Glute Bridges

Squats (Box, Front, Goblet etc..), Barbell/Dumbbell (Walking) Lunges, and Leg Press are pretty much the big three when it comes to upper leg development. Some would also say the DL and I would also agree, although I do this on back day. I could probably get most of my quad and hammie development mostly from the four exercises listed above, and I probably have. But I want to talk about one of the gems that I have recently incorporated into my workouts: the glute bridge (with barbell).


I began thinking about picking up the glute bridge as an exercise after reading several T-Nation articles ("Glutes Gone Wild") about it. It seemed like an exercise that I could easily do in the biomechanical sense. It wouldn't put too much strain on any one part of my body. So I tried it. Here is the analysis and results.


The method: 

Take a 30 lb (or whatever weight you feel most comfortable with) short barbell and lay it across your lap on a workout mat. Bend your knees and plant your feet on the floor. Keeping most of your weight on your heels, contract your glute muscles and raise your butt and lower back off the floor along with the weight. Basically, thrust your hips in the air without straining your back too much. Repeat.

Glute Bridges Exercise (minus barbell)

The pros:

• Really isolates the glutes better than any other exercise I've done.
• Easy to feel mind-muscle connection
• Doesn't require much equipment (if any).
• Really good workout for the glutes as primary muscles (a.k.a, nice firm butt!)

The cons:

• Can look a little weird doing (hip thrusting in the air when everyone else around you is doing crunches may elicit some looks)