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legs

Barbell Hip Thrust

With your upper back on a bench and a padded barbell across your hips, you drive your hips up until your body is level. The strongest exercise for the buttocks.

intermediatebarbellflat benchsquat padplates

Barbell Hip Thrust, start position
START
Barbell Hip Thrust, end position
END
BEFORE YOU START3
  1. Put a pad on the bar and roll it to the bench.
  2. Load the same weight on each side and clip the plates on.
  3. Use plates large enough that you can roll the bar over your legs.
HOW TO DO IT

Get into position

  1. Sit on the floor with your upper back against the side of a bench, knees bent, feet flat.
  2. Roll the padded bar over your legs until it sits in the crease of your hips.
  3. Set your feet so your shins are upright when your hips are at the top.
  4. Tuck your chin slightly and look forward, not at the ceiling.

Check: Your shoulder blades rest on the bench edge, the padded bar sits in the crease of your hips, and your feet are flat.

Drive your hips up

  1. Squeeze your buttocks and push through your heels to drive your hips up.
  2. Stop when your body is a straight line from shoulders to knees and hold for a second.

Check: Your body is a straight line from shoulders to knees, your shins are upright, and your ribs are tucked down, not flared.

Lower slowly

  1. Lower your hips slowly until your buttocks are just above the floor.

Check: Your buttocks are just above the floor and the bar is still in your hip crease.

That is one rep. Repeat for your set, then lower fully and roll the bar off your hips.

Breathe out as you lift in about 1 second; squeeze at the top; breathe in as you lower over 2 seconds.

MUSCLES WORKED
Barbell Hip Thrust: muscles worked, front view
Barbell Hip Thrust: muscles worked, back view

gluteshamstringscore

Red marks the muscles doing the work; amber the assisting ones. Same body for every exercise, so guides compare at a glance.

COMMON MISTAKES4
  • Arching the lower back and flaring the ribs at the top. Loads the lower back instead of the buttocks. Fix: Stop at a straight line, tuck your ribs, and squeeze the buttocks.
  • Looking up at the ceiling. Fix: Keep your chin tucked and eyes forward.
  • Feet too far away, so the shins lean forward at the top. Fix: Bring your feet in until the shins are upright at the top.
  • Pushing through the toes. Fix: Drive through the heels.
SAFETY2
  • Always use a pad on the bar.
  • Keep the plates clipped; a sliding plate here is dangerous.
EQUIPMENT SETTINGS
  • flat bench · height: the bench edge hits just below your shoulder blades
  • plates Same weight on both sides, clipped on.
RELATED EXERCISES

easier: bodyweight glute bridge, smith machine hip thrust

variants: smith machine hip thrust, single leg glute bridge

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