The Science of Strength (and a Bigger Butt): Dr. Bret Contreras’ Research-Backed Glute Blueprint

Build strength and muscle fast with Dr. Bret Contreras’ science-backed methods. This week on the Huberman Lab Podcast Dr. Bret Contreras, known as “The Glute Guy,” is a PhD in Sports Science and creator of the barbell hip thrust. Learn progressive overload, the “LULUL” split, and smart recovery techniques from the expert who bridges research and real-world training for maximal results.

Whether your goal is building a sculpted lower body, improving overall fitness, or training smarter with limited time, Dr. Contreras offers practical, zero-cost tools grounded in research and decades of experience.

1. Progressive Overload: The Golden Rule of Muscle Growth 🏋️‍♂️

The cornerstone of all resistance training success is progressive overload—the practice of gradually increasing the stress placed on your muscles over time. According to Dr. Contreras, this single principle outweighs all other discussions about training volume, frequency, or exercise variety.

Actionable Takeaway:
Muscles grow and get stronger only when they are consistently challenged with greater tension or workload. If you’re not improving, you’re maintaining—not progressing.

How to Apply It:
Keep a training logbook or app to track your lifts. In every workout (or week), aim to:

• Lift heavier weight for the same number of reps.

• Perform more reps with the same weight.

• Use better form or a greater range of motion at the same load.

If you repeat the same weight and reps week after week, you’re “spinning your wheels.” Progress demands measurable increases in performance.

2. Optimize Training Frequency for Growth and Recovery 🏋️‍♂️

Training frequency—the number of times you work a muscle per week—is key to balancing stimulation and recovery. Dr. Contreras explains that too little training limits results, while too much hinders recovery.

The Minimum for Results:
Two full-body workouts per week. This is the minimum effective dose for most beginners.

The Gold Standard:
Training each muscle group twice per week yields the best hypertrophy (muscle growth) results for most individuals.

The Advanced “LULUL” Split:
For those looking to specialize—especially in glute or upper body development—Contreras recommends the LULUL split:

• Lower, Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower over five days.

This approach allows high frequency for priority muscle groups while managing fatigue. For example, women often use LULUL for glute-focused training, while men might reverse it for upper-body emphasis.

The 80% Rule (for Busy People):
If you can only train twice a week, perform two full-body sessions with just two hard sets per exercise after warming up. This method can deliver 80% of the results of training three times more often—perfect for those short on time.

3. Sets, Reps, and Effort: Train Smarter, Not Harder🏋️‍♂️

You don’t need endless sets or marathon gym sessions to build muscle. Dr. Contreras emphasizes quality over quantity.

Sets per Exercise:
Two to three working sets per exercise are sufficient, as long as you’re training close to failure.

Effort Matters Most:
You don’t have to go to failure on every set, but pushing your final set of a main lift close to failure provides a powerful muscle-building stimulus.

Tempo and Speed:
While some lifters obsess over slow tempos, Contreras notes that repetition speed is less important than maintaining good form and progressive overload. Control the weight safely, avoid bouncing or jerking movements, and focus on continuous improvement rather than arbitrary timing.

4. Program Design: Specialization and Exercise Variety 🏋️‍♂️

To sculpt specific areas—like glutes, arms, or calves—you must include movement variety that targets different muscle fibers and movement patterns, while still progressing overall.

The “Glute Guy” System (Lower Body Example):
When training the lower body 2–3 times per week, include all four key movement patterns:

1. Squat/Lunge Pattern – e.g., Squats, Hack Squats, Bulgarian Split Squats (targets quads, adductors, glutes)

2. Hinge/Pull Movement – e.g., Deadlifts, RDLs, Good Mornings (targets hamstrings and glutes)

3. Thrust/Bridge Pattern – e.g., Hip Thrusts, Glute Bridges (focuses on glutes in the shortened position, less soreness)

4. Abduction Movement – e.g., Cable Kickbacks, Band Abductions (targets upper glutes and glute medius)

The Switching Strategy:
To avoid burnout and soreness while training frequently, Contreras suggests:

• Attempting personal records (PRs) in only one movement pattern per session.

• Alternating between bilateral and unilateral exercises (two-leg vs. one-leg). Unilateral work builds balance but tends to cause more soreness.

This method promotes recovery, reduces fatigue, and allows steady, long-term progress.

5. Recovery: The Secret Weapon for Long-Term Progress 🏋️‍♂️

No matter how well you train, you won’t grow without recovery. Overtraining or constant soreness can suppress muscle activation and limit gains.

How to Know You’re Under-Recovered:

• You feel consistently fatigued or sore.

• Your performance plateaus or declines.

• You can’t add weight or reps week to week.

Fix It By:

• Reducing total sets per week.

• Backing off from failure for a few sessions.

• Substituting less-taxing exercises (e.g., 45-degree hyperextension instead of heavy RDLs).

Muscle Building After 40:
Dr. Contreras stresses that age is not a barrier to muscle growth. The same principles—progressive overload, consistency, and recovery—work at any age. In fact, resistance training becomes even more crucial for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and metabolic health as you get older.

Final Takeaway: Train Smart, Progress Consistently, Recover Fully

Dr. Bret Contreras and Dr. Andrew Huberman’s conversation distills decades of exercise science into simple, actionable strategies. The key isn’t complicated programming or chasing trends—it’s progressive overload, balanced frequency, focused effort, and proper recovery.

If you train with intent, track your progress, and listen to your body, you can build an impressive, strong, and functional physique—efficiently and sustainably.

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