Are you struggling to engage your glutes during your workouts? Do your crunches feel ineffective, causing you to lose hope in your fitness journey? If so, you’re not alone. Many people struggle to properly activate their glute muscles and feel the burn from their ab workouts. This is a common problem that can be caused by poor form and lack of proper technique. But don’t worry, there is a solution to this problem. In this post, we will guide you through the hip thrust crunch, a powerful exercise that will help you to feel the burn in all the right places and accelerate your fitness progress.
Hip Thrust Crunch Summary
- Primary Muscles: Rectus Abdominis
- Secondary Muscles: Obliques
- Equipment: Body Weight
- Mechanics Type: Isolated
- Force: Pull
- Utility: Auxiliary
Hip Thrust Crunch Instructions
- You will want to start out in the same position you would for a crunch. With your knees bent, your feet close to your butt, and arms either behind your head or across your chest.
- Now, roll your upper body up and lift your hips so that your lower back and your feet are the only things in contact with the ground.
- Then pause for a moment and roll back down and lower your hips at the same time.
- Do your Hip Thrust Crunch for a full set.
Video Tutorial
Hip Thrust Crunch Muscles
Target (Agonist)
Synergists
Dynamic Stabilizers
- None
Stabilizers
- None
Antagonist Stabilizers
- None
Benefits of Hip Thrust Crunch
The Hip Thrust Crunch is an effective exercise to include in any strength training or fitness routine. It is a great way to target the rectus abdominis muscle, or “abs”. This exercise strengthens the core muscles, increases stability, and helps to improve posture. It also engages the glutes and hamstrings, helping to build a strong lower body. The hip thrusts also help to increase strength in the lower back muscles, which can help improve overall balance and stability. Performing this exercise with proper form can help to improve coordination and reduce the risk of injury. Ultimately, the Hip Thrust Crunch is an effective exercise for strengthening the core and helping to improve overall fitness.
Tips for Performing Hip Thrust Crunch
If you’re looking to take your hip thrust crunch to a new level, then you’ve come to the right place. These tips can enable you to fully benefit from this first-class workout and maximize its effects. Concurrently with shaping your stomach muscles, increasing movability, and even a lower chance of injury can all be achieved with this exercise. Let’s get begin and look at what these tips can accomplish for you.
- Make sure you are in the correct starting position: Sit on the ground with your back against a flat surface, such as a wall or bench. This will help ensure you are in the correct form and will prevent any potential injury.
- Keep your core engaged: Focus on keeping your core engaged throughout the exercise to maximize its effectiveness and to ensure proper form.
- Move slowly and with control: Moving slowly and with control ensures you are engaging the right muscles and will help to reduce strain on your joints and ligaments. This will help you get the most out of your exercise and prevent any potential injury.
Benefits and Tips Video
Frequent Mistakes To Avoid
When executing hip thrust crunch, avoiding typical errors can be the difference between a productive workout and a painful injury. Additionally, achieving the most out of the exercise requires proper form, and avoiding perform typical errors can allow you to perform the exercise correctly and obtain optimal results. Not only can preventing these errors make you more toned, but also can assist in you feeling more assured and motivated when you hit the gym. So it is time for you to maximize your results from this exercise and enjoy the benefits of a successful workout.
- Not using proper form: Many people forget to keep their core tight and their back flat when performing the Hip Thrust Crunch, leading to incorrect execution of the exercise which can lead to injury.
- Not engaging their glutes: People often neglect to focus on squeezing their glutes when performing the exercise, which can lead to an incomplete workout of the muscle group and less effective results.
- Not taking enough rest between sets: People often rush through sets of Hip Thrust Crunches without taking enough rest between them, leading to fatigue that can lead to poor form and potential injury.
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Variations and Complementary Exercises
If you’re looking for ways to change up your hip thrust crunch routine or want to add some complementary exercises, you can try the following variations and alternatives. Each of these exercises works similar muscles as the hip thrust crunch and can help you get an even better workout.
Hip Lift
The Hip Lift is a great complementary exercise to the Hip Thrust Crunch. It targets the same area and helps to strengthen the glutes and hips. The Hip Lift is performed by lying on your back with your legs extended. From this position, the lifter will raise one leg off the ground while contracting their glutes and lifting their hips off the ground. This exercise can be done with both legs at once or alternated for a greater challenge. This exercise is great for strengthening and toning the glutes and hips, as well as increasing flexibility.
Bridge On Knees
Bridge On Knees is a great alternative or complementary exercise to the Hip Thrust Crunch. It focuses on the same muscle groups, but with a different range of motion. It is performed by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. You then lift your hips up until your back forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. This exercise helps to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings and core muscles, while also helping to improve hip mobility. Bridge On Knees is a great way to switch up your routine and add variety to your workout.
Bridge
Bridge is a complementary exercise for the Hip Thrust Crunch. It is an excellent core strengthening exercise that strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and core. This exercise helps to stabilize and support the spine while engaging the abdominal muscles to maintain proper posture and form. Bridge also helps to improve balance, coordination, and overall body control while providing an excellent alternative to the traditional crunch. By incorporating this exercise into a workout routine, you can increase your range of motion and improve your core strength while avoiding any potential strain on your hips or lower back.
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Bench Crunch
Bench Crunch is a great complementary exercise to the Hip Thrust Crunch. It works the same muscles as the Hip Thrust Crunch, but in a different way. The Bench Crunch requires you to lie flat on your back with your feet firmly planted on the floor. You then lift your upper body off the bench and crunch your core muscles. This exercise strengthens your abdominal muscles and helps to improve your balance. Bench Crunch is also a great alternative exercise if you don’t have access to a hip thrust machine. This exercise can be done anywhere with minimal equipment and can provide an effective workout for your core muscles.
V Up
V Up is a great exercise that can be used to supplement or replace the Hip Thrust Crunch. It requires you to lie on your back and simultaneously lift your legs and arms off the ground in a V shape. This exercise works your core, back, and hip flexors all at once, making it an effective alternative for the Hip Thrust Crunch. Additionally, V Ups can be done with weights to make the exercise more challenging and effective.
Straight Arm Crunch
The Straight Arm Crunch is a great alternative or complementary exercise to the Hip Thrust Crunch. This exercise focuses on the abdominals, specifically the lower rectus abdominis and obliques. To perform the Straight Arm Crunch, lie on your back with your arms straight up and your legs bent at a 90-degree angle. Contract your abs to lift your shoulder blades off the ground and crunch forward. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the starting position. This exercise is great for targeting the lower abdominal muscles and can be used as a substitute or addition to the Hip Thrust Crunch for increased ab strength and development.
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Opposing Complementary Exercises
These complementary exercises can help you to build a balanced and strong core. Focusing on opposing muscle groups helps you to better work on stabilizing your body and creating a solid foundation for other exercises. Here are some exercises that work the opposite muscles of Hip Thrust Crunch:
Resistance Band Hyperextensions
Resistance Band Hyperextensions are a great exercise to complement the Hip Thrust Crunch. The Hyperextensions work the opposite muscle group of the hip thrust, which is the lower back. This exercise strengthens the lower back muscles, while also stretching them, which helps with mobility and stability. The combination of these two exercises will help to increase overall muscular balance in the hips and lower back, as well as build strength and stability in both areas.
45 Degree Hyperextension
The 45 Degree Hyperextension is a great complementary exercise to the Hip Thrust Crunch. This exercise targets the lower back muscles, which are the opposing muscle group to the hip muscles used in the Hip Thrust Crunch. The 45 Degree Hyperextension strengthens and stabilizes the lower back, helping to balance out the muscular development of the body. By doing this exercise in conjunction with the Hip Thrust Crunch, it helps to improve overall body strength and stability.
Straight Leg Cable Pull Through
The Straight Leg Cable Pull Through is a great exercise to complement the Hip Thrust Crunch. This exercise works the opposing muscle group of the hip thrust crunch, which is the posterior chain. The Straight Leg Cable Pull Through will help to strengthen and build the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back muscles. By engaging both the hip thrust crunch and straight leg cable pull through, you can create a balanced workout that targets both the anterior and posterior muscle groups.
Thrust Yourself Towards Stronger Abs and Glutes!
If you’re looking to elevate your fitness strategy to the next level, focus on building stronger abs and glutes. The abs help to stabilize our core, which allows us to perform movements with ease and efficiency. On the other hand, a strong gluteus maximus can assist in enhancing our speed, power, and overall athletic performance. Luckily, there are plenty of exercises and workouts that specifically target these areas. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, there’s always room for improvement when building your abs and glutes.
References: Wikipedia | ExRx.net | PubMed.gov | Comprehensive List of Abs Bodyweight Exercises
