Hips and lower back · 30–60 seconds, or slow repetitions with a short hold
The glute bridge, without the lower back
Anyone can lift their hips. Doing it with the glutes, not the back, is the exercise.
The glute bridge trains hip extension — the action that pushes you up stairs, out of a chair and forward with every step. When the glutes are slow to fire, the lower back and hamstrings take over and the movement still looks fine from the outside. Most of the value here is in making sure they do not.
How to do it
- 1
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat and about hip-width apart
Heels close enough that you could just brush them with your fingertips. Arms resting by your sides.
- 2
Press through your heels and lift your hips
Rise until your body makes a straight line from knees to shoulders. Stop there — travelling higher usually comes from arching the back rather than extending the hip.
- 3
Lower slowly, one vertebra at a time
Come down with control rather than dropping. The lowering is free training and most people waste it.
Make it easier
Lift only a few centimetres, or place your feet on a low step. A smaller range with the right muscles working beats a big lift driven by the lower back.
Make it harder
Take one foot off the floor and bridge on a single leg, keeping the pelvis level as you rise — the library's single-leg version.
The mistake that undoes it
Squeezing higher and higher until you feel it in the lower back. If the back is doing the talking, lower the hips until the glutes are.
When this one tends to help
Sitting for most of the day, stairs that feel harder than they used to, and hips that feel stiff first thing.
Cramping hamstrings usually mean the glutes have handed the job over — lower the range. Stop if it produces back pain rather than effort.
Also part of sessions for
Each of those explains what the condition is, what the published guidance recommends, and where this movement fits.
Common questions
How high should I lift in a glute bridge?
Until your body makes a straight line from knees to shoulders. Going higher usually comes from arching the lower back rather than extending the hip.
Why do I feel the glute bridge in my lower back or hamstrings?
When the glutes are slow to fire, the lower back and hamstrings take over. Lower the range until the glutes are doing the work. Cramping hamstrings usually mean the glutes have handed the job over.
Where should my feet be for a glute bridge?
Knees bent, feet flat and about hip-width apart, with the heels close enough that you could just brush them with your fingertips.
How do I make the glute bridge easier or harder?
Easier: lift only a few centimetres, or place your feet on a low step. Harder: take one foot off the floor and bridge on a single leg, keeping the pelvis level as you rise.
How long should I do glute bridges for?
30 to 60 seconds, or slow repetitions with a short hold. Lower slowly, one vertebra at a time, because the lowering is free training.
Also called glute bridge, bridge exercise, hip bridge. Drawn from the clinically authored Vinys exercise library. Read how the method works. General movement guidance, not medical advice.