The Hip Thrust Pad

Product Information

Heavy hip thrusting is brutal on the hips. While some lifters can tolerate hip thrusting without any padding, most will find the lift excruciatingly painful if padding isn’t used. Even worse is that pain will shut down muscle activation and prevent the glutes from receiving an optimal training stimulus. Another durable option, I also like the J Bryant barbell pad because it’s not arched. More importantly for hip thrusts, this one will withstand heavy weight.

This squat barbell pad is a great option if you’re an athlete looking to take your performance beyond what nature intended. Its high grip surface will give extra control over the loaded barbell while providing comfort and ease of use so that all aspects can be executed precisely, especially those heavy squats and hip thrusts.Also, many gyms have hip thrust pads on hand near the gym barbells, so you can test these out at your local gym before buying to determine if you should get one of your own.

I’ve tried banded walks to fire up my adductors and glutes in the past, but there’s nothing that gets those sleepy muscles firing like a hip thrust. You can use almost any type of resistance to load the hyperextension, making the lift both convenient and versatile. One thing you need to always keep in mind while you’re in a gym is that the equipment there isn’t always clean. A lot of hands touch these barbells, and you land them on your body.Another key ranking factor is how well it holds up with heavy weights. Glute bridges are an exercise where many people do 225, 315, 405 or even more. It has to keep performing well, even under heavy loads.

Worrell TW, Karst G, Adamczyk D, Moore R, Stanley C, Steimel B, Steimel S. Influence of joint position on electromyographic and torque generation during maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the hamstrings and gluteus maximus muscles. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2001 Dec;31(12):730-40. doi: 10.2519/jospt.2001.31.12.730. PMID: 11767248.

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As part of our quest to introduce as much animal print to our fitness gear as possible, we had to include this leopard print barbell pad from FITGIRL. They take longer to attach, but they’re the safest, preventing the barbell from sliding off and causing injuries. Slip Resistance There are plenty of people who might just tell you to “tough it out.” This is not a gloves-at-the-gym situation. Your hands do get callouses and adjust to grabbing weights. Your pelvis will always feel crushed. Support: Ready to push yourself further and harder? 'Having the barbell pad gives adequate support, allowing you to achieve more reps, making them easier and more efficient,' says Campus.

Ultimately, hip thrust pads help you do one thing and one thing really well—hip thrust like a boss! Now, keep in mind, we wanted to include various styles and types so you can get a spectrum of what’s available, so “best” can mean many things. It’s a blend of quality, cost, comfort, and more. You can see our “How We Ranked” section for more on this. The ab complex is not really necessary on a HT since the body is supine. So you have to make it necessary! Perform a lower ab “crunch” at the top. The hip thrust is one of my favorite all-time exercises for its sheer versatility and effectiveness for training the glutes and lower body. This happens because the barbell puts a lot of pressure on that area. The pressure squeezes your muscle tissues between two hard objects: your hip bones and the barbell.Most of these barbell pads are designed with a bit of slip resistance, thanks to the external material, whether it’s foam or leather.