Glutes

Hip Thrust

A glute bridge with your upper back up on a bench, so your hips travel through a bigger range. With a dumbbell on your hips, it lets you load your glutes heavy from the bottom all the way to the top.

Works: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, core
Equipment: One dumbbell and a bench, sturdy box or couch
Load: Heavy

How to do it

1Sit on the floor with the bottom of your shoulder blades against the edge of a bench. Rest a dumbbell across your hips and hold it in place with both hands.
2Plant your feet hip width apart, close enough that your shins will be vertical at the top.
3Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your body is flat from shoulders to knees, chin tucked and eyes forward.
4Squeeze at the top, then lower your hips toward the floor under control.

Cues

Drive through your heels and squeeze hard at the top.
Chin tucked and eyes forward, so your ribs stay down.
Constant tension: stop just above the floor and go again, so your glutes never rest.

Common mistakes

Bench too high on your back. The edge should sit just below your shoulder blades, not up at your neck.
Arching at the top. If you're looking at the ceiling, you've gone too far. Keep your chin tucked and finish with your ribs down.
Feet too far out. If you feel it mostly in your hamstrings, walk your feet in until your shins are vertical at the top.

Comfort: A heavy dumbbell can dig into your hip bones. Fold a towel or mat under it, and hold it by both ends so it doesn't roll.

Easier

Go lighter, or do a glute bridge on the floor for a shorter range.

Harder

Pause for 1 second at the top of each rep, or do 2 full reps, then 2 small pulses at the top, and repeat that for the whole set.

Try it: 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, or 30 seconds on and 30 off.

Is a hip thrust better than a glute bridge?

Neither is better, they're just different. With your upper back on a bench, your hips travel farther in a hip thrust. A glute bridge on the floor has a shorter range, but it's quicker to set up and still easy to load heavy.