# Banded Glute Bridge: how to do it

- Main muscles: glutes
- Also works: abductors, hamstrings
- Equipment: band
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/banded_glute_bridge/01c3a81aed/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Loop a mini band just above your knees.
2. Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and hip-width apart.
3. Press your knees out gently so the band is tight.
4. Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips.
5. Stop at a straight line from shoulders to knees, then lower slowly.

## Cues

- Push your knees out against the band.
- Knees stay over your feet.
- Ribs down, squeeze at the top.

## Common mistakes

- Letting the band pull your knees in.
- Arching your lower back at the top.
- Wearing the band on your kneecaps.

## Starting position

Lie on your back on a mat, knees bent, feet flat, hip-width apart, toes pointing straight ahead. Place the feet so the heels will sit under the knees at the top. Arms on the floor at the sides, palms down, head resting on the floor. Press the knees gently out so the band is taut and the knees sit over the feet. Brace the stomach so the lower back is flat.

## The movement

As the glute bridge, with steady outward knee pressure. Keep pushing the knees out against the band, just enough that they stay in line with the hips and feet; they never cave in and never flare past the feet. Press the whole foot into the floor, weight towards the heels, and squeeze the glutes to lift the hips until the shoulders, hips and knees form one straight line. The shoulder blades stay on the floor; the ribs stay down. Lower under control until the buttocks just touch the floor, band still taut, then go again.

## End position

Top: hips at neutral extension (0°), a straight line from shoulders to knees, knees bent about 90° and over the feet. With the knees over hip-width feet, the thighs are close to parallel, so hip abduction stays within a few degrees.

## Tempo

About 2 s up, 1 s hold at the top, 2 s down, a short touch at the bottom without relaxing.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Band position | just above the knees | lower third of the thigh, never on the kneecap | [1] |
| Stance width (heel centres) | 25 cm (hip-width) | 20–30 cm | [1] |
| Toe angle | 0° | 0–10° out | [1] |
| Knee spacing (front view) | over the feet, band taut | knee width equal to foot width, up to 5 cm wider | [1] [2] |
| Hip extension at the top | 0° | −5° to +5° (no lumbar arch) |  |
| Shoulder-hip-knee line at the top | straight | within 5° of straight |  |
| Knee flexion at the top | 90° | 80–100° |  |
| Upper back | shoulder blades on the floor | no weight on the neck |  |

## Sources

1. [NASM, Active Recovery: Benefits and Best Practices (Kinsey Cave, NASM Master Instructor)](https://www.nasm.org/resource-center/blog/active-recovery)
2. [Choi et al. 2015, J Electromyogr Kinesiol 25(2):310–315, Isometric hip abduction using a Thera-Band alters gluteus maximus muscle activity and the anterior pelvic tilt angle during bridging exercise](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25262160/)
3. [Kennedy, Casebolt, Farren and Bartlett 2023, Int J Strength Cond 3(1), Effects of band-resisted abduction on muscle activity between the barbell hip thrust and barbell glute bridge](https://doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v3i1.223)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/banded-glute-bridge