Habits and Hustle
Episode 434: Tara LaFerrara: How to Build Glutes, Time-Wasting Exercises and the Truth about Belly Fat
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: 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. 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
Full Episode
Hi guys, it's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits & Hustle. Crush it! Hey friends, you're listening to Fitness Friday on the Habits & Hustle podcast, where myself and my friends share quick and very actionable advice for you becoming your healthiest self. So stay tuned and let me know how you leveled up.
Tara, thank you so much for like, you know, stay, you know, kind of like bearing with us. I appreciate you being here. And, you know, hopefully we get this. It works. It's recorded. You guys are listening to this properly. Tara's with me because she's a strength and mobility coach. And we're going to be doing a quick fitness Friday with you. And Tara, it's nice to have you here.
Thank you so much for having me.
I appreciate it.
Thank you for being here. And like I said, thank you for like kind of bearing with our new struggles with technology, which, by the way, is always a problem with me. It's actually a user. I have to say it's probably half of it's like just a user. But anyway. Um, it's tech. It's fine. It's tech. Exactly. Okay. I want to start, I have to, I want to ask you about glutes right off the bat here. Okay.
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.
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