For glute growth
For glute growth, hip thrust machine rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the glutes.
Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed. (Fonseca et al., 2014; Costa et al., 2021)
The research score comes from these, scored by hand from the studies. Lifter scores appear once an exercise has 10 ratings. How scores work
Hip Abduction Machine. Works the side of the glutes (gluteus medius and minimus). Easy to load, with a small stretch.
Hip Thrust Machine. Puts the glutes first with a stable setup and easy loading, though most tension comes at the top, where they’re short.
For glute growth, hip thrust machine rates higher on our research criteria: more of the work on the glutes. Both are good choices, and they train the glutes differently. Using both across your week covers more of the muscle than either alone: in studies, varied exercises grew parts of a muscle that one exercise missed.
About the same: both are easy to learn.
Hip abduction machine needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise. Hip thrust machine needs a machine, so for most people it’s a gym exercise.
About the same: both rate Excellent for joint and recovery cost in our research rubric.