Ain’t Nobody Got Time For Barbell Hip Thrusts

So I always get looks and questions in the gym when I perform the following exercise and for some reason I thought everyone knew about it, but obviously not. My bodybuilding program includes “barbell hip thrusts” on hamstring and calves day but the first time I tried this it was an absolute disaster. First of all: the set up alone took way more time than I felt necessary. As I generally go to the gym alone I found it to be super difficult to place a heavy load on a barbell and then hoist that on to my hips. Then let’s talk about how painful the barbell was while resting on my hips- wow- I had bruises afterwards for way too long. I was then lucky enough to stumble upon Lean Bodies Consulting where I found a video showing a variation of this exercise. This much more comfortable version uses either a leg extension or hamstring curl machine to target the hamstrings and glutes. You shimmy yourself under the pad (now yes this is slightly awkward and you feel like a worm) and rest it on your hips. Your feet should be about hip width apart and parallel. The starting position is with your hips low to the floor, then you use your hamstrings to push up the pad. It is important to note that you do not want to let your belly balloon while thrusting- picture your hips and ribs getting closer together. I also like to imagine that there is a ball between my thighs and I am squeezing it as I thrust so my legs don’t wobble out to the sides. I love this exercise because as I mentioned it is so much more comfortable and an even bigger plus for me is that you can get much heavier with the weight. I have included a video to demonstrate- hope it helps 

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