The Best Exercise for Glute Activation & Sprinting

With training we have a variety of exercises to choose. And usually our choices are related to our goals.

For example, if you wanted to achieve activation of the gluteus maximus as well as horizontal and vertical forces during sprinting, which exercises would you select?

The back squat has a lot of research demonstrating the benefits for jumping and sprinting. Hip thrusts are great hip extension exercise and would appear to be good for sprinting. But sprinting is a one legged activity, so would the most effective exercise be unilateral to match sprinting?

To answer these questions from the UK compared the back squat, barbell hip thrust and split squat to see which was best for targeting the gluteus maximus as well as horizontal and vertical ground reaction forces during sprinting.

Twelve male team sport athletes in their 20s participated in the study. All subjects had at least three years of lifting experience and were familiar all the exercises in the study. 

Subjects performed 5-10 reps of each exercises and increased weight gradually to find their 3 rep max. The participants were able to self-select their rest breaks. Back squat depth was when the thighs reached parallel to the ground. Barbell hip thrusts were performed with shoulders supported on a bench. 

Electrodes were then taped to the gluteus maximus to measure activation of this muscle during the three exercises.

For the sprinting assessments, participants sprinted on a non-motorized Woodway treadmill. After three sub-maximal sprints to warm-up the subjects rested five minutes before performing a maximal sprint. Horizontal and vertical forces as well as maximal velocity were measured.

What they found is the barbell hip thrust resulted in more glute activation than the back squat or split squat. The differences were not found to be significant. 

In terms of a correlation of each exercise and maximal sprinting, the hip thrust correlated most strongly, i.e. r = 0.69, and less strongly with the back squat, r = 0.52, and split squat, r = 0.53. 

While these results are interesting remember the following:

* This study included 12 men in their 20s. Outcomes could vary with a larger group of men and women, of different ages, sports backgrounds and training experience. 

* Horizontal and vertical force application is one aspect of sprinting. Posture, arm action, stride length and the contribution of a variety of muscle actions, besides the gluteus maximus, are required for maximal sprinting.

* The back squat and split squat are great exercises and should be considered when programming to strengthen the glutes and improve sprinting ability. 

Williams, Michael J.^1,2; Gibson, Neil V.²; Sorbie, Graeme G.^1,4; Ugbolue, Ukadike C.^1,5; Brouner, James³; Easton, Chris¹ Activation of the Gluteus Maximus During Performance of the Back Squat, Split Squat, and Barbell Hip Thrust and the Relationship With Maximal Sprinting, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: January 2021 - Volume 35 - Issue 1 - p 16-24 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002651