Tap an exercise to see how it's done.
Just the 17 you can do at home →
Barbell1
Dumbbellsno gym3
Machine2
Cable3
Bodyweightno gym7
Resistance bandno gym6
Smith machine1
Smith hip hingeVideo
Starting position
Stand in front of the bar with your feet hip-width apart and grip it just outside your thighs.
The movement
Push your hips back with soft knees and a straight back, lower the bar along your legs until your hamstrings stretch, then drive your hips forward.
Most common mistake
Don't bend your knees like a squat, keep them slightly bent and move your hips backward.
Otherno gym1
How to train your glutes
The glutes are the largest muscle in your body. They extend your hip, which means they drive your hips forward as you stand up, and they move your leg out to the side.
The hip thrust loads the glutes the most when the hip is fully extended: the barbell hip thrust, the dumbbell hip thrust or the glute bridge on the floor. Squats and lunges train the glutes together with the quads, and the deeper you go and the longer your stride, the more they work. Sideways movements such as the hip abduction machine, the monster walk and the clamshell work the smaller muscle on the side of the hip, which keeps your pelvis stable.
A week with a hip thrust, a squat or lunge and one sideways exercise covers the whole of your glutes.
Common mistakes
- Arching at the top. In a hip thrust the movement ends when your hips are straight. Don't bend back through your lower back to get higher.
- Feet in the wrong place. Too far forward and your hamstrings take over, too close and your quads do. Find the position where you feel your glutes.
- Going too fast. Hold a short pause at the top of every rep.
Want them set out in a programme?
Answer a few questions about your goal, equipment and time, and BIP builds a weekly programme with sets, reps and rest worked out. You log your weights as you train and see your progress afterwards. The first week is free, no card.
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