Barbell Hip Thrust
A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Dumbbell
- Machine
HOW TO PERFORM
- Sit on the floor with the shoulder blades against the edge of a bench and roll the load over the hips, padded.
- Set the feet flat, about hip width, close enough that the shins finish vertical at the top.
- Tuck the chin, brace, and drive through the heels until the hips are fully extended and the torso is parallel to the floor.
- Squeeze the glutes hard at the top, then lower under control without resting the load down.
FORM TIPS
- Finish with the ribs down and the hips locked out, not with the low back arched. Arching over the top is the usual reason it is felt in the back rather than the glutes.
- Foot placement is worth a few minutes: too close and the quads take it, too far and the hamstrings do. Shins vertical at lockout is the check.
TARGET MUSCLES
Primary
- Glutes
Secondary
- Quads
- Hamstrings
In the app
This guide covers these exercises in the Ægir Iron library:
- Barbell Hip Thrust With Bands
- Barbell Hip Thrust
- Barbell Landmine Hip Thrust
- Dumbbell Figure Four Heel Elevated Hip Thrust
- Dumbbell Heel-Elevated Hip Thrust
- Hip Thrust Machine
Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.