There is zero point in me recreating the wheel. Take a few minutes to read through Bret Contreras’ article on proper hip thrust mechanics. He will tell you everything you could want to know. After all, he is the “Glute Guy”!
I do want to drive home a few points. For starters, begin with and perfect the back-elevated glute bridge before you transition into a weighted hip thrust. Having proper mechanics and a firm grasp of this movement is beneficial in protecting your spine and helping you get maximal effect from this movement.
Things you want to keep in mind:
- Toes pointed straight or slightly out
- Shoulder on edge of bench
- Inhale to fill belly with air…exhale and brace core.
- Drive through heels
- Squeeze glutes at the top
- Neck neutral or ever so slightly tuck chin in
What to avoid:
- Don’t set up too far back on the bench or you won’t have proper range of motion.
- Don’t turn toes in
- Don’t forget to brace
- Don’t let your chest rise and arch low back. Torso should remain rigid.
- Don’t jerk the bar–the movement should be smooth. (As smooth as your pick up lines after humping the air at the gym).
- Don’t go up on toes when in the top position.
- Don’t let your neck fall back.
Next week we will be going over a weighted and/or banded hip thrust and how to set up and execute this.