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Hip thrust
The glute exercise that lets you move the most weight, and that's exactly what makes it useful. It's also the one most often done wrong, almost always for two reasons: the bench at the wrong height and the back doing work that isn't its job.
What it works
- Glute max, which here is the star and not a helper
- Hamstrings, especially if your feet are far away
- Abs, which work without moving so the movement comes from your hips and not your back
How to do it
- 1Set the bench and your back
A sturdy bench, roughly at the height of the bottom of your shoulder blades. Rest your back there, just below the shoulder blade, not your neck or the middle of your back.
- 2Place the bar and protect yourself
The bar in the crease of your hips, with a pad or a folded towel. Without it, the bone will hurt before your glutes get tired.
- 3Place your feet
Hip-width apart and far enough forward that your shins are vertical at the top. If your knees go past your feet at the top, move your feet out; if you feel a lot of hamstring, bring them in a little.
- 4Drive through your heels
Tuck your chin slightly, brace your abs and rise by pushing the floor with your heels until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. At the top, squeeze your glutes for a second.
- 5Lower without falling apart
Lower under control until you almost touch the floor, keeping your back resting on the same spot. The bar comes down the same path.
The mistakes you see most
- Arching your back at the top. Going higher by arching your lower back isn't more range: it's switching muscles. The benchmark is a straight body with your ribs down, not looking back at the ceiling.
- Bench too high. If the edge is at neck height or above your shoulder blade, your shoulders hang and the range is ruined. A normal gym bench usually works well.
- Pushing with your toes. With your heels up, the work goes to your quads. Heels down and firm throughout the movement.
- Bouncing at the bottom. Dropping the bar and using the bounce takes away exactly the part that matters. Pause briefly at the bottom, even for half a second.
Variations
- Glute bridge on the floor. No bench, with your back on the floor. Less range, but it's the way to learn the movement and to train at home.
- Single-leg. With no weight or a little, one leg in the air. It reveals differences between one side and the other.
- On a machine. Many gyms now have a dedicated machine. You're set up in ten seconds, there's no bar to load and you can go close to failure safely.
- With a band above your knees. The band makes you push your knees out a little and usually makes you feel your glutes more.
Frequently asked questions
Hip thrust or squat for glutes?
They're not the same. In the squat, your glutes work more stretched, at the bottom; in the hip thrust, more contracted, at the top. Doing both covers both positions, and that's what's usually recommended.
How much weight should I start with?
With the empty bar, or even no bar, until you can rise without arching your back and with your shins vertical at the top. From there, go up little by little: it's an exercise where the weight goes up fast.
My hips hurt where the bar rests
It's almost always the pad. A thick foam pad or a well-rolled towel fixes it; if it still bothers you, try the machine or the glute bridge on the floor.
How many reps?
It handles long sets well: eight to fifteen reps is the usual range, leaving one or two in the tank.
And to keep track of what you lift
In the Reverfit Workout app every exercise comes with its animation, and you log the weight and reps set by set, with what you did last time right in front of you. Free and with no ads.
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