Glute bridge for sports and fitness

The glute bridge is an exercise that targets the buttocks.

In the past, training movements were divided into basic movements, safety movements and targeted movements. This movement is regarded as a targeted movement in training.

In this action, except for the hip joint, there is no obvious movement of other joints, so it is a targeted action. Targeting the movements means that except for the part you want to train, it will not affect other parts. This is why doing glute bridge will not make your legs thicker.

However, for those who already have spinal problems, please follow your doctor’s advice. After all, everyone’s situation is different.

Let’s talk about the movements in detail, as shown in the picture above:

Lie on your back, bend your knees, and spread your feet a little apart;

Tighten your buttocks and push upward, It feels like only the hip joint is moving, that is, "stretching the hips";

Contract at the top, that is, stay still for a short while, and feel the tightening of the buttocks;

The buttocks exert force slowly Lower slowly and do eccentric contractions.

Key points of training:

Use the buttocks to exert force alone, do not exert force or borrow force from other places;

Straighten the hip joint immediately, do not force the back to bend , don’t tense your lower back too much.

If it is bodyweight training (not HIIT), then do 10 to 20 reps in one set, 3 sets each time. It’s best to do 3 sets for both legs and 3 sets for one leg, twice a week, on days when you’re training your buttocks or lower limbs.

If you feel you have mastered the essentials, you can also do a single-leg glute bridge, which can effectively train the gluteus medius and further improve the curves.

If you can easily do more than 30 reps, it’s time to advance. You can place a barbell or small barbell plates on your lower abdomen, which will put a load on your hips. You can also do some deformations and change the angle from time to time (putting the upper body on the fitness bench or placing the feet on the fitness bench) to stimulate the development of the buttocks from all directions and angles.