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Barbell Hip Thrust - 50 lb to 135 lbs - how much muscle gained in glutes?
serapel
Posts: 502 Member
I'm female, 45, 5'8", 129 lbs, 19-20% body fat. Eating 80 grams protein a day; 2200 cals in total.
Two months ago, I was able to hip thrust just the Olympic barbel and I was in a lot of pain for 3 days afterwards.
As of yesterday, it's two 45 lb plates on the Olympic barbel = 135 lbs!!!
I did 1 set of 8, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 10 and I held it for 5 seconds on each last rep...SO PROUD!!!
How much muscle can that pack on to my butt? I can't believe I got that barbell up!!!! Holy moly!!! I couldn't do a fourth set; it burned too much and I felt weak after the 3rd set.
The next day, my butt doesn't hurt like it used to??? I feel it, but I can stand up without being in pain.
Also doing compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, cable pull throughs and reverse hyper-extensions, quadrupled extensions all with maximum weight I can stand.
Two months ago, I was able to hip thrust just the Olympic barbel and I was in a lot of pain for 3 days afterwards.
As of yesterday, it's two 45 lb plates on the Olympic barbel = 135 lbs!!!
I did 1 set of 8, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 10 and I held it for 5 seconds on each last rep...SO PROUD!!!
How much muscle can that pack on to my butt? I can't believe I got that barbell up!!!! Holy moly!!! I couldn't do a fourth set; it burned too much and I felt weak after the 3rd set.
The next day, my butt doesn't hurt like it used to??? I feel it, but I can stand up without being in pain.
Also doing compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, cable pull throughs and reverse hyper-extensions, quadrupled extensions all with maximum weight I can stand.
3
Replies
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You can gain strength (to a point) without gaining any muscle. It's called neuromuscular adaptation.
Based on your info, your BMR is approximately 1325 so if you're not gaining weight, then you're burning 900 calories with daily activity and exercise.
You can't add muscle without gaining weight (there are a couple of exceptions), so if you're weight hasn't gone up, then you likely haven't gained anything significant.
I'll be honest to tell you that based on your age and gender, building muscle is going to be minimal for you. Not impossible, but it would take a lot of hard work and time.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
2 -
Haha your excitement is shining through your posts.
It's little such achievements that keep us going!
Im like you, in that everytime I increase weight on something - I feel like ive accomplished something huge and then it's time to set another bigger goal.0 -
Today I did 145 lbs for 2 sets of 8 and then I had to lower the weight.
OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!
so excited. Told every PT in the gym today.2 -
You can gain strength (to a point) without gaining any muscle. It's called neuromuscular adaptation.
Based on your info, your BMR is approximately 1325 so if you're not gaining weight, then you're burning 900 calories with daily activity and exercise.
You can't add muscle without gaining weight (there are a couple of exceptions), so if you're weight hasn't gone up, then you likely haven't gained anything significant.
I'll be honest to tell you that based on your age and gender, building muscle is going to be minimal for you. Not impossible, but it would take a lot of hard work and time.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
My PT told me that since April, I have gained 3 lbs of muscle. It's not a lot, but at least it's lean muscle mass.
I was looking at my butt today in the gym bc I'm a big wierdo and I actually saw butt cheeks...real butt cheeks. It was beginning to resemble more of a peach than an "H". It's a baby peach or maybe a peach cut in half, but it's all my peach!!!!3 -
That's brilliant progress. Well done
I think muscle gain will depend on your diet, hormones and programme and expectations rather than just your age (as in it might be slower but I don't think it's guaranteed minimal like niner says) .
..I'm a decade older and my perception is that I have packed on a decent amount of muscle (for me) in the last couple of years but then I'm not aiming for bodybuilding physique but my own aesthetic ..yes neuromuscular adaptation, yes noob gains but also ongoing development ..I've added an inch to my butt since hitting goal1 -
That's brilliant progress. Well done
I think muscle gain will depend on your diet, hormones and programme and expectations rather than just your age (as in it might be slower but I don't think it's guaranteed minimal like niner says) .
..I'm a decade older and my perception is that I have packed on a decent amount of muscle (for me) in the last couple of years but then I'm not aiming for bodybuilding physique but my own aesthetic ..yes neuromuscular adaptation, yes noob gains but also ongoing development ..I've added an inch to my butt since hitting goal
Your body looks really nice to me. I couldn't look at your profile, but the little picture you have looks really nice.
My PT that I had until July, is 54 and she is all muscle.
The great thing about the barbell hip thrust, is you don't have to worry about injury. It's very hard to injure yourself.0 -
According to research that I've done, my hip thrust goal should be 1.5 times my body weight for 10 reps. That would be 190 lbs. Almost there.0
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You can gain strength (to a point) without gaining any muscle. It's called neuromuscular adaptation.
Based on your info, your BMR is approximately 1325 so if you're not gaining weight, then you're burning 900 calories with daily activity and exercise.
You can't add muscle without gaining weight (there are a couple of exceptions), so if you're weight hasn't gone up, then you likely haven't gained anything significant.
I'll be honest to tell you that based on your age and gender, building muscle is going to be minimal for you. Not impossible, but it would take a lot of hard work and time.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
so how far do you think the neuromuscular adaption would go to before I start gaining some nice glutes???
throw me a bone here....I want me some nice glutes.0 -
That's brilliant progress. Well done
I think muscle gain will depend on your diet, hormones and programme and expectations rather than just your age (as in it might be slower but I don't think it's guaranteed minimal like niner says) .
..I'm a decade older and my perception is that I have packed on a decent amount of muscle (for me) in the last couple of years but then I'm not aiming for bodybuilding physique but my own aesthetic ..yes neuromuscular adaptation, yes noob gains but also ongoing development ..I've added an inch to my butt since hitting goal
Your body looks really nice to me. I couldn't look at your profile, but the little picture you have looks really nice.
My PT that I had until July, is 54 and she is all muscle.
The great thing about the barbell hip thrust, is you don't have to worry about injury. It's very hard to injure yourself.
Thank you ..my profile settings show open to myfitnesspal members so I'm not sure why you can't have a good old nosy
Oh and I'm not a decade older...just 4 years ...LOL you wouldn't guess I'm good at math huh
I am very impressed at your hip thrust progress...I haven't gone above 60kg (126 lbs) on hip thrusts which is lower than yours ..I may look at testing max
Keep it up0 -
That's brilliant progress. Well done
I think muscle gain will depend on your diet, hormones and programme and expectations rather than just your age (as in it might be slower but I don't think it's guaranteed minimal like niner says) .
..I'm a decade older and my perception is that I have packed on a decent amount of muscle (for me) in the last couple of years but then I'm not aiming for bodybuilding physique but my own aesthetic ..yes neuromuscular adaptation, yes noob gains but also ongoing development ..I've added an inch to my butt since hitting goal
Your body looks really nice to me. I couldn't look at your profile, but the little picture you have looks really nice.
My PT that I had until July, is 54 and she is all muscle.
The great thing about the barbell hip thrust, is you don't have to worry about injury. It's very hard to injure yourself.
Thank you ..my profile settings show open to myfitnesspal members so I'm not sure why you can't have a good old nosy
Oh and I'm not a decade older...just 4 years ...LOL you wouldn't guess I'm good at math huh
I am very impressed at your hip thrust progress...I haven't gone above 60kg (126 lbs) on hip thrusts which is lower than yours ..I may look at testing max
Keep it up
Thanks. I just posted my glutes HOW PATHETIC!!!!
I have no glutes. I think I am just naturally strong in that area. I did 155 lbs yesterday 2 sets of 10.
My glutes are growing, but I have very poor glute genetics. My glutes were a pancake completely flat after my son was born 6.5 years ago. I've only been seriously working on my glutes for 2 months, so I'll start marking my progress as of today.
0 -
You can gain strength (to a point) without gaining any muscle. It's called neuromuscular adaptation.
Based on your info, your BMR is approximately 1325 so if you're not gaining weight, then you're burning 900 calories with daily activity and exercise.
You can't add muscle without gaining weight (there are a couple of exceptions), so if you're weight hasn't gone up, then you likely haven't gained anything significant.
I'll be honest to tell you that based on your age and gender, building muscle is going to be minimal for you. Not impossible, but it would take a lot of hard work and time.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
so how far do you think the neuromuscular adaption would go to before I start gaining some nice glutes???
throw me a bone here....I want me some nice glutes.
But the real dinger here is your shape. You can't get a Kim K or Jamie Eason butt, if you're not shaped that way. You CAN improve your current shape.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
2 -
A couple of things:
1- Soreness is NOT an indicator of a good workout. Someone who has never squatted before will be sore. Someone who squats over 300lbs three times a week will not be sore, or less sore. This is called DOMS - Delay Onset Muscle Soreness. You get sore when doing something new whether it is new exercise, higher intensity, longer duration, more reps, etc. You can go from a 200lb squat to a 250lb squat over weeks and never feel leg soreness.
2- Muscle Activation / Foot position. Are you focusing on engaging your glutes/butt? For Barbell Hip Thrusts, your foot position will determine if you are using glutes or hamstrings, or any combination in between.
3- Strength vs Hypertrophy (size). You can gain strength without size through neuromuscular adaptation - your muscles learn to work more efficiently together. You can try bulking and cutting cycles if you want to build some size (bulk to build muscle, cut to reduce fat gained during bulk). Also an increase in volume does wonders. You can do a few high weight low rep ones for strength, then follow it with 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps for size / the 'burn'.1 -
My glutes only grew when I bulked eating in surplus. Even still I wouldn't say my glutes got very big (mind you I did start out with almost nothing!) they are very nicely shaped but not big.
For hip thrusts it wasn't so much about how much weight I could lift as switching it up.. one day I would do heavy, another day high rep low weight, or incorporating different types of isoholds, single-leg, banded etc etc.
Also as mentioned DOMS is not an indication of muscle growth1 -
What kind of testing did your PT use to determine that you have gained 3 lbs of muscle?0
-
My glutes only grew when I bulked eating in surplus. Even still I wouldn't say my glutes got very big (mind you I did start out with almost nothing!) they are very nicely shaped but not big.
For hip thrusts it wasn't so much about how much weight I could lift as switching it up.. one day I would do heavy, another day high rep low weight, or incorporating different types of isoholds, single-leg, banded etc etc.
Also as mentioned DOMS is not an indication of muscle growth
I have found that is really important too. It's one of the reasons why I suggest people get and read Strong Curves rather than trying to make up their own routine. He has you doing something different every workout and then again every 4 weeks. It may not be important for other muscle groups but glutes, in my experience, do well with a lot of variation.4 -
My glutes only grew when I bulked eating in surplus. Even still I wouldn't say my glutes got very big (mind you I did start out with almost nothing!) they are very nicely shaped but not big.
For hip thrusts it wasn't so much about how much weight I could lift as switching it up.. one day I would do heavy, another day high rep low weight, or incorporating different types of isoholds, single-leg, banded etc etc.
Also as mentioned DOMS is not an indication of muscle growth
I have found that is really important too. It's one of the reasons why I suggest people get and read Strong Curves rather than trying to make up their own routine. He has you doing something different every workout and then again every 4 weeks. It may not be important for other muscle groups but glutes, in my experience, do well with a lot of variation.
Yup agreed. The glutes respond to all kinds of different exercises as well as volume..and once you get the glute activation down it gets even better. I will work them up to 4x a week.. they can take a beating for sure!1 -
My glutes only grew when I bulked eating in surplus. Even still I wouldn't say my glutes got very big (mind you I did start out with almost nothing!) they are very nicely shaped but not big.
For hip thrusts it wasn't so much about how much weight I could lift as switching it up.. one day I would do heavy, another day high rep low weight, or incorporating different types of isoholds, single-leg, banded etc etc.
Also as mentioned DOMS is not an indication of muscle growth
I have found that is really important too. It's one of the reasons why I suggest people get and read Strong Curves rather than trying to make up their own routine. He has you doing something different every workout and then again every 4 weeks. It may not be important for other muscle groups but glutes, in my experience, do well with a lot of variation.
I think because there are three different sets of gluteal muscles, and some are very difficult to target because of the coordinated way in which they function. Not quite the same as working on biceps. More like abdominal work.0 -
I'm female, 45, 5'8", 129 lbs, 19-20% body fat. Eating 80 grams protein a day; 2200 cals in total.
Two months ago, I was able to hip thrust just the Olympic barbel and I was in a lot of pain for 3 days afterwards.
As of yesterday, it's two 45 lb plates on the Olympic barbel = 135 lbs!!!
I did 1 set of 8, 1 set of 10, 1 set of 10 and I held it for 5 seconds on each last rep...SO PROUD!!!
How much muscle can that pack on to my butt? I can't believe I got that barbell up!!!! Holy moly!!! I couldn't do a fourth set; it burned too much and I felt weak after the 3rd set.
The next day, my butt doesn't hurt like it used to??? I feel it, but I can stand up without being in pain.
Also doing compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, cable pull throughs and reverse hyper-extensions, quadrupled extensions all with maximum weight I can stand.
Did you take some before and afters?
Some other excercises i don't see listed that are great for glutes IME.
- Romanian Deadlifts
- Leg Press with Feet High on Platform
- Deep Lunges
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Cable Glute Kickbacks
Another mistake people commonly make is they don't focus on the contraction during the movement and let more dominant muscles take over.
During hip thrusts letting hamstrings take over
During hip hinge movements (RDL , Hypers) make sure to begin the acension with a strong contraction of the glutes or the lower back and hamstrings
Squatting movements make sure to focus on burying those heels through the floor0 -
My glutes onIly grew when I bulked eating in surplus. Even still I wouldn't say my glutes got very big (mind you I did start out with almost nothing!) they are very nicely shaped but not big.
For hip thrusts it wasn't so much about how much weight I could lift as switching it up.. one day I would do heavy, another day high rep low weight, or incorporating different types of isoholds, single-leg, banded etc etc.
Also as mentioned DOMS is not an indication of muscle growth
I'm eating in surplus, but my dietary needs are much higher due to the weight training. I used to maintain on 2,000, but now I need a good 2,200 cals to feel full.
My butt muscles are slowly getting rounder and bigger; I'm just genetically not lucky. I can definitely get a "normal" looking butt if i keep going.0 -
TresaAswegan wrote: »What kind of testing did your PT use to determine that you have gained 3 lbs of muscle?
We measured using the Tana machine. We measured both times one week after my cycle started to make sure that we were getting the same measurement. I trained with her for 3 months and at the end, we measured that I had lost body fat and gained muscle.0
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