How to Train Glutes WITHOUTH Hip Thrusts

This is how to train glutes without hip thrusts! Yes, you don’t need to do hip thrusts (necessarily) to grow your butt.

The workout you will see below was designed by Mike Israetel and performed by Sara Fahmi. Dr Mike Israetel, PhD in Sport Physiology and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization, is a well-respected professor in the bodybuilding community. He doesn’t only talk about workouts and fitness tips, he often dives deep into health and nutrition.

Sara Fahmi is a dentist, but she likes to workout and look after her physique training with some of the most well-respected coaches she can find.

As you will see in the paragraphs below or in the video at the end, Israetel says this workout is a light-hearted take on the universal apprehension associated with dental visits, transforming the discomfort experienced in a dentist’s chair into fuel for an intense, muscle-burning session.

Hip thrusts are highly effective for glute hypertrophy because they specifically target the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the buttocks, through a full range of motion. This exercise involves the hip extensors in a powerful way, ensuring maximum engagement and activation of the glute muscles. By placing the back on a bench and driving through the heels, the movement isolates the glutes, minimising hamstring or lower back involvement, which leads to more focused muscle development and, subsequently, greater gains in muscle size and strength in the gluteal region.

But you don’t need to do hip thrusts every time you do your glute workout. In fact, variability is one of the pillars for muscle growth – you need to tackle your body in different angles and with a different arsenal if you want to keep making progress in the gym. This is why the workout was designed.

This workout isn’t merely about physical transformation; it’s about channelling our everyday frustrations into a productive, sweat-inducing session that promises to test the limits of endurance and strength. It’s a narrative where the pain from the dentist’s office metamorphoses into the burning sensation in your muscles, symbolizing growth and resilience.

How to Train Glutes WITHOUTH Hip Thrusts

The inception of this unique glute workout is deeply intertwined with a narrative that’s both humorous and symbolic. It’s a tale of turning the tables, where the discomfort typically associated with a visit to the dentist is transformed into a powerful motivator for an intense workout. The protagonist of our story, a professionally trained dentist evolving into an oral surgeon, becomes the central figure in this fitness saga. Her journey is not just about advancing her dental career but also about embracing a physical challenge that mirrors the intensity of her professional aspirations.

“In this workout, we’re not just training muscles; we’re transforming the very essence of discomfort into strength. It’s about taking the universal dread of the dentist’s chair and channeling it into a powerful, physical response. This is where pain meets progress, and we grow stronger together,” Israetel jokes.

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This workout is more than just a set of exercises; it’s a metaphorical response to the collective dread of dental appointments, a shared experience for many. It’s about channeling the unease and discomfort of sitting in the dentist’s chair into a productive, empowering physical activity. By undertaking this workout, the dentist symbolically stands in solidarity with everyone who’s ever felt apprehensive about dental visits, turning a personal fitness session into a communal cathartic experience.

The Essence of the Workout

At its core, this glute workout is a masterclass in intensity and focus. It’s crafted to push the boundaries of physical endurance, targeting the glutes, hamstrings, and quads with meticulous precision. The workout is designed to elicit a deep muscular burn, indicative of the transformative process at play. Each exercise is selected not just for its physical benefits but also for its symbolic significance, mirroring the intensity and precision of dental procedures.

The workout’s essence lies in its ability to blend physical rigor with a narrative of overcoming discomfort. It’s structured to ensure that every set and repetition contributes to a larger story of growth and perseverance. The exercises, from the Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift to the nuanced squat variations, are all about pushing the body to its limits, much like the mental resilience required in a dental clinic. This workout is a testament to the strength that lies in embracing and transcending discomfort, a principle that resonates both in the gym and in life’s myriad challenges.

“Every rep in this workout is a step away from discomfort and a leap towards empowerment. We’re using the gym as a crucible, where the fears and anxieties associated with a dentist’s visit are forged into strength and resilience. This is more than fitness; it’s a journey of transformation.”

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The Workout Revealed

In this distinctive glute workout designed with a touch of vengefulness, three main exercises form the core of the session. Each exercise is structured to maximise effort and target the glutes, hamstrings, and quads intensely. Here’s a breakdown of the exercises, along with the recommended sets and repetitions:

Warm-up and Work Sets: The workout begins with a comprehensive warm-up, essential for priming the muscles for the intense activity ahead.

1. Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift

Incorporating the Dumbbell Stiff Leg Deadlift as the first exercise post-warm-up ensures that the hamstrings and glutes are thoroughly engaged from the outset, setting the stage for an intense and effective glute-focused workout session.

• Sara Fahmi does 3 sets of 12-10-9 reps always with two reps in reserve before reaching failure.

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2. Front Foot Elevated Smith Machine Lunges

The Front Foot Elevated Smith Machine Lunges (also referred to as reverse lunge on the Smith machine), especially when integrated with a slider board, stand out as a pivotal component of this unique glute workout. This exercise is ingeniously designed to accentuate the engagement of the glutes and quads by modifying the traditional lunge to reduce friction, thus intensifying the focus on the target muscles.

The incorporation of a slider board is a game-changer in this exercise. By placing the back foot on the slider board, the friction that typically accompanies the backward and forward movement of the lung is virtually eliminated. This reduction in friction is crucial because it shifts the bulk of the workload onto the front leg, specifically targeting the glute and quad muscles. The slider board ensures that the back leg’s contribution is minimized, compelling the front leg to exert additional effort, thereby enhancing muscle activation and growth in the targeted areas.

• Fahmi does 3 sets of 15-13-11 reps, again with 2 reps in reserve before reaching failure.

3. Barbell Squats with Varied Depths and Narrow Stance:

The final exercise is a squat variation where the participant goes down into a full squat, maintains the position briefly at the bottom, then rises to two-thirds of the way up, and goes back down again before completing a full ascent. This variation intensifies the focus on the quads and glutes, with the partial reps adding a unique challenge. The suggested routine could be 3 sets of this sequence, with each set comprising 6-8 of these complex repetitions, ensuring that the muscles are pushed to their limits.

• Sara Fahmi did 3 sets with reps of 15-12-12 reaching failure in the last set – she actually had to ditch the barbell and did only bodyweight as she could barely move any longer.

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This workout transcends the boundaries of a typical exercise routine. It’s a narrative of transformation, channelling the universal dread of dental visits into a potent, empowering physical journey. It’s about embracing the pain, acknowledging it, and then using it as a lever to elevate oneself to new heights of fitness and personal growth.

As we wrap up this session, it’s clear that this workout is more than just a set of exercises; it’s a story of facing fears, challenging limits, and finding strength in the most unexpected places. Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or someone who’s ever felt the twinge of dental anxiety, this workout serves as a reminder that sometimes, the best way to conquer discomfort is to face it head-on, transforming it into a source of power and motivation.

Watch the video below for visual cues on how to train glutes without hip thrusts with Mike Israetel and Sara Fahmi.

Read More: The Ultimate Guide for Bigger and Stronger Glutes (Exercises and Workouts Included)