glute bridge

The Glute Bridge is a pretty well known glute exercise. As a staple in many lower body workouts, it offers a straightforward and progressive way to isolate and engage the glute muscles.

Here we will cover the specific muscles activated by Glute Bridges, the proper technique for execution, the benefits they offer you, common mistakes to avoid, recommendations for reps and sets, strategies for incorporating them into your workouts, and finally a selection of exercises that work similar muscle groups.

Muscles Worked When Performing the Glute Bridge

The Glute Bridge effectively engages the following key muscle groups:

Glutes: As the name suggests, this exercise primarily targets the glutes, the largest muscle in your body. Strong glutes contribute to overall lower body strength and power as well as everyday functional strength and athletic ability.

Quads & Hamstrings: By default, this exercise will recruit the support of your quads and hamstrings by way of stabilising your position.

Abs & Core: We often forget how crucial a role our abs and core play in a wide range of exercises. The Glute Bridge is no exception. With this exercise your abs and core will be engaged throughout.

You can use the muscle highlighted image at the top of this page for a visual guide of the muscles worked.

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How to Perform the Glute Bridge

1. Start Position: Begin by lying on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Your feet should be hip-width apart, and your arms should rest by your sides, palms facing down.

2. Execution: Press through your heels and engage your glutes to lift your hips off the ground. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees at the top of the bridge.

3. Top Position: At the peak of the bridge, squeeze your glutes to maximise their engagement. Hold this position for as long as possible to increase time under tension.

4. Back to Start: Slowly lower your hips back to the start position through the same controlled movement. Ensure that your back, hips, and knees remain aligned throughout the exercise.

5. Go for Reps: Perform the desired number of reps and sets, maintaining proper form all the way through.

Don’t mistake this exercise for a Hip Thrust, they are not the same exercise, see Glute Bridge vs Hip Thrusts.

Benefits of the Glute Bridge

Glute Building: It’s not just about aesthetics, there are functional benefits too. The Glute Bridge is a powerful exercise for targeting and developing the glute muscles, which play a significant role in posture, lower body stability, and athletic performance.

Low-Impact/Beginner Option: This is a low-impact exercise suitable for individuals of varying fitness levels and is also gentle on the joints.

Core Strength: The exercise also engages the core muscles, helping improve overall core strength and stability, which in turn makes absolutely everything you do easier.

Glute Bridge: Common Mistakes to Avoid

Rushing: Avoid performing Glute Bridges too quickly. This is not an “up and down” exercise, it is an “up and hold”, consider it a plank for your glutes.

Arching the Lower Back: Ouch! Don’t do this. While lifting your hips, be careful not to overextend your lower back, as this can lead to discomfort, improper muscle activation, or worse, injury.

Poor Alignment: Keep your feet hip-width apart and your knees aligned with your feet and your body in a fixed and straight position to maintain the correct form. Don’t let your hips drop, engage your core and hold strong.

Reps and Sets

The number of reps and sets you perform depends on your current strength with this exercise.

Beginners: Start with simply mastering the move. Keep in mind that if you’re just starting out, 3 reps is a valid set.

To determine how many reps/sets of the Glute Bridge you should start with, you first need to figure out how many reps you can comfortably perform. Then add 2, and perform that number of reps for 3 sets.

*Remember! With this exercise, one rep is “up and hold” for as long as possible, not up and down.

For example; let’s say you can perform 4 reps comfortably. Add 2 to make 6 reps. Perform those 6 reps 3 times over, allowing yourself sufficient rest inbetween.

Experienced lifters: You know your body and its abilities better than anyone, use your own judgment.

We recommend that you avoid performing more than 12 reps per set. If you’re comfortably performing 12 reps for up to 6 sets, it’s time to make the exercise more challenging.

How to Make the Glute Bridge More Challenging

To make this exercise more challenging, you can add a barbell across your hips, or you can grip a dumbbell, medicine ball or sand bag on your lap. The idea is to add more weight to the Glute Bridge, forcing you to hold more weight, so that you can continue to get stronger with this exercise.

How to Incorporate the Glute Bridge into Your Workouts

The Glute Bridge can be worked into almost any workout plan, if you intend to use it as a finisher. This is particularly helpful if you are specifically focused on your glute gains. More often than not, it’s incorporated into the lower body, leg or bum and thighs workout plan.

Whichever workout plan you add your Glute Bridge to, just be mindful of its placement. This is a relatively simple exercise, which is performed with bodyweight or some added weight, but it is not likely to be the most exhaustive exercise in your plan. You should always prioritise the exercise that uses the most weight, muscle groups and expends the most energy. You can learn more about exercise order here.

Exercises That Work Similar Muscles to the Glute Bridge

Exercises like Sumo Squats, Deadlifts and Romanian Deadlifts are great compound moves to help further strengthen your glutes for your Glute Bridges. Compound exercises are crucial for muscle growth since they allow you to move more overall weight than isolation exercises, helping you build the muscle faster.

You can also pair this exercise with other squat variations, such as the Goblet Squat, Dumbbell Sumo Squat or the Leg Press Machine (with a wide foot position for more targeted glute engagement). If you’re looking for more glute isolation exercises, you can perform Cable Kickbacks, Hip Thrusts or a Single Leg Glute Bridge. A combination of compound and isolation exercises is recommended for well rounded results.

You can find more Bum Exercises at the bottom of this page. Or you can check out our entire exercise database broken down by muscle group here.

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