Glute bridge: how to perform it.
The glute bridge is the gateway into glute training: lying on the floor, feet planted, hips rising into a top squeeze. Zero equipment, technique that's nearly impossible to get completely wrong, and the exact feeling of what it means to "feel your glutes": the lesson you need before loading up a hip thrust.
Starting position
- Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip-width apart, close to your glutes.
- Arms alongside your body, palms on the floor.
- Pelvis in slight posterior tilt: your lower back finds the floor before you move.
Proper form
- Drive through your heels and lift your hips until shoulders, hips and knees line up.
- At the top, squeeze your glutes hard for 1-2 full seconds: that's the core of the exercise.
- The lift ends with your hips extended, not with your back arched.
- Lower over 2 seconds, grazing the floor without fully resting your weight down.
- Go again with no bounce: every rep gets its own squeeze.
When to inhale, when to exhale
Exhale as you rise and squeeze, inhale as you lower.
Mistakes to avoid
Past the body's straight line, those extra inches come from your back, not your glutes. The target is straight hips with glutes locked hard, not hips pointing at the ceiling.
Pressing through the forefoot shifts the work to your quads and calves. Plant your heels, you can even lift your toes off the floor to make sure.
Going up and down with no pause at the top strips the bridge of its whole point. Better 12 reps with a 2-second squeeze than 30 done like a piston.
DAWT tip. Once bodyweight reps go past 20 easy, don't add more: switch to the single-leg version (one leg extended in the air) or rest a plate on your hips. The next step up is called the hip thrust.
Variations and alternatives
Quick answers
Glute bridge vs hip thrust: what's the difference?
The glute bridge starts from the floor and has a shorter range of motion: perfect for learning and for bodyweight work. The hip thrust, with your shoulders on a bench, extends the range and allows for barbell loading: it's the natural progression once the bridge gets easy.
Does the glute bridge help with lower back pain?
Strengthening your glutes often helps people who spend hours sitting, because weak glutes dump extra work onto the lower back. The glute bridge, done with a proper squeeze and no arching, is one of the exercises most commonly used for exactly this purpose. For actual pain, see a professional first.
Related exercises
How much should you load on this exercise?
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