Thickness-Influenced Glutes & Back Workout
by Zach Trowbridge on November 25, 2024My primary offseason focus for the last few years has been to bring up my physique from the back – while I know I need to add more tissue overall to get closer to the top of my weight cap for classic physique, as any competitor knows, most shows are still won from the back.
My glutes, especially, have always been a lagging muscle group, and my preference for a squatting style that’s closer to that of an Olympic lifter rather than a wider, more hip-dominant squat style has led to my quads notably overpowering the rest of my legs and hips.
Coming off of my most recent show in July of this year, I set a plan to prioritize basic, progressive overload on a few movements that could help complete my physique from top to bottom when viewed from the back, and then filled in the gaps with other movements to make sure that everything is getting the attention that it needs.
I’ve been using this particular setup for over 10 weeks now, and wish I’d started using it sooner. I made this workout my first training session of the week, so I’m coming off of a full rest day.
Barbell Hip Thrusts
I know that hip thrusts have historically gotten a lot of slack for being too much of a “girly” exercise for the glutes, and that you’re better off squatting deep and squatting heavy. While I don’t disagree with the idea that squatting can bring up the glutes considerably, I’ve had to remove barbell squatting from my training for a few years now to slow down the need for hip replacement, and machine movements like hack squats and leg presses just don’t recreate the same stimulus.
So I decided coming into this offseason that I wanted to give the hip thrust an honest shot at growing my glutes, and all I would do is just focus on basic, progressive overload. No bands, no fancy tempos, just full range of motion and making sure that my glutes had nothing left.
Just work up to a top set of 10-12 reps, getting a full range of motion and a slight pause during the contraction at the top. You can use a machine hip thrust if you prefer, but I’ve never had much success and prefer the barbell version.
In 10 weeks, my hip thrust went from 155lbs for 12 reps (I know, I know… I’m just as embarrassed as you are) to 365lbs for 12 reps. While I know that that’s still a weight that many bikini competitors crush with ease, it’s a massive improvement on a weak bodypart, and has brought up my hip circumference by close to 1”.
The progression to my top set on the most recent workout looked like this:
• 135×10
• 225×10
• 315×10
• 335×10
• 365×12
View this post on Instagram
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
I’ve always loved just about any form of deadlifting, and I opted for the Romanian deadlift as it serves as a nice transition between a glute movement and a back movement. My goal was similar to the hip thrust – work up to a top set of 8-10. From my most recent session:
• 135×10
• 225×10
• 275×10
• 365×8
View this post on Instagram
Wide Neutral Grip Pulldowns
After the first two movements done pyramid-style, the remainder of the session was a more conventional style – a warmup or two if needed, followed by 2-3 working sets using the same weight.
My preference for pulldowns is to use a medium-wide Mag grip handle, which puts my hand spacing just outside of shoulder-width apart, or the Free Motion cable pulldown (which you’ll see in the video below). One warmup set followed by 3 sets of 10-12 reps.
1-Arm Machine Low Row
After deadlifting to start the session, I try to avoid using movements that overdo lower back involvement, so I usually look for something chest-supported. I do like to do something one arm at a time here, and the low row is my favorite. One warmup set followed by 3 sets of 6-8, with a good stretch at the bottom but not letting my whole body twist into it.
Dumbbell Shrug
Super basic here – no need for warmups. I’ve always liked higher reps for trap work, so 2 sets of 15-20 reps with a 2 second pause at the top is plenty at this point.
Powell Raise
The Powell raise is a tremendously underrated exercise for the upper back, rear delts, and even a bit of rotator cuff. It should be done with a slow and controlled tempo, trying to move just through the shoulder blades and shoulder joint, with no twisting or momentum. 2 sets of 10-12 reps, always starting with the weakest arm first.
View this post on Instagram
This whole workout only takes about 50-60 minutes from start to finish, even allowing for a good 2-3 minutes of rest on the hip thrust and Romanian deadlift, but working at a more brisk pace for the remainder, never resting much more than 60-90 seconds between sets.
Give it a shot!
Zach is the co-owner and head strength coach of All Strength Training, a personal training center specializing in busy professionals located in Chicago, IL. He is also a competitive physique athlete, having earned his pro card in the WBFF in 2016, and currently competes in the NPC classic physique division.
Follow him on social media:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/zachtrowbridge/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zachtrowbridge/
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/allstrengthtraining