Barbell Hip Thrust

What is the Barbell Hip Thrust?

The barbell hip thrust is a horizontal hip-extension exercise performed with the upper back braced on a bench and a loaded bar resting across the hips. You drive the hips straight up until the torso is level, and because peak glute tension lands at full lockout rather than in a stretch, it’s widely regarded as the premier direct glute builder.

Muscles worked

Primary: Glutes

The glutes are the prime mover, contracting hardest at the top where the hips are fully extended and the resistance line is horizontal, exactly where the glutes are strongest.

Secondary: Hamstrings

The hamstrings assist the glutes in extending the hip, contributing more as the load gets heavy.

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.

Mechanics

A horizontal hip hinge and a compound lift: the shoulders stay fixed on the bench as a pivot while the hips flex and extend through a large arc, taking the bar from below the hips up to a level, locked-out torso. The horizontal bar path means the glutes face peak torque at lockout instead of at the bottom.

Form cues

• •Set your upper back (just below the shoulder blades) on the bench edge so it acts as a stable pivot point.
• •Drive through your heels and finish by squeezing the glutes hard at the top until the torso is parallel to the floor.
• •Keep a slight posterior tuck of the pelvis at lockout and avoid hyperextending the lower back to reach the top.

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

• •Single-leg hip thrust: one leg at a time to expose and even out side-to-side strength differences.
• •Glute bridge: the same movement from the floor with a shorter range, useful as a warm-up or a lighter alternative.
• •Cable pull-through: a standing horizontal hip extension that trains the same lockout with constant cable tension.

Cable Kickback

Glutes · Cable

Single-Leg Hip Thrust

Glutes · Bodyweight

Machine Hip Thrust

Glutes · Machine

Banded Hip Thrust

Glutes · Barbell

Glute Bridge

Glutes · Bodyweight

Programming: sets, reps & when to use it

Train the hip thrust as a primary glute movement in the 8–15 rep range; it responds well to heavier loading than most glute work, so a deliberate pause and hard squeeze at lockout matters more than chasing extra reps.

Frequently asked questions