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Barbell Hip Thrust

Barbell Hip Thrust demonstration
  • Glutes
  • Calves
  • Hamstrings

Equipment: Barbell

New to this

Your first barbell hip thrust

What weight should I start with on the barbell hip thrust?

Start with the empty 45 lb bar and a pad. Hip thrusts get heavy fast, so most people add a 25 lb plate per side within a few sessions. You have it right when your hips lock out level with your knees and shoulders.

What usually goes wrong on the barbell hip thrust?

Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench set at about knee height, roughly 16 inches.

Roll the padded bar over your hips and plant your feet flat, shins vertical at the top of the rep.

Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes until your torso is parallel with the floor.

Tuck your chin and keep your ribs down so the movement stays in the hips.

You should feel this in the glutes. If it lands in your lower back, you are overextending at the top.

Most common mistake: arching the lower back to reach lockout. Stop when your hips are level, not higher.

If the hip thrust bench is taken

The Barbell Glute Bridge is the same movement from the floor, no bench needed, with a shorter range.

The Dumbbell Squat trains the glutes as part of a full squat pattern when nothing else is free.

How to do it

  1. Begin seated on the ground with a bench directly behind you. Have a loaded barbell over your legs. Using a fat bar or having a pad on the bar can greatly reduce the discomfort caused by this exercise.

  2. Roll the bar so that it is directly above your hips, and lean back against the bench so that your shoulder blades are near the top of it.

  3. Begin the movement by driving through your feet, extending your hips vertically through the bar. Your weight should be supported by your shoulder blades and your feet. Extend as far as possible, then reverse the motion to return to the starting position.