Fysiqal

Hip Hinge · Intermediate

Barbell Hip Thrust

Compound hip hinge exercise using barbell, bench.
Barbell Hip Thrust demonstration (no audio).
Movement pattern
Hip Hinge
Difficulty
Intermediate
Equipment
Barbell, Bench
Mechanics
Compound
Sides
Bilateral
Main plane
Sagittal

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How to do the Barbell Hip Thrust

Cues reviewed by Kwabena Osei on

Setup

Upper back against a bench, barbell rolled over your hips (padded), knees bent, feet flat on the floor at roughly hip-width.

  1. Drive through your heels to extend your hips up until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor, squeezing your glutes hard at the top.

  2. Keep your chin tucked and avoid hyperextending your lower back at the top -- the movement should end at full hip extension, not a lumbar arch.

  3. Lower under control back to the start.

Common mistakes

  • Overextending the lower back at the top instead of stopping at full hip extension -- a sign the glutes have stopped doing the work and the lumbar spine has taken over.

  • Pushing through the toes/balls of the feet instead of driving through the heels, which shifts emphasis away from the glutes.

Muscles worked

Primary

Secondary

How the knowledge graph models this movement

Each joint action, with the role and emphasis the graph assigns each muscle. These are qualitative anatomical labels, not measured muscle activation.

  • Hip extensionprimary action

    Gluteus maximus (prime mover, high emphasis); Gluteus maximus (prime mover, high emphasis); Biceps femoris long head (synergist, moderate emphasis); Semitendinosus (synergist, moderate emphasis); Semimembranosus (synergist, moderate emphasis); Adductor magnus (synergist, moderate emphasis)

  • Knee extensionsecondary action

    Rectus femoris (synergist, low emphasis); Vastus lateralis (synergist, low emphasis); Vastus medialis (synergist, low emphasis); Vastus intermedius (synergist, low emphasis)

  • Spine extensionsecondary action

    Erector spinae (stabilizer, moderate emphasis); Rectus abdominis (stabilizer, moderate emphasis)

Related exercises

All hip hinge exercises →

From the Knowledge Library

Educational content only — not medical advice. Consult a qualified professional for individual guidance, especially around injury, pregnancy or medical conditions.