Hip Thrusts

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back resting against the edge of a bench, knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Position your feet roughly hip width apart, shins vertical under your knees.
3. Brace your core and tuck your chin slightly to keep your neck neutral.
4. Drive through your heels and push your hips up toward the ceiling.
5. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top, forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
6. Pause for a moment at full hip extension without arching your lower back excessively.
7. Lower your hips back down under control until they are just short of touching the floor.
8. Perform 12 to 20 reps, keeping the movement smooth and continuous.

Common Mistakes

• Overarching the lower back at the top: Pushing the hips up by arching the spine instead of squeezing the glutes shifts strain onto the lower back. Stop the movement once your body forms a straight line and squeeze from the glutes.
• Placing the feet too far from the body: Feet set too far forward turn the movement into more of a leg drive with less hip extension. Keep your shins roughly vertical at the top position.
• Rushing through reps: Bouncing the hips up and down quickly reduces time under tension for the glutes. Slow the tempo down and pause briefly at the top of each rep.
• Letting the knees fall outward: Allowing the knees to splay out to the sides reduces glute activation. Keep them tracking in line with your feet throughout the set.

Programming Tips

The bodyweight hip thrust is where all glute bridging starts: shoulders on a bench, feet planted, hips driven to a hard squeeze at lockout. It teaches the most valuable glute skill, full hip extension without the lower back faking it, and needs only a bench. Program 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 reps on lower body days as a warm-up pattern before squats and deadlifts, or as straight glute volume in home workouts, holding the top for a full second on every rep.

Bodyweight runs out fast, so plan the progression ladder: pause reps of 2 to 3 seconds, then single leg hip thrusts, then a band around the knees, then a dumbbell or plate on the hips, and finally the barbell version. Each rung is earned when 20 strict reps with a full pause feel controlled. Keep the chin tucked and the ribs down at lockout; the line from shoulders to knees should be straight, never a banana.

Common Questions

Hip thrust or glute bridge, what is the difference?

The bridge is done flat on the floor with a short range; the hip thrust elevates the shoulders on a bench, roughly doubling the range of motion. The bridge is the regression, the thrust the main event.

When should I add weight?

Once 20 paused bodyweight reps per set are clean. Loading before owning the pause just teaches a fast, back-arched bounce.

Why do I feel this in my hamstrings or lower back instead of my glutes?

Feet too far forward shift the work to the hamstrings; feet too close, or flared ribs, hand it to the lower back. Set the shins vertical at lockout, tuck the chin, and finish the rep with a glute squeeze, not a higher arch.