Dumbbell Hip Thrust

Muscles worked

Glutes

Primary muscle

Gluteus maximus

Equipment

Dumbbell

Movement pattern

Lower body

Difficulty

Intermediate

What it is for

StrengthHypertrophy

Watch the full tutorial

• Arching the lower back to go higher. Once the hip is extended, the extra range comes from the lower back, not the glute. Tuck the chin, pull the ribs down and stop when shoulders, hips and knees are in line.
• Placing the feet too far or too close. Too far, the hamstrings steal the work; too close, the quads push and the glute never fully extends. Put the heels under the knees so the shin is vertical at the top.
• Resting the bench mid-back. If the edge sits too low, the torso does not pivot on it and the lower back becomes the hinge; too high, you slide on every rep. The edge goes just below the shoulder blades.
• Bouncing up and dropping the hips. With the dumbbell on top, the bounce makes it jump and the glute loses the top of the rep. Drive up hard, squeeze a second at the top and lower over two seconds without fully resting.

Which muscles does the dumbbell hip thrust work?

The gluteus maximus is the star: it extends the hip and takes peak load at the top, with the hip fully extended. The hamstrings and adductor magnus assist with hip extension, and the quads hold the knee at 90 degrees. The abs keep the ribs down and the pelvis in place so the extension comes from the hip and not the lower back; the gluteus medius stops the knees from caving in.

Dumbbell or barbell hip thrust: when should you switch?

The dumbbell is the fastest way to load the hip thrust: it sits in place in seconds, no plates or pad, and you hold it with both hands. Its limit is the load: past a certain weight it gets uncomfortable on the hips and hard to lift into place. A padded barbell lets you keep progressing. Use the dumbbell as long as it covers 15 clean reps; after that, move to the barbell, the machine or the Smith machine.

How many sets and reps of the dumbbell hip thrust should you do?

A common starting point is 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps, leaving 1 to 3 reps in reserve, with a one or two second squeeze at the top and a two-second descent. Since the dumbbell limits the load, the pause and the tempo are how you make it hard. It can be the first glute exercise of the session or come after the squat or the deadlift.

Where should the bench and the feet go in the dumbbell hip thrust?

The edge of the bench goes just below the shoulder blades, at about knee height, so the torso pivots on it. Feet hip-width apart with the heels under the knees, so that at the top the shin is vertical: further out, the work shifts to the hamstrings; closer in, to the quads. The dumbbell rests in the crease of the hips, held with both hands, with a towel under it if it digs in.