Exercise Profile
  • Target Muscle Group
  • Exercise TypeStrength
  • Equipment RequiredBench
  • MechanicsIsolation
  • Force TypePush (Unilateral)
  • Experience LevelBeginner
  • Secondary Muscles
    Abs, Hamstrings
Target Muscle Group

Glutes

Glutes Muscle Anatomy Diagram

Single Leg Hip Thrust Overview

The single leg bodyweight hip thrust is a hip thrust variation and an exercise used to target the muscles of the glutes.

The main difference between single leg bodyweight hip thrusts and other hip thrust variations is it’s a unilateral exercise. This allows you to target each side of the body at a time to build a more aesthetic physique as well as balanced strength.

Single Leg Hip Thrust Instructions

  1. Start in a supine position with your back on a bench.
  2. Hold one leg held at a 90 degree angle at the hip and drive the other foot into the floor to bridge your hips up while squeezing your glute.
  3. Lower your hips back to the starting position and repeat for the desired number of repetitions. Repeat on both sides.

Single Leg Hip Thrust Tips

  1. If just using your bodyweight, you can cross your arms in front of your chest or simply have them straight out to the sides. Utilize whichever method is more comfortable.
  2. Ensure that the lower back doesn’t arch as you extend the hip, you should focus on squeezing the glutes and slightly posteriorly tilting the pelvis.
  3. Ideally you should prioritize a straight line from your knees through your shoulders at the peak of contraction.
  4. Don’t allow the hips to drop or rotate as you bridge the hips up.
  5. Focus on exhaling as you bridge the hips up. You shouldn’t feel the movement through your lower back at all.
  6. If you can’t seem to feel your glutes activating, palpate the musculature with your hands and focus on pausing the movement at the peak of contraction.
  7. If you find one glute has less contractility than another, perform the movement unilaterally and then incorporate the bilateral version after you have accumulated sufficient volume on the side with poor contractility.
0 Comments