Glute Bridge Two Legs on Floor

The glute bridge lifts your hips off the floor while lying on your back with your knees bent. It trains the glutes at full hip extension with no equipment, and it is the starting point for the hip thrust, its loaded big brother.

Targets: Gluteus Maximus
Also works: Hamstrings, Quadriceps
Equipment: Body weight
Level: Beginner
Start with: 3 × 10-12, 60s rest

How to do it

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor about hip-width apart and close to your glutes.
Tuck your pelvis slightly so your lower back flattens towards the floor.
Push through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from knees to shoulders.
Squeeze your glutes for one to two seconds at the top, then lower slowly.

Form cues

Drive through the heels, not the toes.
Ribs down; the lift comes from the hips, not an arched back.
Squeeze as if holding a coin between your glutes.

Common mistakes

Arching the lower back at the top instead of extending the hips.
Feet too far away, which makes the hamstrings cramp and do the work.
Rushing reps. The pause at the top is what makes the bridge hard.

Where this fits in a week

Dietly Fit scores one photo a week out of 100, names the area holding the score back, and builds the week around it — so a movement like this gets programmed when your gluteus maximus is what needs the work, not because it was next on a list.

More glutes movements

Demonstration courtesy of Gym Visual. Sets and reps are a starting point, not a prescription. Speak to a qualified professional before starting a new exercise program, particularly if you are managing an injury or a health condition.