Resistance Band Hip Thrusts

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Sit on the floor with your upper back (scapulae) resting against the long side of a flat bench.
2. Place a heavy resistance band across your hips, securing the ends firmly under your feet or anchoring them to heavy dumbbells on either side.
3. Position your feet shoulder-width apart, flat on the floor, with your knees bent.
4. Tuck your chin slightly and brace your core to maintain a neutral spine throughout the set.

How to do it

1. Exhale as you drive through your heels, extending your hips upward until your torso is parallel to the floor.
2. Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement, ensuring your shins are vertical and your knees are at a 90-degree angle.
3. Inhale as you slowly lower your hips back toward the floor under control, stopping just before your glutes touch the ground.
4. Maintain a controlled tempo, focusing on a powerful 1-second ascent and a 2-second eccentric phase.

Form checklist

• Keep your chin tucked toward your chest to prevent lower back arching.
• Ensure your shins remain vertical at the top of the lift to keep the focus on the glutes.
• Drive through your heels rather than your toes to maintain stability and engagement.
• Avoid overextending the lumbar spine at the top; stop when your hips are level with your knees and shoulders.

Pro tips

• Focus on 'scooping' your pelvis into a posterior pelvic tilt at the top of the rep to maximize gluteus maximus recruitment.
• If using a loop band around the knees in addition to the hip band, actively push your knees outward to engage the gluteus medius.
• Pause for two seconds at the peak of the movement to capitalize on the band's maximum resistance.

Make it harder

• Perform the movement unilaterally (Single-Leg Hip Thrust) to increase the load on the working leg and challenge core stability.
• Incorporate '1.5 reps' by performing a full rep, lowering halfway, coming back to the top, and then lowering all the way down.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the resistance band hip thrusts work?

The resistance band hip thrusts primarily targets the glutes, and also works the abs and obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the resistance band hip thrusts?

The resistance band hip thrusts uses resistance band.

Is the resistance band hip thrusts good for beginners?

The resistance band hip thrusts is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• 45 Degrees Reverse HyperextensionIntermediate · erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings
• 45 Degrees Single Leg Reverse HyperextensionIntermediate · erector spinae, glutes, and hamstrings
• Band Hip LiftBeginner · glutes and hamstrings
• Band Single Leg Hip LiftIntermediate · glutes and hamstrings