Habits and Hustle
Episode 434: Tara LaFerrara: How to Build Glutes, Time-Wasting Exercises and the Truth about Belly Fat
Fri, 21 Mar 2025
Are hip thrusts better than squats for building glutes? Fitness coach Tara LaFerrara settles the age-old debate in this week's Fitness Friday episode on the Habits and Hustle Podcast. According to Tara, hip thrusts are indeed superior for glute development, with numerous studies backing this claim. But the real takeaway? The boring basics are what actually work. We discuss why compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and presses deliver better results than isolation exercises and debunk the myth of spot-toning abs. We also dive into how to determine if you're lifting heavy enough using the RPE scale, appropriate rep ranges for different fitness goals, and why consistent "boring basics" outperform flashy social media workout trends in delivering real results. Tara LaFerrara is a certified strength and mobility coach who transformed personal struggles with body image and unhealthy habits into a mission to help women approach fitness from a holistic perspective. With 13 years of industry experience, she advocates for sustainable, enjoyable movement rather than strict regimens, empowering clients through her app Broadzit and virtual training programs. Tara specializes in a well-rounded approach to fitness that combines strength training expertise with mindset coaching, emphasizing community support and individual needs. What we discuss: Hip thrusts vs. squats for glute development The benefits of different compound exercises "Waste of time" exercises The truth about spot-toning and targeting belly fat Women's common fears about lifting heavy weights How to know if you're lifting heavy enough (RPE scale) What progressive overload is and how to implement it Breaking through plateaus in your training The importance of consistency over flashy workout routines Thank you to our sponsor: AquaTru: Get 20% off any purifier at aquatru.com with code HUSTLE Therasage: Head over to therasage.com and use code Be Bold for 15% off TruNiagen: Head over to truniagen.com and use code HUSTLE20 to get $20 off any purchase over $100. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code Jen at checkout. BiOptimizers: Want to try Magnesium Breakthrough? Go to https://bioptimizers.com/jennifercohen and use promo code JC10 at checkout to save 10% off your purchase. Timeline Nutrition: Get 10% off your first order at timeline.com/cohen Air Doctor: Go to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HUSTLE for up to $300 off and a 3-year warranty on air purifiers. Bio.me: Link to daily prebiotic fiber here, code Jennifer20 for 20% off. Momentous: Shop this link and use code Jen for 20% off To learn more about Tara LaFerrara: Website: https://www.taralaferrara.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara Podcast: Broads: The Bold & Badass Fitness Podcast for Women Find more from Jen: Website: https://www.jennifercohen.com/ Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: https://www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: https://www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements
Chapter 1: What are hip thrusts and squats, and which is better for glutes?
Cause me, we taught, I mean, my fitness friends, uh, talk about this all the time and I want to know your, your opinion. What is your opinion? Hip thrust versus a glute versus squats to build your glutes.
This is hilarious because I feel like I've been seeing it all over social media recently. Really? Yeah. Yeah. I actually saw a post today. MindPub did a post today about this. Hip thrust for sure. And there's a lot of studies that have shown that you get more out of your glutes through a hip thrust than you would a squat. It also depends on what kind of squat you're doing. So are we talking...
back squat. And are we talking high bar or low bar? Are we talking about front squats, goblet squats? Like they're all very different. It also depends on like what you are more dominant in. So for example, I'm more quad dominant. So I've literally never felt glutes in squats, no matter what I put on the bar.
And there's just so many more studies that show that you can get so much more from your glutes with hip thrusts.
Chapter 2: Are deadlifts a necessary exercise for lower body strength?
Can I ask you a question? How about a deadlift? Before I even go into the next question, what's your opinion on deadlifts? A lot of people think deadlifts are garbage. They're like an unnecessary lower body move. What is your opinion?
I am absolutely not in that camp and love deadlifts.
Chapter 3: Why are compound lifts more effective than isolation exercises?
You love deadlifts. Okay. Can you tell, just like, just to kind of break it down in the most simplest terms, what can someone get from a squat, from a hip thrust and from a deadlift? What are the differences and what are the benefits of each?
Yeah. So it's great because all of them are compound lifts, meaning they're using multiple muscle and multiple joints. You're getting a lot out of each of them just on their own. You're always going to get more out of a squat and a deadlift than a hip thrust though, because typically hip thrusts are just a little bit more hip dominant. You're not getting as much and they're more posterior focused.
Whereas squats and deadlifts, you can actually get more in your core and your back and your quads and hamstrings, like there's so much more you can get out of them. So what are they good for? I mean, squats are great for everything. We squat all day long. We sit on a toilet, we get up, that's a squat. When we're sitting in our chair, we get up, that's a squat.
So longevity wise, squat is really just such an awesome movement for that. Deadlifts is great because you're always picking up something off the ground, whether it's a kid or a suitcase or a Just anything that you're picking up off the ground and standing up. This is more of a hinge movement, but there's so many different variations of it.
And that's why I personally love deadlifts because you can do a barbell conventional deadlift, but you don't have to. You can use a kettlebell. You can use dumbbells. You can use a trap bar. Like there's so many different variations that you can get so much out of. Hip thrusts is great, but to be honest with you, it's not necessary. I personally don't do a ton of hip thrusts anymore.
Number one, because the setup is a pain in the ass.
Totally agree. I mean, the same way. I hate doing it for us. It takes way too long to even get set up. Yeah.
But I will say there are a lot of variations that you can do through hip thrust, even a single leg hip thrust or a single leg decline glute bridge. You can get so much out of it with body weight or just lighter weight rather than setting up a whole bar and doing the whole thing.
So can we just talk about what are some what exercises would you say? And I know let's just say this before we even go any further, like no exercise is a waste of time because movement is so important regardless. But with that caveat, what are some exercises that you think are kind of like a waste of time?
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Chapter 4: Can you spot-tone abs and eliminate belly fat with specific exercises?
This is a question that's an unpopular opinion. I think a lot of isolation exercises are personally, especially if you are someone and I work with a big population of people that don't have a ton of time. So why would we do bicep curls and tricep kickbacks and calf raises when we're utilizing so many of those in a compound lift? For example, you can get so much from your arms by doing a row.
So if we think about the main compound lifts, like a squat, a hinge, a push, and a pull, you're getting a lot of those muscles already. So not saying that they're unnecessary, but they're just overrated in my opinion. And again, if you're short on that time, the best possible way to do it is to do compound lifts.
Yeah, you're speaking my language. What about abs? I get so many questions about abs, especially as you age, I should say. You know, when I was younger, it was more like, how do you get a six pack? How do you get a six pack? And now it's more like, how do I kind of just eliminate the belly fat that's accumulating in my midsection? I always say personally that abs are always made in the kitchen.
It's not made in the gym. But with that also being said, are there specific things that people can do to target abs? their belly fat to get the most bang for their buck in the gym?
Well, you already know the answer to this, I think, Jennifer, but you're asking me to tell them again. There are no specific ways to spot tone and I'm going to lean back into compound lifts. I'm someone that basically never does core exercises ever because I'm lifting heavy enough where I'm utilizing my core in those exercises.
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Chapter 5: What common misconceptions do women have about lifting weights?
So for example, one of my absolute favorite like core quote unquote exercise is a goblet squat. In order to hold that weight in front of you, yes, you're using your arms, yes, you're using your legs, but to keep that weight in front of you, bracing your core is a huge aspect of this.
And if we think about moms with their kids, they're holding them in front of them, like bracing your core and making sure that you feel strong there is a way to utilize your core without doing unnecessary crunches or V-ups or bicycles or something like that.
Yeah. You know, it's funny because like a lot of people think that like they're going to do their five minutes of abs or 10 minutes of abs. I think it's so much more beneficial to take those five or 10 minutes and go for actually a walk or do like, or just do like dumbbell, like doing lunges with your dumbbells because you have to work your stability muscles.
Just the sheer act of just moving more, more muscle groups at once. But yet, psychologically, women are working out wrong. We still are in this mindset that we should be doing these bicycle crunches or doing certain aerobic exercises or cardio exercises. When lifting heavy has been proven time and time again, all the research has shown that's how you change your body composition.
Don't you, like, do you find that, like, what is your, what do you tell like your women clients? Like, do you find that happens all the time? Like there's so, if people are, the women are fearful of lifting weights.
Yeah. You know, I'll be honest. I've been in this industry for 13 years at this point. And I think my audience knows me well enough to know that like, they're not going to get that from me.
Yeah, I know.
I see your stuff. I used to post a lot of stuff that was like, you know, a lot of parody accounts of like, do this one exercise and you get six pack abs. And I just like would make fun of them all the time because we know now in the fitness industry that that's not the case. But I think now being in it for a while, I have empathy because it is a confusing place.
And if you want something so bad, you're going to believe anything you see. So I really take it with a grain of salt of like, If this, if you want to try this out, great. Did it not work for you? Let's figure out what the root cause of why it didn't work.
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