Episode 37 - Bret Contreras PhD opines on the latest study on squats vs. hip thrusts

We had a fun discussion about the current state of science vis a vis Squats vs. Hip Thrusts

See this paper for more information:
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.21.545949v2
Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift
Timeline:
00:23 – About our special guest, Bret Contreras PhD
1:48 – Boca Raton is one big Seinfeld episode
3:48 – Bret explains how this study came about
3:56 – The infamous Barbalho investigation – Bret says the data is too clean
12:18 – Gluteus medius and minimus didn’t grow
13:00 – Gluteus maximus growth was the same between hip thrusts and squats despite the fact that sEMG data showed much greater activity when doing hip thrusts
13:56 – No hamstring growth in either group
14:11 – Quads and Adductors grew more for the squat group
14:30 – Strength gains were specific to the exercise – principle of specificity
15:00 – Both groups gained similar strength in deadlift and wall push
16:12 – Just do both exercises if the goal is skeletal muscle hypertrophy
17:57 – Sprinters have the best hamstring development – Bret opines
19:14 – Upper glute size – in the hip thrust group, you had 3 hyper-responders, but then you had 3 that actually experienced muscle atrophy. And you also had 3 that didn’t respond at all. So 1/3rd of the subjects had no response!
19:42 – Middle Glute size – in the hip thrust group, one individual actually atrophied.
20:45 – Squats produced much more consistent results
21:37 – Bret is now quite suspicious of EMG data in predicting skeletal muscle hypertrophy
26:12 – Bret talks about how training has changed or not; for men, not so much. For women, it has changed a bit.
26:40 – Focus on the basics: squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts, chin ups, military press, and bench press
27:10 – Glute training is emphasized a lot more these days, particularly in women
31:13 – Targeting the Adductor Magnus! Folks seem to ignore this large muscle and focus on Quads or Hams
33:44 – Opening your hips – means hip abduction with external rotation
38:48 – For athletes, Tony opines on these issues
46:20 – In trained men and women, would there be a difference in hip thrusts vs. squats
46:36 – In the real world, nobody volume-equates hip thrusts vs. squats
47:10 – You can do more volume with hip thrusts than squats; so a study comparing them in trained people would necessarily result in greater volume in the hip thrust group
50:11 – Of course, doing both squats and hip thrusts would work better
51:13 – Volume equating training in the endurance world makes no sense either
54:30 – Bret has a bad ass gym in Fort Lauderdale. Don’t stop by unless you want bigger glutes.

Our guest:
Bret Contreras PhD – bretcontreras.com

• PhD in Sports Science from AUT University
• Master’s Degree from Arizona State University
• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with Distinction from National Strength & Conditioning Association
• Research Associate AUT University
• Author of Glute Lab
• Coauthor of Strong Curves
• Author of Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy
• Founder of Booty by Bret
• Founder of BC Strength (home of the Hip Thruster, Glute Loops, BC T-Bell, and much more)
• Founder of The Glute Lab
• Shaper of Thousands of Better Butts Worldwide

About the Show
We cover all things related to sports science, nutrition, and performance. The Sports Science Dudes represent the opinions of the hosts and guests and are not the official opinions of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), the Society for Sports Neuroscience, or Nova Southeastern University. The advice provided on this show should not be construed as medical advice and is purely an educational forum.

Hosted by Jose Antonio PhD
Dr. Antonio is the co-founder and CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, as well as the co-founder of the Society for Sports Neuroscience, www.issn.net. Dr. Antonio has over 120 peer-reviewed publications, 16 books, and is Professor at Nova Southeastern University, Davie Florida in the Department of Health, and Human Performance.

Twitter: @JoseAntonioPhD
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Co-host Anthony Ricci EdD
Dr Ricci is an expert on Fight Sports and is currently an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University in Davie Florida in the Department of Health and Human Performance.

Instagram: sportpsy_sci_doc and fightshape_ricci