The glute bridge is a power exercise great for shaping and firming your glutes, and strengthening your core and hips for improved stabilisation.
Also known as the lying hip extension, performing the exercise on a stability ball adds an additional stability element that has functional carryover into various sports, and makes the exercise more challenging.
How to do it
Lie on your back. Place your heels on the top of a stability ball. Maintain a small gap between your feet. Rest your arms on the floor with your palms facing down and flat on the floor.
The movement: Roll the ball in slightly and push through your heels and feet to raise your hips off the floor. Press up until your hips are fully extended and your torso and legs form a straight line. Forcefully contract the glutes hard at the top of the movement with as little hamstring involvement as possible. Pause for two seconds at the top of the movement, then return to the starting position.
You can also make the exercise more challenging with these variations:
- Progression 1: To increase the difficulty of the exercise move your feet closer together on the stability ball.
- Progression 2: To make the exercise more challenging place your hands on your chest and only keep your elbows on the floor for stability.
- Progression 3: Perform the exercise with one leg, by raising one leg off the ball toward the ceiling.
- Progression 4: Glute bridge march – At the top of the double leg glute bridge movement brace your abs and lift your right knee toward your chest. Perform on the other side for the following rep.
Targeted muscles
The glute bridge is an excellent exercise for targeting the glutes (your butt muscles) as its primary movers, helping you build a stronger posterior chain. Beyond the glutes, it’s also a fantastic full-body move that engages many secondary muscles to assist with the lift and keep you stable. These helpers include your core muscles (like your obliques and abdominals), the muscles in your lower back (erector spinae), and various muscles in your upper legs, such as your quads, hip flexors, and adductors. In short, while the glutes do most of the work, the glute bridge efficiently strengthens your entire lower body and core simultaneously.
Form tips
- Placing your hands on the floor helps to stabilise your body during the exercise.
- Maintain a slight muscle contraction in your core region throughout the exercise.
- Avoid hyperextending and arching your back by pushing your hips too high.
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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