Glutes · Compound

Glute Bridge

A bodyweight exercise for glute activation performed lying on the floor, great for warm-ups and rehabilitation. It teaches the hip extension and glute squeeze that every thrust, deadlift, and squat depends on, from a position where the lower back cannot easily cheat. It is the starting point of the entire glute progression that runs through hip thrusts to the loaded barbell versions.

By Macros Inc Team Verified by Alex Dedmon Updated August 2026

Beginner Bodyweight Compound Hinge
glute-bridge-poster
  • Level Beginner
  • Equipment Bodyweight
  • Primary Muscles Abs, Glutes, Hamstrings
  • Movement Compound Hinge

Demonstration

Watch the Form Demo

Technique

How to Do the Glute Bridge

  1. Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor at hip width, heels close to your hips.
  2. Rest your arms at your sides, palms down.
  3. Brace your core with your ribs down.
  4. Drive through your heels to lift your hips into a straight line from shoulders to knees.
  5. Squeeze the glutes hard at the top for a full second.
  6. Lower under control and repeat.

Anatomy

Muscles Worked

glutes
Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Abs Hamstrings

Do This

Form Cues

  • Push through the heels and finish with the glutes, not the lower back.
  • Tuck the ribs down so the hips do the extending.
  • Squeeze for a full second at the top of every rep.
  • Squeeze the glutes to lift the hips rather than lifting the hips and hoping the glutes notice.

Avoid This

Common Mistakes

  • Arching the lower back to get higher rather than extending the hips.
  • Placing the feet too far away, which shifts the work to the hamstrings.
  • Racing through reps without ever squeezing.
  • Pushing through the toes, which hands the movement to the quads and calves.

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