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Exercise library · Glutes

Marching glute bridge

Hip extension for the glutes with your bodyweight.

How to do it

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Lie on your back, knees bent

  1. Starting position

    Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and arms by your sides.

  2. The movement

    Lift your hips, raise one foot at a time as if marching, then lower your hips.

Most common mistake

Don't let your hips drop or twist, keep your pelvis high and still as you switch feet.

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Muscle group
Glutes
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The marching glute bridge is more an exercise in staying still than in lifting. The glutes on your standing leg hold your hips up while the other leg lifts, and your hamstrings help. The muscles at the side of your hip and your obliques stop your pelvis tipping when one foot leaves the floor. Every time you switch feet the load goes from two legs to one, and that is the moment the exercise gets hard.

Common mistakes

  • You march too fast. At a high tempo your pelvis never has time to settle, and the speed hides your hips losing position. Hold each foot up for a second and put it down before lifting the next.
  • Your lower back takes over. If you push your hips higher than a straight line from shoulders to knees, your lower back starts to arch. Stop at the line and brace your abs lightly before the first foot lifts.
  • Your feet are too far from your bum. With almost straight legs, the hamstrings on your standing leg get a lot of work as soon as one foot lifts, and they may start to cramp. Place your feet close enough that your knees are at roughly a right angle at the top.

Variations and alternatives

  • The glute bridge is the step back if you cannot keep your hips still when a foot lifts.
  • The single leg elevated glute bridge is the next step, with the whole set on one leg.
  • The dead bug uses the same idea, a still trunk while your legs move, with the focus on your abs instead.

Sets and reps

Count lifts per leg. Two to three sets of 8 to 12 lifts per side suit most people, or 30 to 45 seconds per set if you prefer timed sets. Before squats and deadlifts it also works nicely as a warm-up. Read more about planning in the guide to sets and reps.

Make it harder in small steps: hold each foot up for two to three seconds, straighten the lifted leg so the lever gets longer, cross your arms over your chest, or put a band around your knees. That is progressive overload without weights. End the set when you can no longer make each lift as controlled as the first.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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