Arching the lower back
Keep the ribs down and finish the lift with the glutes, not the back.
Hinge · Bodyweight
Glute Bridge
A floor-based bridge where you lie on your back and lift your hips by driving through your feet. It targets the glutes with no equipment and is easy to learn. Good for beginners, warm-ups, and home training.
- Primary
- Glutes
- Secondary
- Hamstrings
- Starting rep range
- 12–20 reps
- Target effort
- 2 reps in reserve
- Progression
- Add reps, then difficulty
Muscles worked
The glutes extend the hip to lift the pelvis, with the hamstrings assisting. Feet closer to the hips shift more work to the glutes; feet further away increase hamstring involvement.
How to set up
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, about hip width apart.
- Place your feet so your shins are near vertical at the top.
- Rest your arms on the floor by your sides.
- Tuck your ribs down and brace lightly.
How to do each rep
- Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your body forms a line from shoulders to knees.
- Squeeze your glutes at the top for 1-2 seconds.
- Lower slowly until your hips almost touch the floor.
- Keep the ribs down; do not arch your lower back to get higher.
Common glute bridge mistakes
Feet too far away
Bring the feet closer so the shins are near vertical at the top.
Rushing reps
Pause at the top and lower under control.
Sets, reps, and progression
Surpass starts the glute bridge at 12–20 reps with about 2 reps in reserve. As a compound lift it usually belongs early in the session, when you are fresh.
Build to 20+ reps, then progress to single-leg glute bridges, a pause at the top, or add weight on the hips. Move to barbell hip thrusts when bodyweight is easy.
Know what to lift next time
Surpass shows what you lifted last time beside a target for this set, and adjusts it from your reps and RIR. Free on iPhone, no account needed.
Glute Bridge alternatives
These train the same main muscles. Swap when the equipment is busy, something hurts, or progress has stalled for several weeks.
Questions
Glute bridge vs hip thrust?
The bridge starts from the floor with your back on the ground, while the hip thrust uses a bench and a longer range. The hip thrust is easier to load heavily.
Do glute bridges build glutes?
Yes, especially for beginners. Over time you will need to add load or single-leg work to keep progressing.