This article was co-authored by Laila Ajani and by How.com.vn staff writer, Madeline Ryan, B.S.. Laila Ajani is a Fitness Trainer and founder of Push Personal Fitness, a personal training organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With over 10 years as a trainer and exercise specialist, Laila has expertise in competitive athletics (gymnastics, powerlifting, and tennis), personal training, distance running, and Olympic lifting. Laila is certified by the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA), USA Powerlifting (USAPL), and she is a Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES).
There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.
This article has been viewed 4,561 times.
You’re trying to expand your horizons at the gym, and maybe you're looking for something different for your glutes than the classic squat. If you’ve heard of glute bridges and hip thrusts but aren’t sure about which one will best fit into the workout split of your dreams, we’re here to help you learn about both. No matter if you’re brand new to working out or you’ve been in a routine for years, this article will map out the benefits and setup for both exercises. Your glutes are about to feel the burn!
Steps
How to Do Glute Bridges
- Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Your knees will be up and your feet shouldn’t be too close or too far from your glutes. You’ll know your feet are placed at the right distance if you can reach your hands along the ground and just brush your fingertips on your ankles.[11]
- If you start the exercise and feel like you’re engaging your hamstrings too much, you can adjust by moving your feet back and closer to your glutes.
- Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips. Tuck your pubic bone up toward your face and draw your belly button toward your spine. Aim to make your body into a straight, stable line once you’ve completely lifted your glutes up so that your spine doesn’t hurt.[12]
- Don’t lift your hips too high to the point that you’re arching your lower back. Contract your core to prevent this from happening.[13]
- Hold for 1-2 seconds. Stay at the point of tension to get the most benefit from the exercise.
- Slowly lower your hips until you’re barely above the floor. Keep your speed slow and steady during this step. Don’t release at the bottom of the motion because you want to keep tension in your muscles.[14]
- Repeat. Start by doing 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions, and increase as you get stronger.
- A more difficult variation for this exercise is to lift one leg straight in the air and resume the bridges using only one leg. This makes it harder for you to stay stable, which engages your core and challenges the remaining leg to lift your body weight.[15]
How to Do Hip Thrusts
- Grab a barbell and sit with your back against a bench. Place the barbell on top of your thighs, so it rests on your hips. Lean against the bench with your shoulder blades. Make sure the bench is supported so it doesn't move back when you put your weight on it.[16]
- If the barbell feels heavy or abrasive over your hips, use a barbell pad or towel as an extra cushion.[17]
- Place your feet flat on the floor with your knees bent. The closer your feet are to the bench, the more you'll feel the exercise in your glutes.[18]
- Face your shins straight forward. This will prevent your knees from contributing too much to the exercise. Your glutes will propel your body upward.[19]
- Grip the barbell and lift from your glutes. Bring your thighs parallel to the floor and your knees to a 90-degree angle, thrusting your hips and the barbell up. The power of the thrust should come from your glutes, and not from pushing off of the bench.[20]
- Tuck your chin into your chest and tuck your tailbone to help stabilize your spine. This will prevent pain in your lower back.
- Hold for 1-2 seconds before lowering slowly. The top of the exercise is when you’ll feel the most tension, so holding this position and squeezing your glutes will give you a better workout.[21]
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://uhs.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf5356/files/documents/Pelvic-Stabilization-Hip-Strengthening.pdf
- ↑ https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/49/glute-bridge/
- ↑ https://barbend.com/activate-glutes-warmup/
- ↑ https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/certified/november-2019/7403/understanding-the-barbell-hip-thrust/
- ↑ https://wp.uniguacu.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Glute-Lab-The-Art-and-Science-of-Strength-and-Physique-Training.pdf
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_uZP4UH6J0
- ↑ https://www.inspireusafoundation.org/are-deadlifts-worth-it/
- ↑ https://barbellrehab.com/hip-thrust-injury-reduction/
- ↑ https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/Fulltext/2011/10000/Barbell_Hip_Thrust.7.aspx
- ↑ https://wp.uniguacu.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Glute-Lab-The-Art-and-Science-of-Strength-and-Physique-Training.pdf
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPM8icPu6H8
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_Bpj91Yiis
- ↑ https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/49/glute-bridge/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPM8icPu6H8
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPM8icPu6H8
- ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/glute-exercises/8004/how-to-do-the-hip-thrust
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_uZP4UH6J0
- ↑ https://www.coachweb.com/glute-exercises/8004/how-to-do-the-hip-thrust
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_uZP4UH6J0
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W-ViLupxKE
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_uZP4UH6J0
About This Article
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.