Demonstration
Watch the Form Demo
Technique
How to Do the Dumbbell Hip Thrust
- Sit on the floor with your upper back against a bench edge, knees bent and feet flat.
- Lay a dumbbell horizontally across the crease of your hips, steadying it with both hands.
- Set your feet so your shins will be vertical at the top.
- Drive through your heels to lift your hips until your body is straight from shoulders to knees.
- Squeeze the glutes hard at the top for a full second.
- Lower under control and repeat.
Anatomy
Muscles Worked
Do This
Form Cues
- Hold the dumbbell across the hip crease with both hands.
- Rest the shoulder blades on the bench edge, not the middle of the back.
- Finish with the ribs down and the glutes squeezed.
- Hold the dumbbell still on the hip crease. If it rolls toward your stomach, re-set before the next rep.
Avoid This
Common Mistakes
- Letting the dumbbell drift up toward the stomach.
- Arching the lower back at lockout.
- Setting the feet too far out so the hamstrings take over.
- Grinding away at a too-light dumbbell for months instead of progressing to pauses, one leg, or the barbell.
More to Explore
Variations & Related Exercises
Variations of this lift
Barbell Hip Thrust
Bodyweight Hip Thrust
Feet Elevated Glute Bridge
Trains the same muscles
1.5 Rep Barbell Squat
B-Stance Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
Band Fire Hydrant
Band Side Clam
Barbell Box Squat
Barbell Deadlift
Put It Into Practice
Workouts Featuring This Lift
3-Day Dumbbell Home Workout Plan
Dumbbells, a bench, and three days per week. Full body sessions covering every major muscle group with a clear progression…
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3-Day Full Body Workout for Beginners
A classic 3-day barbell and dumbbell program built around the fundamental lifts. Three sessions a week, every major muscle group…
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30-Minute Dumbbell Fat Loss Plan
Three sessions per week, 30 minutes each, dumbbells only. Built for people cutting in a deficit who do not have…
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4-Day Dumbbell Home Split
Train like you have a gym, from your spare room. Upper/lower split, four sessions per week, adjustable dumbbells and a…
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4-Day Upper Lower Dumbbell Plan
A complete four-day upper/lower split you can run at home with nothing but a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a…
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4-Day Upper Lower Split
A four-day upper-lower split that trains your whole body twice a week across two upper and two lower sessions, one…
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4-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
A fast, four-week fat loss plan using only dumbbells. Four efficient sessions a week blending dumbbell strength circuits with metabolic…
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5-Day Dumbbell Split
A five-day body-part split you can run with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, training chest, back, shoulders, arms, and…
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8-Week Dumbbell Workout Plan
A complete dumbbell workout plan to build muscle and strength. A four-day upper/lower split using only dumbbells, proving you do…
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Beginner Gym Workout Plan
Your first structured gym plan: two simple full-body workouts, alternated across three days a week, that teach the core lifts…
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Dumbbell Leg Workout
A dumbbell-only leg session that trains quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves with nothing but a pair of dumbbells, proving you…
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Dumbbell-Only Workout Program for Beginners
A complete 8-week strength program using nothing but dumbbells. Train at home, in a hotel gym, or at any basic…
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Full Body Dumbbell Workout Plan
A full body dumbbell workout hitting every muscle three times a week. Simple, effective, and perfect for building muscle and…
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