10 Hip Thrust Alternatives

The barbell hip thrust trains your glutes through full hip extension, with your upper back on a bench and the bar across your hips. You need a substitute when the bench or bar is taken, when the bar hurts your hip bones, or when you train with no barbell.

1. 

   1. Kettlebell deadlift

   • Same main muscle
   • Same movement pattern
   • Kettlebell

   The kettlebell deadlift is a standing hinge that ends with the same strong glute squeeze at the top. You lift from the floor instead of from a bench, so your hamstrings and lower back do more of the work.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

   How to do it

   1. Stand with the kettlebell on the floor between your feet.
   2. Push your hips back and grip the handle with both hands, back flat.
   3. Stand up by driving your hips forward, keeping your arms long.
   4. Push your hips back to lower the kettlebell to the floor under control.
2. 

   2. Kettlebell swing

   • Same main muscle
   • Same movement pattern
   • Kettlebell

   Each swing ends with a hard, fast hip extension, which is the same job the glutes do in a thrust. It is a power exercise with a light bell, so it trains speed more than slow, heavy glute strength.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

3. 

   3. Dumbbell hip thrust

   • Same main muscle
   • Same movement pattern
   • Dumbbells + Flat bench

   This is the same movement with a dumbbell on your hips instead of a barbell. It is easier to set up, but the load is capped by your heaviest dumbbell.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

   How to do it

   1. Rest your upper back on the bench edge with the dumbbell on your hips.
   2. Plant your feet so your shins are vertical at the top.
   3. Drive your hips up until your body is flat from knees to shoulders.
   4. Tuck your chin and pause one second at the top.
4. 

   4. Bodyweight hip thrust

   • Same main muscle
   • Same movement pattern
   • No equipment

   You keep the bench position and the top squeeze, with only your body weight as load. Use it to learn the movement or at home, and add a pause or one-leg reps when it gets easy.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-20 reps (from the app's rules).

   How to do it

   1. Rest your upper back on the edge of a sturdy sofa or bench.
   2. Plant your feet so your shins are vertical at the top.
   3. Drive your hips up until your body is flat from knees to shoulders.
   4. Keep your ribs down and squeeze your glutes for two seconds.
5. 

   5. Cable pull-through

   • Same main muscle
   • Same movement pattern
   • Cable machine

   The cable pulls your hips back into a hinge, and you snap them forward to a full glute lockout. The cable keeps tension near the top, but you stand up, so your grip and lower back help to hold the position.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

   How to do it

   1. Face away from a low cable with the rope between your legs.
   2. Push your hips back and let the rope pull you into a hinge.
   3. Keep your arms long and your back flat.
   4. Snap your hips forward and squeeze your glutes.
6. 

   6. Barbell deadlift

   • Trains the glutes
   • Same movement pattern
   • Barbell + Weight plates

   The deadlift is a heavy hip extension that also loads your hamstrings and lower back hard. In one EMG study the hip thrust gave higher glute activity, so expect a different feel at the top.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-10 reps (from the app's rules).

7. 

   7. Trap-bar deadlift

   • Trains the glutes
   • Same movement pattern
   • Trap bar + Weight plates

   The trap bar lets you hinge with a more upright torso and handles at your sides. It works the quads more than the hip thrust does, so it is a whole-leg lift rather than a glute isolation.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-10 reps (from the app's rules).

   How to do it

   1. Stand in the middle of the trap bar with your feet hip-width apart.
   2. Push your hips back, bend your knees and grip the handles with a flat back.
   3. Brace your core and stand up by pushing the floor away.
   4. Lower the bar under control by pushing your hips back first.
8. 

   8. Barbell Romanian deadlift

   • Trains the glutes
   • Same movement pattern
   • Barbell + Weight plates

   The RDL loads your glutes and hamstrings from a long, stretched position as you hinge with soft knees. The hip thrust is hardest at the top and the RDL is hardest at the bottom, so the two complement each other.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

9. 

   9. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

   • Trains the glutes
   • Same movement pattern
   • Dumbbells

   Dumbbells give you the same stretched-position hinge as the barbell RDL with simpler equipment. It trains the hamstrings more than a thrust does, so add a glute bridge if you want the top squeeze too.

   To build muscle: 3 x 8-12 reps (from the app's rules).

10. 

    10. Single-leg Romanian deadlift

    • Trains the glutes
    • Same movement pattern
    • No equipment

    The single-leg RDL makes each glute work alone and also trains hip stability and balance. It needs little or no load, which makes it a good home option when you have no bench.

    To build muscle: 3 x 8-20 reps (from the app's rules).

Comparison table

Hip Thrust alternatives compared

Exercise	Main muscles	Equipment	Level	Same pattern
Hip Thrust (Barbell) (this exercise)	glutes and hamstrings	Barbell, Weight plates, Flat bench	Beginner	-
Kettlebell deadlift	glutes and hamstrings	Kettlebell	Beginner	Yes
Kettlebell swing	glutes and hamstrings	Kettlebell	Intermediate	Yes
Dumbbell hip thrust	glutes and hamstrings	Dumbbells, Flat bench	Beginner	Yes
Bodyweight hip thrust	glutes and hamstrings	None	Beginner	Yes
Cable pull-through	glutes and hamstrings	Cable machine	Beginner	Yes
Barbell deadlift	hamstrings, glutes and lower back	Barbell, Weight plates	Intermediate	Yes
Trap-bar deadlift	hamstrings, glutes and quads	Trap bar, Weight plates	Beginner	Yes
Barbell Romanian deadlift	hamstrings and glutes	Barbell, Weight plates	Intermediate	Yes
Dumbbell Romanian deadlift	hamstrings and glutes	Dumbbells	Beginner	Yes
Single-leg Romanian deadlift	hamstrings and glutes	None	Intermediate	Yes

How we chose

Keep a strong squeeze at full hip extension. The hip thrust loads the glutes hardest when your hips are straight, so the best swaps also finish with your hips fully open. Pick a lift where the hips, not the knees or the lower back, do the work. If you lose load, add a pause at the top or work one leg at a time. Deadlift-type hinges give a longer stretch for the hamstrings, so they change the exercise more than a thrust with a dumbbell does.

The ranking is the same rule as the swap list in the Oh My Coach app: exercises with the same first main muscle and the same movement pattern come first, then the rest of the pattern, ordered by how well each one works as a main exercise. An exercise never replaces itself. The extra picks for home, dumbbells and bands come from the same rule with only that equipment.

How to do the hip thrust

Questions

What is the best hip thrust alternative at home?

Put your upper back on the edge of a sturdy sofa and do bodyweight hip thrusts. Make them harder with a pause at the top, one leg at a time, or a backpack on your hips. A floor glute bridge works when you have no sofa.

Can I replace hip thrusts with squats?

For glute size, yes. A 9-week study in untrained adults found similar glute growth from hip thrusts and back squats. The squat also trains the quads, so it is not a like-for-like swap if you want a glute-only exercise.

Can I replace hip thrusts with deadlifts?

You can, but the feel changes. The deadlift loads your hamstrings and lower back more, while the hip thrust gave the highest glute activity in one comparison of the two. Many programs keep one of each.