Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and press the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall open to the sides.
2. Walk your feet in close to your hips, maintaining the frog-leg position.
3. Brace your core and rest your arms flat on the floor for stability.
4. Drive your hips upward by squeezing your glutes, keeping your feet pressed together.
5. Rise until your hips are fully extended and your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
6. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the thrust.
7. Lower your hips back down under control without letting them rest fully on the floor.
8. Repeat for the desired number of reps, keeping the frog-leg position throughout.

Common Mistakes

• Letting the knees close during the thrust: Allowing your knees to drift together shifts out of the frog position and reduces glute activation. Keep gentle outward pressure on your knees throughout.
• Overarching the lower back at the top: Pushing the hips too high and arching the spine takes tension off the glutes and adds stress to the lower back. Stop at a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Rushing the tempo: Bouncing quickly through the reps reduces the squeeze and control that make this exercise effective. Move with a slow, deliberate pace.
• Placing the feet too far from the hips: Feet positioned too far away shortens the range of hip extension. Keep your feet drawn in close throughout the set.

Programming Tips

Frog thrusts are a high rep glute pump movement, so use them at the end of a lower body session as a finisher or in the warm-up to switch the glutes on before squats and hip thrusts. Program 2 to 3 sets of 15 to 25 reps with a one second squeeze at the top; the turned out legs reduce hamstring help, so the glutes do almost all of the work.

Draw the heels as close to the hips as your knees allow and keep the soles pressed together through the whole set. Begin with bodyweight and short, fast reps; progress by adding a two second pause at the top, then by placing a 5 to 10 kg plate across the hips, then by looping a band above the knees. The most common fault is arching the lower back to push the hips higher. Fix it by tucking the ribs down and stopping the thrust when the hips are level with the knees and shoulders.

Common Questions

What does the frog hip thrust work?

It targets the gluteus maximus, with the externally rotated legs reducing hamstring and quad involvement. The gluteus medius gets some work from holding the knees open against gravity.

How many frog thrusts should I do?

Two to three sets of 15 to 25 reps is the sweet spot; some lifters go as high as 50 as a burnout. If you cannot feel the glutes by rep 15, bring the feet closer and squeeze harder at the top.

Is the frog thrust better than a regular glute bridge?

It is not better, but it isolates the glutes more because the frog position takes the hamstrings out of the movement. The regular bridge allows heavier loading, so use the frog version for activation and high rep volume.