Bret Contreras

Bret Contreras, PhD, CSCS,*D, has become known in the strength and conditioning industry as the Glute Guy because of his expertise in helping clients develop strong, shapely glutes. Contreras is best known for inventing the barbell hip thrust exercise in 2006. He has introduced numerous additional glute exercises to the strength training community since then. In 2015, he earned his PhD in sport science from the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, where he studied under biomechanics expert John Cronin. Contreras has conducted numerous electromyography experiments in his research. As the former owner of Lifts Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona and the current owner of Glute Lab in San Diego, California, Contreras has worked closely with thousands of clients ranging from sedentary people to elite athletes, and he invented glute-strengthening machines including the Skorcher and the Hip Thruster. He sells these through his company BC Strength, which also offers Glute Loops, BC T-Bells, and other glute training products. He currently trains figure competitors, writes programs for clients from all over the world, and consults for various professional sport teams. He is the author of the bestselling books Glute Lab (Victory Belt, 2019), Bodyweight Strength Training Anatomy (Human Kinetics, 2014), and coauthor of Strong Curves (Victory Belt, 2013). Contreras is a distinguished lecturer in strength and conditioning, presenting at many conferences throughout the world, including those hosted by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is the founder of Booty by Bret; an online subscription site that features his monthly, cutting-edge training programs. He is a peer-reviewed author with over 50 published studies and regular contributor to well-known industry publications including Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Flex, Muscle & Fitness, Oxygen, Shape, and FitnessRX for Women. Oxygen magazine voted him the Glute Expert in their 2010 Glutes edition and Men's Health listed his Glute Lab as a Top 20 Gym in the United States in 2016.