Hip thrust: how to perform it.
The hip thrust is the exercise that finally gave glutes a workout built for them: a hip drive against a barbell, back supported, taking the glute to full contraction exactly where squats and deadlifts leave it halfway. Simple in concept, demanding in setup.
Starting position
- Back supported on a stable bench, with the edge positioned exactly under your shoulder blades.
- Barbell across your hips with a pad (skip it and the fun ends after rep one).
- Feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, set at a distance so your shins are vertical at the top of the movement.
Proper form
- Take a breath, brace your core, and drive your hips upward through your heels.
- Rise until your torso is parallel to the floor: shoulders, hips and knees in line.
- At the top, SQUEEZE your glutes hard for a full second, chin slightly tucked, eyes forward.
- Don't chase extra height by arching your lower back: the lockout comes from your glutes, not your spine.
- Lower under control until the barbell grazes the floor (or just above it), then drive back up.
When to inhale, when to exhale
Inhale at the bottom, drive with the air held, and exhale at the top during the squeeze, or on the way down. Core pressure keeps your lower back from hijacking the movement.
Mistakes to avoid
That final hyperextension with your belly pointing at the ceiling feels like "more range," but it's just spine. The real lockout is flat: torso parallel to the floor, glutes squeezed hard, ribs down.
Feet too far under you = quads take over; too far forward = hamstrings take over. The right spot is where your shins are vertical with hips fully raised: test it unloaded before you add weight.
Looking up at the ceiling during lockout drags your neck out of position and invites your lower back to arch. Chin tucked, eyes forward: the neck follows the torso.
Bouncing the barbell off the floor kills glute tension every single rep. Graze it and drive back up under control: constant tension is what makes the hip thrust special.
DAWT tip. The hip thrust can handle serious loads fast, but glutes respond to contraction, not to plates: before adding weight, earn a full second squeeze at the top of every rep. A hip thrust without a pause at lockout is half a hip thrust.
Variations and alternatives
Quick answers
Hip thrust or squat for glutes?
The hip thrust loads the glute at peak contraction, the squat at peak stretch: research treats them as complementary, not competing. For complete glute development: do both in the same week.
How much weight should I use on the hip thrust?
It's normal to blow past your squat numbers fast: the leverage favors you. But the benchmark is still a full lockout with a real squeeze: once the pause at the top disappears, the load has outpaced your glutes.
Why do I feel my quads instead of my glutes?
Almost always your feet are too close to your body. Move them out until your shins are vertical at the top of the drive, and push through your heels: the glutes take back the exercise.
Related exercises
How much should you load on this exercise?
DAWT's AI coach tells you, set by set: it builds your plan around your goals, auto-regulates the load from your real effort and corrects you while you train. Download the app and start free.
