Glute Bridge

What is the Glute Bridge?

The glute bridge is a floor-based hip extension: lying on your back with knees bent, you drive the hips up until the body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders. It’s the shorter-range, shoulders-down version of the hip thrust, an accessible entry point for beginners and an excellent warm-up or high-rep burnout for everyone else.

Muscles worked

Primary: Glutes

The glutes are the prime mover, squeezing to extend the hips and lift the pelvis, with the hardest contraction at the top of the bridge.

Secondary: Hamstrings

The hamstrings help extend the hip alongside the glutes, especially as you press through the heels.

How to perform the Glute Bridge

1. Lie on your back with the knees bent and the feet flat, heels close to the glutes.
2. Brace the core and press the arms lightly into the floor for stability.
3. Drive through the heels to lift the hips until the thighs and torso form a straight line.
4. Because the peak contraction is at the top, squeeze the glutes hard at full hip extension.
5. Keep the ribs down and pelvis tucked so the lift comes from the glutes, not the lower back.
6. Lower the hips under control to just above the floor, then drive back up.

Suggested working range: 12–20 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Mechanics

A compound horizontal hip hinge with the shoulders anchored on the floor: the hips flex and extend while the knees stay bent, so the movement is driven almost entirely at the hip. The floor limits how far the hips can travel, giving a shorter range than a bench-supported thrust.

Form cues

• •Plant your feet flat and close enough that driving through the heels loads the glutes rather than the quads.
• •Push the hips up until knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line, then squeeze the glutes hard at the top.
• •Avoid arching the lower back to gain height: the lift comes from the hips, not from hyperextending the spine.

Common mistakes

• •Arching the lower back to raise the hips higher instead of extending at the hip.
• •Pushing through the toes rather than the heels, reducing glute involvement.
• •Resting the hips fully on the floor between reps and losing continuous tension.
• •Rushing the reps instead of pausing to squeeze at the top.

Variations & alternatives

• •Barbell hip thrust: the bench-supported, longer-range progression once bodyweight bridges are easy.
• •Single-leg glute bridge: one leg at a time to raise the difficulty and balance out asymmetries.
• •Cable pull-through: a loaded standing version that trains the same top-end hip extension.

Barbell Hip Thrust

Glutes · Barbell

Cable Kickback

Glutes · Cable

Single-Leg Hip Thrust

Glutes · Bodyweight

Machine Hip Thrust

Glutes · Machine

Banded Hip Thrust

Glutes · Barbell

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Because it’s a bodyweight, short-range movement, the glute bridge lives in the 12–20 rep range. Use it as a warm-up to switch the glutes on, as a burnout after heavier work, or as a beginner’s first glute exercise before loading the hip thrust.

Frequently asked questions