Glute Bridge
1. Lie on your back with the knees bent at 90 degrees and the palms flat on the ground.
2. Pushing through the heels, raise the hips as high as possible using the gluteal muscles. Move solely around the hip joint and keep the lower back in a neutral position.
3. Hold the bridge in the top position for a moment, then lower the hips to starting position. Muscles
Involved Primary: Gluteus maximus Secondary: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), erector spinae (spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis), adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus
Exercise Notes
The glute bridge is the fundamental bent-leg hip extension movement on which all bridging motions are built. The goal is to feel the glutes lifting the hips and not the hamstrings or spinal erectors. Avoid hyperextending the lumbar spine or anteriorly tilting the pelvis. Bending the knees shortens the hamstring muscle, reducing its contribution to the movement and putting more emphasis on the gluteus maximus. Many people initially feel their hamstrings cramp during bridging movements because their hamstrings aren’t accustomed to bent-leg hip extension motions. This quickly dissipates as the glutes learn to take on a primary hip extension role and the hamstrings serve a secondary role. Strong, activated glutes prevent forward pelvic tilting and low-back overarching, which is critical for optimal performance during this exercise.
Shoulder-and-Feet-Elevated Hip Thrust
Execution
1. Facing upward, place your upper back on a couch, sturdy chair, or weight bench and your feet on a small table, stool, or chair. The two surfaces should be roughly the same height.
2. Extend the hips by squeezing the glutes. Push through the heels and keep the lower back neutral.
3. Rise as high as possible through the hips and then lower the hips to starting position. Muscles
Involved Primary: Gluteus maximus Secondary: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), erector spinae (spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis), adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus
Exercise Notes
The shoulder-and-feet-elevated hip thrust is the most challenging bridging variation because it moves the hips through the greatest range of motion and considerably increases the demands on the hamstrings. The double-leg version is still challenging for many intermediate-level exercisers, although more advanced exercisers will require single-leg variations to sufficiently challenge their hip extensors. The reason the hamstrings work so much harder in this variation is because the hips drop lower than the feet, thereby requiring the hamstrings to produce a knee flexion torque as well as a hip extension torque. For this reason, this exercise works the hamstrings through both of its roles—hip extension and knee flexion.
Donkey Kick
Execution
1. Start on all fours (quadruped position) with the head, neck, and spine in neutral position, the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips. No flexion, extension, lateral flexion, or rotation in the neck and spine.
2. Kick one leg to the rear until you reach full extension.
3. Return to starting position. Complete all repetitions on one leg before switching legs.
Muscles Involved Primary: Gluteus maximus Secondary: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), erector spinae (spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis), adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, multifidus
Exercise Notes The donkey kick is a basic hip extension exercise that trains your ability to keep the spine and pelvis in neutral while the hips move through their full range of motion. Many beginners struggle with these movements because they’re used to compensating with their erector spinae by anteriorly tilting the pelvis and hyperextending the lumbar spine. This creates the illusion of full hip extension, but on closer inspection full hip extension hasn’t been reached. It is important to learn how to extend at the hips while keeping the spine and pelvis relatively neutral.
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