The BEST Deadlift for Glutes [Backed By Science]

What is the best deadlift for glutes? Which variation will get you the biggest, strongest bum?

The evidence indicates the trap bar deadlift is the best deadlift exercise for maximum glute activation. It also shifts the attention from the lower back to the glutes and allows you to lift heavy weights for maximum hypertrophy. That being said, all deadlift variants will hit your glutes to some degree.

Let’s dig into the reasons why the trap bar deadlift is the best booty builder.

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Why the Trap Bar Deadlift is the Best Deadlift for Glutes

Trap Bar Deadlifts Have Been Shown to Maximize Glute EMG Activity

In 2020, a large systematic review was conducted by the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine to assess gluteus maximus activation among common strength and hypertrophy exercises. Many different research studies were examined in the review.

Electromyography (EMG) was used to assess muscle activity.

The researchers included several different deadlift variants in the analysis:

Trap bar deadlift (called “hex bar deadlift” in the review)
Traditional deadlift
Stiff-leg deadlift
Sumo deadlift

The researchers found the trap bar deadlift elicited the highest muscle activation for the gluteus maximus of all the deadlift variants analyzed.

The sumo deadlift had the lowest glute activation. (1)

Honestly, I was not expecting that. My intuition was the stiff-leg deadlift would elicit the highest glute activation. So, it was interesting to find a different result in their analysis.

The Trap Bar Deadlift Shifts Attention from the Lower Back to the Glutes

One of the reasons people prefer trap bar deadlifts as opposed to other deadlift variants is because the mechanics make it less stressful on your body, in particular the lower back.

In most deadlift variants, you are grasping a barbell in front of your body:

This has significant implications for how the load is going to be distributed. Gripping the bar in front of your body is naturally going to make you lean over more. And this will lead to greater lower back involvement.

However, when doing a trap bar deadlift, the handles are on the side of your body. Having your body situated in between the handles allows you to sit more upright:

And the effect of this difference is the ability to really contract your lower body muscles because you have taken stress off the lower back.

Trap bars make it easy to shift the focus from your lower back to your glutes. And this helps with developing the famous “mind-muscle connection”.

Some people find it hard to feel their glutes working, but if you use a trap bar for long enough you definitely will.

You Can Lift Heavier Weight With the Trap Bar Deadlift

It’s no secret you can lift a lot of weight with deadlifts.

But, certain deadlift variants really limit the amount of weight lifted. I’m thinking of the Romanian and stiff-legged deadlifts here.

And being able to lift heavy weight is a huge advantage, for two reasons:

The more weight lifted, the more overall musculature is targeted
The more weight you can add to the bar, the more opportunities you have for progress

A study from 2018 conducted in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research compared the 1rm (one rep maximum) of trap bar deadlifts with conventional deadlifts. Part of the aim of the study was to see if the shorter range of motion of the trap bar deadlift (due to the height of the handles) would affect the 1rm. To do this, the researchers used a linear position transducer, which measures linear movement along a specified axis.

Thirty-one strength-trained subjects took part in the study (21 male, 10 female). The investigators found the trap bar deadlift produced a higher 1rm than the conventional deadlift for all of the subjects involved.

Additionally, the linear position transducer revealed the lift distance for the trap bar deadlift to be 22% shorter than the conventional deadlift. (2)

This demonstrates the decreased range of motion in the trap bar deadlift. And it’s probably the most likely reason for the increased 1rm.

And all of this is a huge benefit for growing your glutes, for the reasons I talked about above.

How to Perform the Trap Bar Deadlift Correctly

I could throw research and stats at you all day, but if you don’t know the technical aspects of the lift, none of it is going to help you.

I highly recommend watching the following video from Alan Thrall. It shows how to do trap bar deadlifts correctly, with a bunch of awesome tips:

My Trap Bar Recommendation for Home Gym Builders: CAP Barbell Olympic Hex Bar

This beastly bar has a 750 pound weight capacity. Which will be good enough for all but elite powerlifters. The welding and construction is on point. Biggest gripe with the bar seems to be the width of the handles. They’re only 1″ thick, whereas standard is 1.5″. So you might have to get used to a slightly different grip feel. That being said, this trap bar works if you want to lift heavy weight!

3 More Effective Deadlift Variations for Glutes

All deadlifts hit the glutes to some extent.

Here are three more effective deadlift variants which produced high levels of glute activation, per the studies mentioned above:

Conventional Deadlift

Courtesy of Alan Thrall

You don’t actually need to get any fancier than the conventional deadlift to grow your glutes.

It scored as “very high” in the systematic review for glute activation. And this in addition to the huge amounts of weight you can lift means it’s an extremely effective glute builder.

The five-step process covered in the video will teach you how to correctly perform the conventional deadlift.

Remember to squeeze those glutes at the top!

Sumo Deadlift

Courtesy of Mind Pump TV

Although the sumo deadlift had the lowest glute activation of any of the deadlift variants in the systematic review mentioned above, it is still an excellent glute-builder.

Like the trap bar deadlift, you can use a large amount of weight, which will be beneficial in growing and strengthening your glutes.

As he mentions in the video above, feel free to play around with the width of your stance. Generally speaking, a narrower stance will be better for hypertrophy because the range of motion is greater than with a wider stance.

Stiff-Legged Deadlift

Courtesy of Alan Thrall

The stiff-legged deadlift is one of those variants which confuses a lot of people (me included).

It’s hard to tell the difference between it and the Romanian deadlift. Thankfully, the video above provides clear, step-by-step instructions which differentiates between the two.

And this deadlift variant also scored “high” for the level of glute activation in the studies mentioned above.

FAQ

Q: Sumo vs conventional deadlift for glutes: which is better?

A: According to the systematic review I mentioned, the conventional deadlift is better at activating the glutes.

However, a study from 2004 compared the sumo and conventional deadlift directly using 13 collegiate football players as the subjects. Several muscle groups were assessed using electromyography (EMG). No significant difference was found between the sumo and conventional deadlift for glute activation. (3)

So, judging from the data it appears both conventional and sumo deadlift are effective glute builders. That being said, longer-limbed, shorter-torso people will probably feel more comfortable lifting sumo.

If you want to read more about sumo vs conventional deadlifts, click here.

Q: Are deadlifts enough for glutes?

A: Yes. The systematic review I mentioned earlier found multiple deadlift variations to be in the “very high” category (>60% MVIC) in terms of gluteus maximus activation. Because of the large amount of weight lifted with deadlifts, you really shouldn’t need any other glute training.

That being said, you never want to rely solely on one exercise for anything. Plus adding other exercises like squats may be able to hit the glutes from a slightly different angle, which could be beneficial.

Q: Are deadlifts better than squats for glutes?

A: In the studies mentioned, similar EMG activation levels were found between different squat and deadlift variations. Both exercises significantly activate the glutes, some variations more than others. So, deadlifts and squats are largely interchangeable in terms of effectiveness for glutes.

See Chart 3 for more specifics on glute activation by different squat and deadlift variations.

References

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