Glutes exercise
Dumbbell Hip ThrustHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Glutes
- Also works
- Hamstrings
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Hip Thrust?
- Sit with your shoulder blades on the bench edge.
- Rest a dumbbell across your hip crease and hold both ends.
- Plant your feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent.
- Drive through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips.
- Stop at a flat line from shoulders to knees, then lower slowly.
Cues
- Shins vertical at the top.
- Chin tucked, eyes on your knees.
- Hands only hold the dumbbell still.
Common mistakes
- Arching your lower back at the top.
- Letting the dumbbell roll onto your stomach.
- Rushing the lowering and bouncing off the floor.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Sit on the floor with the upper back against the long side of a flat bench, 40 cm high, the bench edge across the lower tips of the shoulder blades. Feet flat, shoulder-width apart, toes forward to 15° out. One dumbbell lies across the hip crease, handle running left to right, parallel to the bench. Both hands hold it, one on each end (palms on the heads, elbows bent and close to the ribs), so it cannot roll. Feet are placed so the shins will be vertical at the top. At the start the hips hover 5–10 cm above the floor, the trunk tips back about 45° from the floor and the chin is tucked.
The movement
As the barbell hip thrust. Drive through the heels and squeeze the glutes. The upper back pivots on the bench edge and the trunk and thighs rise together until shoulders, hips and knees form one straight line, parallel to the floor. The hands keep the dumbbell pressed into the hip crease; the arms do not push or lift it. The chin stays tucked, eyes forward. Lower under control until the hips are just above the floor.
End position
Top: hips fully extended (0°), body flat from shoulders to knees, shins vertical, knees at about 90°.
Tempo
1 s up, 1 s squeeze at the top, 2 s down, no rest at the bottom.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench height | 40 cm | 35–46 cm | |
| Bench edge on the back | lower tips of the shoulder blades | lower half of the shoulder blades | [1][2] |
| Stance width (heel centres) | shoulder-width | hip- to 1.2× shoulder-width | [1][2] |
| Dumbbell position | across the hip crease, handle left to right | on the hip bones | [3] |
| Hip extension at the top | 0° | −5° to +5° (no lumbar arch) | [1] |
| Knee flexion at the top | 90° | 80–100° | [1] |
| Trunk at the top | parallel to the floor | ±10° | [1][2] |
| Hip range of motion, bottom to top | 75° | 60–90° | |
| Trunk angle from the floor at the bottom | 45° | 35–55° | |
| Head | chin tucked, gaze forward at the knees | neck neutral | [2] |
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 Dumbbell Hip Thrust 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
