Hip Thrust
With your upper back on a bench and a load across your hips, you drive your hips up until your body is level from shoulders to knees, loading your glutes heavily.
Equipment
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Hamstrings, Quads
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Hamstrings, Quads
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Quads, Hamstrings
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Hamstrings, Quads
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weight × reps
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Quads, Hamstrings
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
Loads from YouTube only when you press play. The video is by an independent creator.
Why do it
Hip thrusts let you load your glutes heavily at the top, where they're fully shortened, which squats and deadlifts don't do. Compared with a glute bridge, the bench lifts your shoulders, so your hips travel further. The barbell is the standard for heavy loads; the machine and Smith machine skip the awkward bar setup and balancing, the dumbbell suits lighter work, and bodyweight is where to start. Pick the one you can set up quickly and load steadily from week to week.
How to do it (Barbell)
Sit on the floor with your upper back against a stable bench at about knee height and roll a padded barbell over your hips.
Set your feet flat, shoulder-width apart, so your shins are vertical at the top of the movement.
Drive through your feet and thrust your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, squeezing your glutes hard.
Lower under control without resting the bar on the floor. Tuck your chin and keep your ribs down so the movement comes from your hips, not your lower back.
Sit with your upper back against a bench and rest a dumbbell across your hips, holding it with both hands.
Plant your feet hip-width apart so your shins are vertical at the top.
Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower under control without resting on the floor. Fold a towel under the dumbbell if it presses uncomfortably on your hips.
Sit on the machine with your upper back against the pad and the padded bar across your hip bones.
Place your feet flat on the platform, hip-width apart, so your shins are vertical at the top.
Press through your feet to drive your hips up until your torso is parallel to the floor and your glutes are fully squeezed.
Hold the top for a second, then lower under control without letting the weight settle. Tuck your chin and keep your ribs down so the movement comes from your hips.
Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench and set the Smith machine bar over your hips, padded.
Plant your feet hip-width apart so your shins are vertical at the top.
Unhook the bar and drive your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Squeeze your glutes at the top, keep your chin tucked, then lower under control. The fixed bar path lets you focus on the glutes without balancing the weight.
Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench and your feet flat, shoulder-width apart.
Set your feet so your shins are vertical when your hips are at the top.
Press through your feet to drive your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, squeezing your glutes.
Hold briefly, then lower without letting your hips touch the floor. Once these get easy, add a dumbbell or a barbell across your hips.
Common mistakes
Arching your lower back at the top
Driving past a straight line with your ribs flaring loads your back instead of your glutes. Tuck your chin, keep your ribs down and stop when your hips are fully open.
Shins not vertical at the top
Feet too far out hand the work to your hamstrings; too close and your quads take over. Adjust your feet until your shins are vertical at lockout.
Sliding along the bench
If the bench edge ends up on your neck or mid-back, your torso slides and the pivot point moves. Rest the bottom of your shoulder blades on the edge and keep them there.
Resting the weight between reps
Letting the load settle on the floor gives your glutes a break and resets your position each time. Stop with your hips just off the floor and go straight into the next rep.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
