Glutes exercise
Barbell Glute BridgeHow to do it, with form in numbers
How to do it
How do you do the Barbell Glute Bridge?
- Sit with legs straight and roll a padded bar into your hip crease.
- Lie back, bend your knees and plant your feet hip-width apart.
- Hold the bar just outside your hips.
- Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift the bar.
- Stop at a straight line from shoulders to knees, then lower slowly.
Cues
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top.
- Ribs down, head on the floor.
- Hands only hold the bar still.
Common mistakes
- Arching your lower back at the top.
- Letting the bar roll onto your stomach.
- Letting your knees fall in or out.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Sit on the floor with legs straight and roll a loaded barbell (bumper plates make this easier) up the legs until it sits in the hip crease, across the top of both thighs. Wrap the bar in a foam pad or folded towel. Lie back on the mat, head resting on the floor. Bend the knees and set the feet flat, about hip-width apart (up to shoulder-width), toes forward, placed so the heels will sit under the knees at the top. Hold the bar overhand with both hands just outside the hips, only to keep it from rolling. Brace the stomach so the lower back is flat.
The movement
As the glute bridge. Press the whole foot into the floor, weight towards the heels, and squeeze the glutes to drive the bar up. The pelvis rises until the shoulders, hips and knees form one straight line. The bar stays in the hip crease and rises with the hips; the hands steady it but do not lift or press it. The shoulder blades stay on the floor and carry the weight, the head stays down and the ribs stay down. Knees stay over the feet. Lower under control until the plates or buttocks just touch the floor, then go again.
End position
Top: hips at neutral extension (0°), a straight line from shoulders to knees, knees bent about 90°, shins about vertical. Trained lifters in [2] moved the bar 15.5 ± 4.8 cm, against about 36 cm in the hip thrust.
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
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bar position | hip crease, padded | across the hip bones to the top of the thighs | [1] |
| Hands | overhand, just outside the hips | thumb to one hand-width outside the hips | [1] |
| Stance width (heel centres) | 25 cm (hip-width) | hip- to shoulder-width | [1] |
| Toe angle | 0° | 0–15° out | |
| Hip extension at the top | 0° | −5° to +5° (no lumbar arch) | |
| Shoulder-hip-knee line at the top | straight | within 5° of straight | [1] |
| Knee flexion at the top | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Vertical bar travel | 18 cm | 10–22 cm | [2] |
| Upper back | shoulder blades on the floor | no weight on the neck | [1] |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Barbell Glute Bridge is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
