Single-Leg Glute Bridge
The single-leg glute bridge is a hip bridge with one foot on the floor and the other leg in the air, which loads the gluteus maximus of that leg and forces the pelvis to stay level.
GLUTES · LOWER BODY
How it is executed
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, arms resting at your sides.
- Extend one leg straight out or hold it bent toward your chest so all the work falls on the planted foot.
- Bracing your core, drive through the heel of the supporting leg to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knee, squeezing the glute hard at the top.
- Lower under control until your hips just touch the floor, finish your reps, then switch legs.
- Muscles worked
- Glutes
- Primary muscle
- Gluteus maximus
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Movement pattern
- Lower body
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- What it is for
- StrengthHypertrophy
- Also known as
- One leg glute bridgeSingle leg hip bridge
Common mistakes
- Placing the foot too far from the glute. The further out the heel sits, the more the hamstring takes over and the more likely it is to cramp. Bring the foot in until the heel is under the knee.
- Arching the lower back to get higher. The extra height comes from the spine, not from hip extension. Finish where the hip lines up with your torso and thigh, ribs down.
- Letting the free-leg side drop. If the pelvis tilts, the working glute loses part of the stimulus. Keep both hip bones level through the whole rep.
Frequently asked questions
- Which muscles does the single-leg glute bridge work?
- The main muscle is the gluteus maximus of the planted leg, which extends the hip to lift you up. The hamstrings assist, and the further the foot sits from the body, the more they take part. The gluteus medius of that same hip stops the pelvis from dropping toward the free leg, which is the extra work of the single-leg version. The abs keep the pelvis still so the lift comes from the hip rather than the lower back.
- When should you move from the two-leg glute bridge to the single-leg version?
- When the two-leg bridge feels easy for 15 to 20 reps with a pause at the top, it offers little stimulus and it is time to move to one leg. The single-leg bridge doubles the load on each glute without adding weight and shows whether one side works less. It also demands that the pelvis stay level, something the two-leg version never asks. If the hip drops or the lower back arches, go back to two legs and add pauses.
- How many sets and reps of single-leg glute bridges should you do?
- A common starting point is 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps per leg, with a one or two second pause at the top squeezing the glute, and 1 to 3 reps in reserve. It works as activation before squats or deadlifts, with short sets, or at the end of the session as glute work. When 15 reps feel easy, lengthen the pause, lower more slowly or rest a plate or a dumbbell on the hip.
- Why do I feel the single-leg bridge in my hamstring instead of my glute?
- It is almost always because the foot is too far from the hip. With the knee that open, the hamstring pulls harder than the glute and can even cramp. Bring the heel closer until the shin is vertical at the top, push the floor away with the heel and think about tucking the pelvis toward the chest before lifting. Holding the free leg bent toward the chest, instead of straight, also helps the glute take charge.
Sources and editorial approach
The explanation, variations and FAQs are Kaizer’s editorial synthesis. ACSM’s 2026 guidance provides general context on progression and resistance training in healthy adults; it does not independently validate the technique of each variation.
No individual professional review is recorded for this page.
Variations and substitutions
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