Glute bridge
A floor exercise where you lift your hips by squeezing your glutes with your feet planted.
Overview
The glute bridge is a simple floor exercise for the muscles at the back of the hips. Lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat, you lift your hips toward the ceiling by squeezing your glutes, then lower back down. It requires no equipment and is gentle on balance.
Because it isolates the hip extension without much demand on coordination, it is a common beginner movement and a way to feel the glutes working. It can be progressed to single-leg versions or loaded to become a hip thrust.
The movement
- 1Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart.
- 2Press through your heels and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips.
- 3Raise until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- 4Lower your hips back to the floor with control.
Beginner notes
- A soft mat makes the floor position more comfortable.
- Squeezing the glutes at the top is the key cue for many beginners.
- A single-leg version raises the challenge once the basic bridge is easy.
A note on training information
Where it’s used
Sports this relates to:
Running
The most accessible endurance sport — no venue, just shoes and the open road or trail.
Fitness
Strength and general fitness training — the foundation that supports every other sport.
Functional Fitness
Varied, whole-body training built around everyday movement patterns like squatting, lifting and carrying.
Related exercises
Squat
A foundational lower-body movement where you bend at the hips and knees to lower down and stand back up.
Goblet squat
A squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
Jump squat
An explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Glute bridge to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Movement patterns
- KickA ballistic single-support leg swing that whips force from the plant foot through the hip and knee to strike or propel a ball or target with the foot, distinct from the weight-bearing steps of locomotion.
- SquatA knee-dominant pattern: bending the hips, knees and ankles to lower and rise while keeping the torso upright — the foundation of lower-body strength.
- PivotA rotation of the body about one planted foot, reorienting the trunk and hips around a vertical axis without travelling to a new location.
- LungeA split-stance, single-leg-emphasis pattern: stepping or dropping into a staggered stance and pushing back up to build single-leg strength, balance and stability.
- HingeA hip-dominant pattern: bend forward at the hips with a flat back, minimal knee bend, then drive the hips tall — powers pulling from the floor and jumping.
Techniques
- DeadliftA strength exercise that lifts a loaded barbell from the floor to a standing position by extending the hips and knees together.
- Bodyweight SquatA foundational lower-body exercise that lowers the hips by bending the knees and hips, then stands back up, using only body weight.
- PlankA static core exercise that holds the body in a straight line supported on the forearms and toes.
- Flip TurnA fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
- Push-UpA bodyweight exercise that lowers and raises the body by bending and straightening the arms while holding a rigid plank line.
Adaptive sports
- Seated SportsSports played from a seated position — on the floor, on a bench or in a chair — so that people who benefit from a stable seated base can take part.
- Para sportsThe competitive branch of adaptive sport, where athletes with disabilities train and compete, often within organised classification systems.
Training guides
Goals
- Sports for seniorsGentle, enjoyable ways for older adults to stay active, with guidance where sensible.
- Reduce alcoholHow activity and a fuller routine can support cutting back on alcohol — with professional support where needed.
- Sports for beginnersHow to start playing sport from scratch — choosing a first activity and building up gently.
- DisciplineBuild consistency, focus and self-discipline through the routines that sport and training encourage.
- Build muscleChallenge your muscles with regular resistance training and steady recovery to build strength over time.
Playing surfaces
- MatA cushioned, padded mat surface for grappling, striking and floor work — it absorbs falls and throws and grips underfoot, cushioning grappling, throws and floor work.
- WoodAn indoor sprung timber or parquet floor — grippy, consistent and lightly cushioned; the classic surface for indoor court sports.