisesFacility or specialist (barbell)
The impact of resistance training on gluteus maximus hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Deadlift — a paper measured this option against it“barbell deadlift” · V. Andersen, M. Fimland, Dag-André Mo et al. (2018) · 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001826
- Split squat / RFESS — a paper measured this option against it“both the back squat and split squat” · Michael J. Williams, N. Gibson, G. Sorbie, U. Ugbolue, J. Brouner, C. Easton (2018) · 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002651
- Plank — a paper measured this option against it“body weight side plank” · T. Collings, M. Bourne, R. Barrett et al. (2023) · 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003091
- Side plank — a paper measured this option against it“body weight side plank” · T. Collings, M. Bourne, R. Barrett et al. (2023) · 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003091
- Leg press — a paper measured this option against it“L-S (45º leg press and stiff-leg deadlift) and L-S-BHT (45º leg press” · Witalo Kassiano, Gabriel Kunevaliki, Bruna Costa et al. (2024) · 10.47206/ijsc.v4i1.284
- Romanian deadlift — a paper measured this option against it“Greater biceps femoris activation during Romanian Deadlift” · I. Martín-Fuentes, J. M. Oliva-Lozano, J. Muyor (2020) · 10.1371/journal.pone.0229507
- Barbell back squat — a paper measured this option against it“Barbell back squats were compared against flywheel squat machines” · Walter Krause Neto, Thaís Lima Vieira Krause, E. Gama (2025) · 10.3389/fphys.2025.1542334
A paper measuring one option against another does not make the two interchangeable, and it does not say which to choose. These are listed as what the papers did, and nothing here proposes a substitution.