Banded Hip Thrust

HOW TO DO IT

1. 1Sit on the floor with your upper back against a stable bench and feet flat about hip-width apart.
2. 2Loop a long resistance band across the front of your hips just below the hip bones and anchor the ends under both feet or to a low fixed point.
3. 3Press your heels into the floor and tuck your chin slightly so your ribs stay down.
4. 4Drive through your heels and mid-foot to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
5. 5Push your hips into the band and squeeze the glutes hard at the top, holding for one second.
6. 6Lower your hips with control until they nearly touch the floor, keeping tension on the band, then repeat for the target reps.

COMMON MISTAKES

• Letting the band slip off the hips or anchor point mid-set.
• Using a band that is too light to challenge the top range, or too heavy to reach full lockout.
• Hyperextending the lower back instead of finishing with the glutes.
• Lifting the head and looking forward.
• Placing the feet too far from the glutes, which shifts work to the hamstrings.
• Rushing the descent and letting the band snap the hips down.
• Pushing through the toes and losing heel contact.

TIPS

• Set the band so there is tension even at the bottom; a slack band wastes the top half of the rep.
• Keep the band centred on the hips so it does not ride up onto the stomach or slip down onto the thighs.
• Drive through the mid-foot and heels, not the toes.
• Keep the chin tucked and ribs down so the movement comes from the hips, not the lower back.
• Pause and squeeze for one second at the top, where the band is heaviest.
• Keep the knees tracking over the feet rather than caving inward against the band.

SAFETY

• Check the band and anchor for wear or a weak attachment before each set, since a snapping band can recoil into the face or hips.
• Stop if you feel pinching at the front of the hip or if the lower back takes over.
• Avoid if you have an acute lower-back or hip injury.

DETAILS

Muscles

Glutes

Equipment

Resistance BandBench

Type

Strength Training

Difficulty

Intermediate

Tracked as

Weight & Reps

TECHNIQUE

Load position

On the hips

Load type

Banded (added band tension)