Glutes bridge
Main muscle worked: Gluteus maximus
The glutes bridge is a highly effective exercise for targeting and strengthening the glute muscles. Whether you are looking to build a stronger posterior chain, improve athletic performance, or simply enhance the shape and size of your glutes, incorporating glute bridges into your workout routine can yield impressive results.
Glutes bridge
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heels in a controlled movement. Adjust the position of your feet to make your shins to be almost vertical to the floor. Pushing your knees outward as you extend your torso help to create better glutes activation. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glute activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: Do not overextend your hips at the top.
Glutes bridge + banded hip abduction
- Place a resistance band above or below your knees. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heels in a controlled movement. Adjust the position of your feet to make your shins to be almost vertical to the floor. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glutes activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drive your knees outward without stepping out with your feet until you cannot stretch the band any further at the top.
- Drive your knees back and drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Tips: When you do hip abduction at the top of the glutes bridge, do not drop your hips but keep the level of height and do hip abduction.
B stance glutes bridge
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Extend one leg and let that side heel touch the floor a whole time. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heel in a controlled movement. Extended leg is slightly supporting your movement but the other leg is mainly supporting your movement. Make sure your main driven leg is almost vertical to the floor. Pushing your knee outward as you extend your torso help to create better glutes activation. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glutes activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Single leg glutes bridge
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Extend one leg and let that leg stay in the air a whole time. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heel in a controlled movement. One leg is fully supporting your body and movement. Make sure your main driven leg is almost vertical to the floor. Pushing your knee outward as you extend your torso help to create better glutes activation. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glutes activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
Feet elevated glutes bridge
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place your feet on Swiss ball. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heels in a controlled movement. Pushing your knees outward as you extend your torso help to create better glutes activation. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glutes activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps for 2-3 sets.
Feet elevated single leg glutes bridge
- Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place one leg on Swiss ball and extend the leg and let that leg stay in the air a whole time. Place your arms by your sides, palms facing down.
- Drive your hips upward by pushing through your heel in a controlled movement. One leg is fully supporting your body and movement. Pushing your knee outward as you extend your torso help to create better glutes activation. Keep your head neutral for a proper alignment.
- Extend your hips fully for the highest glutes activation by squeezing your glutes and hold it for a moment at the top.
- Drop your hips in a controlled movement.
Perform 8-12 reps each side for 2-3 sets.
By elevating your feet on a chair, box, bench, step, Swiss ball, and so on, you can dramatically increase the range of motion. With a feet-elevated glute bridge, hamstrings work more than quadriceps. You can start with a stable and low step for elevation. The lower and more stable the step, the easier the glutes bridge is. Speaking of that, elevated glute bridge with Swiss ball is advanced since Swiss ball makes your elevation level very high and it is very unstable. Depending on your level, you can choose what to use for the elevation.