Reviewed by John Baur, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT
What the session is about.
Ashley Hodge’s session aims to replace “random” glute work with a structured, evidence‑informed approach that delivers hypertrophy, strength, and carryover to sport and life. She frames the talk around two big themes: 1) classifying glute exercises by how they load the hips (so you cover all functions of the glutes); and 2) balancing training variables (volume, frequency, intensity, effort, rest) to drive long‑term progress while managing fatigue. The session also calls out the most common programming mistakes and how to avoid them. ([NSCA TV][1])
Why glutes need a system.
The glute complex (gluteus maximus, medius, minimus) works in three planes: hip extension (sagittal), abduction (frontal), and external rotation (transverse). Because daily and athletic tasks demand all three, an effective program must deliberately train the different actions and strength curves—not just repeat one “favorite” exercise. Hodge formalizes this with a simple taxonomy and weekly structure so lifters get stronger from every angle rather than accumulating junk volume.
Exercise taxonomy: three ways to load the glutes.
Hodge organizes glute exercises into three categories that correspond to how resistance acts on the hips and where tension is highest across the range of motion:
- Horizontal hip extension (e.g., barbell hip thrusts, glute bridges, frog pumps, kickbacks, some back‑extension setups). These load the glutes most at lockout—short muscle lengths. They typically create less muscle damage and systemic fatigue, so they can be trained more frequently and with higher volumes (they’re great “volume drivers”). They hit both upper and lower subdivisions of the gluteus maximus well.
- Vertical hip extension (e.g., squats, lunges/split squats, good mornings, deadlifts). These challenge the glutes most in the lengthened position and therefore tend to produce greater soreness and overall fatigue. Vertical patterns are particularly effective at training the lower subdivision of the gluteus maximus. Program them intelligently (often heavier, with longer rests, and not every set to failure) to avoid recovery bottlenecks.
- Lateral/rotary glute work (e.g., machine/band hip abduction, lateral band walks, transverse‑plane cable patterns). These emphasize the glute medius (and some glute max fibers) in the frontal and transverse planes, usually at shorter muscle lengths and smaller ROMs, producing a strong “burn” (metabolic stress) without excessive systemic fatigue. They’re high‑yield accessories that round out a program and support pelvic control.
The “Rule of Thirds.”
Hodge leverages Bret Contreras’ “Rule of Thirds” as a clean, coach‑friendly template: aim for roughly one‑third vertical, one‑third horizontal, and one‑third lateral/rotary work across your weekly glute training. The same spirit applies to intensity distribution (a third heavy/low‑rep, a third moderate, a third lighter/higher‑rep) and to effort (a third to/near failure, a third close, a third well shy), giving you a balanced stimulus while keeping fatigue in check and progress sustainable. ([BC Strength][2])
Progressive overload & mind‑muscle connection (MMC).
Hodge emphasizes that hypertrophy and strength require systematic progressive overload—raising the training stress over time via more load, more reps at a given load, better technique/ROM, modestly higher volume or frequency, or slightly shorter rests. MMC—consciously focusing tension into the target muscle—can enhance activation and help many clients “find” the glutes during a movement. Used together, overload drives adaptation while MMC improves the quality of each rep.
What actually grows muscle.
Hodge revisits the three primary mechanisms of hypertrophy and their practical implications:
- Mechanical tension is the primary driver—created when muscles contract against force (the bigger tension over time, the stronger the growth signal).
- Metabolic stress (the “pump”) is useful—think higher‑rep sets, bands, abductions—but secondary to tension.
- Muscle damage happens mostly with lengthened loading and eccentrics; it likely contributes least to growth and can hinder performance if overdone. Balance all three, but bias training decisions toward creating—and progressing—mechanical tension.
Volume, frequency, and weekly layout.
Hodge notes general hypertrophy ranges from the literature (≈10–25 sets per muscle group/week), then gives a glute‑specialization template to illustrate how to “systematize” work: a high‑volume week might include ~36 total glute sets split evenly across the three categories (≈12 sets horizontal, 12 vertical, 12 lateral/rotary). Frequency can span 2–6 sessions/week based on genetics, exercise selection, load, effort, and recovery. Many lifters will thrive with ~3 dedicated glute sessions/week, while beginners can start lower and build up.
Load, reps, and rest.
Because growth can occur across rep ranges so long as sets are sufficiently challenging, Hodge recommends using a spread of intensities and reps rather than living in one zone. Practically: keep some sets heavy, some moderate, some lighter; leave a few reps in reserve on most sets; push to true failure strategically. As for rest, she suggests roughly 2–3 min between most compound sets (longer—3–6 min—when chasing PRs), and 60–90 s for isolation/abduction work, so you can repeat quality sets without accumulating junk fatigue.
Technique, individuality, and exercise choice.
Hodge encourages small “dials” to match anatomy and intent—foot stance, pelvis orientation, ROM, tempo—plus including unilateral variations each session for symmetry and control. She uses MMC and coach’s tactile/verbal cues to ensure the target muscle is doing the work. The point is not to chase novel exercises, but to extract more from the staples by executing them well and progressing them week to week.
Frequent mistakes—and fixes.
Common pitfalls include: over‑emphasizing one vector (e.g., only hip thrusts or only squats), doing too much lengthened‑position work to failure (recovery suffers), skipping lateral/rotary patterns entirely, and piling on volume without a progressive plan. The fixes flow from the system above: distribute work across vectors (“Rule of Thirds”), bias programming toward mechanical tension while using metabolic‑stress work as support, and progress deliberately rather than randomly. ([NSCA TV][1])
- At what muscle length do the glutes produce the most active force?
Answer: Slightly stretched. (Active force typically peaks around moderate lengths on the length–tension curve.)
- Why can most people tolerate relatively high volumes of glute work?
Answer: The glutes are designed to handle high workloads (locomotion/postural role), especially when much of the plan uses shorter‑length loading and accessory patterns that don’t create excessive damage.
- Recommended weekly session count for beginners?
Answer: Two sessions per week is a practical on‑ramp before progressing toward ~3+ sessions as tolerance improves. (Hodge notes glute frequency can range 2–6×/week, with many thriving around ~3×/week.)
- Which category best targets the lower subdivision of gluteus maximus?
Answer: Vertical hip extension exercises (e.g., squats, hinges).
- Most important mechanism for hypertrophy?
Answer: Mechanical tension.
- What increases metabolic stress?
Answer: Shorter rest periods (as part of higher‑rep/“pump” work).
- Which choice illustrates progressive overload?
Answer: Lifting the same load for more repetitions.
- Which matters more for hypertrophy—progressive overload or mind‑muscle connection?
Answer: Progressive overload is more important (MMC is helpful, but overload drives adaptation).
- What is the mind‑muscle connection?
Answer: Conscious, deliberate contraction/focus on the target muscle.
- Which exercise type can you usually perform more often?
Answer: Horizontal loading exercises (e.g., hip thrusts/bridges), because they emphasize shortened‑length tension and tend to cause less soreness/fatigue.
References:
[1]: https://www.nsca.tv/videos/systematizing-glute-training “Systematizing Glute Training – 2023 PTVirt – NSCA TV”
[2]: https://www.bcstrength.com/blogs/learn-with-bret-contreras/how-to-best-train-the-glutes-rule-of-thirds?srsltid=AfmBOorpV5nBJVqjT-ERgKxlOGDZgOyX1Xt_Si_j0MVF2CKvJSzjJiNh&utm_source=chatgpt.com “How To Best Train The Glutes (Rule Of Thirds)”
[3]: https://www.nsca.com/certification/ceu-quizzes/systematizing-glute-training/ “Systematizing Glute Training | NSCA”
[4]: https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/ptq/program-design-strength-hypertrophy-glute/?srsltid=AfmBOop1cn2l3JPd474kxP2oHMzMsaDlppU0KRlfKlj8MOQGejcHzeQh&utm_source=chatgpt.com “Program Design Considerations for Optimal Strength and …”