Regional Hypertrophy of the Gluteal Muscles Is Task-Specific: Differential Responses to 10 Weeks of Hip Extension Versus Hip Abduction Training

Abstract Attarieh, P, Nunes, JP, Khani, S, Moniri, A, Goli, A, Negahdar, S, Mohammadinia, F, Fallah, MH, and Shahrbanian, S. Regional hypertrophy of the gluteal muscles is task-specific: Differential responses to 10 weeks of hip extension versus hip abduction training. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2026—The gluteal muscles are a common target in strength and rehabilitation settings, yet the influence of exercise selection on their hypertrophic responses remains poorly understood. This study compared the effects of 10 weeks of unilateral cable-based hip extension (HExt) vs. hip abduction (HAbd) resistance training on gluteal muscle size and maximal strength. In a within-subject study, 17 young adults (28.3 ± 4.3 y) completed a 10-week program (2×/wk; ∼10 sets/wk, 8–12RM), with each leg randomly assigned to HExt or HAbd, balanced for limb dominance. Hypertrophy was assessed through magnetic resonance imaging, quantifying cross-sectional area (CSA) changes in proximal, middle, and distal regions of the gluteus maximus (GMax) and gluteus medius plus minimus (GMed + GMin). Maximal strength was assessed using 1 repetition maximum (1RM) tests for HExt and HAbd exercises. Both exercises elicited significant pre-to-post increases in overall GMax CSA, but HExt produced greater gains (9 vs. 5%) and a distal-dominant growth pattern (proximal: 5%, middle: 8%, distal: 14%), while HAbd produced a proximal-dominant pattern (proximal: 10%, middle: 4%, distal: 1%). Moreover, HExt produced greater effects on GMax than GMed + GMin (9 vs. 2%), whereas HAbd elicited comparable effects across both muscle groups (5 vs. 4%). Hip extension 1RM gains favored HExt (40 vs. 23%), and HAbd 1RM gains favored HAbd (35 vs. 17%). In conclusion, HExt produced greater overall GMax hypertrophy with a distal-dominant pattern and no significant GMed + GMin increase, while HAbd elicited a proximal-dominant GMax growth pattern and a small GMed + GMin effect, providing the first direct indication that varying exercises can modulate regional gluteal hypertrophy.