Barbell Hip Thrust

How to perform the Barbell Hip Thrust

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back against the long edge of a bench; the bench should hit just below your shoulder blades.
2. Roll the loaded barbell over your thighs into the crease of your hips, using a pad or a thick towel to prevent bruising.
3. Plant your feet flat on the floor at roughly hip-width, with the heels positioned so that at the top of the lift the shins are vertical.
4. Tuck your chin slightly, brace your core, and drive through your heels to lift the hips up until your torso and thighs form a straight line parallel to the floor.
5. Squeeze the glutes hard at the top — the rep is finished when the hips are fully extended, not when the bar is at its peak height.
6. Avoid hyperextending the lower back; keep the ribs pulled down and the pelvis posteriorly tilted slightly at lockout.
7. Lower the bar under control until the plates lightly touch the floor (or to a controlled depth if using a higher platform), then drive back up.

Suggested working range: 8–15 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Hyperextending the lower back at the top instead of finishing the rep with the pelvis tucked and the ribs down.
• •Pushing through the toes instead of the heels, which shifts the load away from the glutes.
• •Letting the knees cave inward at the top of the rep, especially under heavy load.
• •Picking the chin up and looking at the ceiling — the head should track with the torso so the cervical spine stays neutral.
• •Cutting the range short by not driving the hips fully up to a flat torso line.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.