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Hip Thrust (Barbell)

The most direct glute exercise there is, and one of the few heavy lifts that is easy on your spine.

• Glutes
• Barbell
• Weight and reps

What it works

Glutes, more directly than any other loaded movement, with the hamstrings assisting and the quads contributing a little at the top. Because your spine is horizontal and supported, it lets you load the glutes hard without much of the axial fatigue a squat or deadlift brings.

Setup

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back against the long edge of a bench. The bench should be roughly knee height and braced against something so it cannot slide.
2. Roll a loaded barbell over your legs so it sits in the crease of your hips. Use a pad or a folded mat: this is uncomfortable without one and there is no benefit to enduring it.
3. Set your feet flat, about hip width, far enough forward that when you are at the top your shins are vertical.
4. Tuck your chin slightly and set your upper back against the bench, just below your shoulder blades.

The movement

1. Brace, and push through your heels to drive your hips up.
2. Rise until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor and your shins are vertical.
3. At the top, squeeze your glutes hard and tuck your pelvis slightly, as though shortening the distance between your ribs and your hips. This is the part of the movement that matters most and the part most people skip.
4. Pause for a moment, then lower under control until the plates are just off the floor or lightly touching.
5. Keep your chin tucked and your ribs down throughout. Your head travels with your torso.

Common mistakes

• Arching the lower back at the top: if you are finishing by extending your spine rather than your hips, you are training your lower back. Tuck the pelvis and keep your ribs pulled down.
• Feet too close or too far: shins should be vertical at the top. Too close and it becomes a quad exercise, too far and the hamstrings take over.
• Throwing the head back: keep your chin tucked and your eyes on your hips or knees through the whole rep.
• No pause at the top: the top is where the glutes are doing the most work. Bouncing through it wastes the rep.
• Skipping the pad: a bar directly on your hip bones is genuinely painful and will limit the weight long before your glutes do.

Variations and alternatives

The Romanian deadlift works the same hip extension pattern through a stretch rather than a squeeze. Single leg hip thrusts and glute bridges from the floor need much less setup and are good options when a bench is not free.

If a movement causes pain rather than ordinary training effort, stop and speak to a qualified professional. Programming context for this lift is in how training programs are built.