Today on the podcast:
Bret “Glute Guy’ Contreras PhD is a teacher, innovator, personal trainer, bestselling author, researcher, international lecturer, and lifter.
His great Instagram page has over 1.1 million followers.
Best known for his glute training methods, he has established himself as the world’s leading expert in gluteal muscle functioning and development, strength training, and program design.
In addition to developing a comprehensive glute training system, Bret discovered and popularized the barbell hip thrust exercise and invented the Hip Thruster and Skorcher machines.
He is the author of bestselling books Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy, Strong Curves (2013) and Glute Lab: The Art and Science of Strength and Physique Training and has published over fifty peer-reviewed studies on strength training.
He has also contributed to well-known industry publications including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, and Muscle & Fitness and is considered the OG when it comes to all things glute training
Episode Outline
- 06:54 His funny story to becoming “the glute guy”
- 13:36 The misconceptions people have in regards to glute training
- 17:30 The initial resistance to Hip Thrusts and dealing with the negativity online from people
- 23:17 Inventing the hip thrusts and how its impacted everybody from bikini competitors and body composition to strength and professional athletes
- 26:32 The mixed blessing of social media
- 34:59 The importance of glute training – for aesthetics, health, strength and performance
- 48:17 Genetics versus training and what is scientifically possible
Key Points
- Hip thrusts are a vastly underrated movement. They are low-risk, high-reward; whereas one of the most popular glute-building exercises, the squat, is high-risk, high-reward. In other words, the hip thrust is an amazing staple exercise to include in your arsenal for the long-term.
- Hip thrusts may very well improve your running speed, as well as a whole host of other movements that rely on consistent and powerful horizontal force production—not to mention hip thrusts help reduce injury, truly making it an invaluable tool for S&C purposes.
- Be wary of taking fitness advice from “genetic freaks” who were simply born with great genetics but have never trained anyone in their lives. What works for them will not work for the general public. Specialists such as Bret, on the other hand, don’t have the best genetics, but this fact pushed them to do their due diligence, making them an expert in their field.
Powerful Quotes by Bret
- Never let ordinary people give you advice about the dream you have.
- The reason I’m the world’s glute expert is because glutes didn’t come easy for me.
- Glute genetics is multifaceted. It’s not just the amount of muscle mass you can get—it’s the muscle mass, the density, the shape, and how much fat you have.
Guest Info
Bret “Glute Guy” Contreras PhD