Bret Contreras is a National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Functional Movement Screen Expert. He has over 13 years of experience working as a certified personal trainer.

Contreras earned his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University and graduated Summa Cum Laude with his Master’s degree from Arizona State University. He is currently attaining his PhD at the Auckland University of Technology, where he is also scheduled to teach Biomechanics courses.

He has studied under Biomechanics Expert Richard Hinrichs and Sports Researcher John Cronin. Throughout his research, Contreras conducted hundreds of hours of electromyography experiments. With this knowledge, he created and popularized many new hip-strengthening exercises including the hip thrust – an exercise that has greatly influenced the training protocols of strength coaches and personal trainers. In addition, he has introduced a new concept of directional specificity training coined “Load Vector Training.”

As the former owner of Lifts Studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, Contreras worked closely with hundreds of clients ranging from sedentary individuals to elite athletes. He invented an efficient glute-strengthening machine called The Skorcher. He currently writes programs for clients from all over the world and consults for various professional sports teams.

Contreras is a distinguished lecturer in strength and conditioning, presenting for the Fitness Summit, The YMCA Build Conference, The Get NZ Active Conference, and the SPRINZ Conference. He was also named as Oxygen Magazine’s “Glute Expert” in the 2010 Glutes Edition.

More recently, Contreras has launched a career as a writer and researcher. He authored the complete works on advanced glute training titled Advanced Techniques in Glutei Maximi Strengthening. He is a peer-reviewed author and a regular contributor to well-known industry publications including Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Oxygen, and MuscleMag.

6 Responses to “About Me”

1. Mother Fitness Revolution says:

   September 29, 2010 at 5:54 am

   [...] strength and conditioning coach, Bret Contreras, posted an excellent full-body workout template a few weeks back. His method is succinct, and [...]
2. Hamstring Cramps? Strengthening the Glutes! « Efficient Exercise Blog says:

   October 18, 2010 at 9:36 pm

   [...] For a little more on the subject (more specifically, the prevention of hamstring pulls), see this recent post by Bret Contreras. [...]
3. First Post! | What's On My Mind says:

   March 9, 2011 at 1:08 am

   [...] morning, so I’m just going to call attention to one of my favorite blogs.  It is written by Bret Contreras.  You can find a huge amount of information about all things weight training over there.  Give it [...]
4. Home Workout From Bret Contreras » Richard's Health Musings says:

   April 7, 2011 at 10:08 am

   [...] Wednesday’s workout is a straight forward body weight exercise routine from Bret Contreras, the Glute Guy.  Saying that Bret is only a glute expert does a disservice to the hip and posterior [...]
5. FMA Strength Training Conference Update!! | FMA Strength Training says:

   November 7, 2011 at 12:28 am

   [...] To learn more about Bret Contreras: www.bretcontreras.com/about-me [...]
6. One Simple Change to Make The Plank Drill Better - FusionPerformanceTraining - Get Your Body Armor On. says:

   January 31, 2012 at 10:13 pm

   [...] but without exposing your joints and tendons to excessive load. Check it out. It’s from Bret Contreras  - a personal trainer who had a biomechanics background and [...]