Single Leg 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.

HOW TO PERFORM

The Setup: Sit on the floor and lean your upper back against a stable weight bench or couch. The bottom of your shoulder blades should rest right against the edge of the bench.
Foot Placement: Place your working foot flat on the floor. When your hips are fully raised, your working shin should form a 90-degree angle with the ground. Lift the non-working leg off the floor.
The Drive: Keep your chin tucked forward (looking down toward your belly button). Drive through the heel of your working foot to thrust your hips straight up.
The Lockout: Squeeze your glute hard at the peak. Your torso should form a straight line from your shoulders to your working knee. Avoid arching your lower back at the top.
The Descent: Lower your hips back down under control. Keep your upper body moving as one unified piece (the hinge method) rather than isolating just your lower back.

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.

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.