How Do You Do Glute Bridges?

A glute bridge is a simple yet effective exercise to strengthen your glutes, hamstrings, and core. Here's how to perform a glute bridge correctly:

Steps to Perform a Glute Bridge

Starting Position: Lie on your back with your knees bent at about a 90-degree angle, feet flat on the ground and hip-width apart. Your arms should be at your sides, palms facing down.
Engage Your Core: Before you lift, engage your abdominal muscles by pulling your belly button towards your spine. This will help stabilize your core and prevent back arching.
Lift Your Hips: Slowly lift your hips off the ground, squeezing your glutes as you rise. Aim to create a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. Be mindful not to overarch your back. The movement should primarily come from your glutes and hamstrings, not your lower back.
Hold the Top Position: At the top of the movement, hold for a second or two, maintaining the glute squeeze and core engagement.
Lower Slowly: Slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the movement.
Repeat: Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions, typically 10-15 reps per set.

Avoid Arching Your Back: Be careful not to arch your back excessively during the lift. This can put strain on your lower back. Focus on squeezing your glutes and engaging your core instead.
Control the Movement: Avoid using momentum to lift your hips. Focus on controlled movements, both during the lift and the descent.
Proper Foot Placement: Ensure your feet are flat on the ground and positioned correctly. Adjust their position until you feel the exercise primarily in your glutes and hamstrings.
Progression: As you get stronger, you can increase the difficulty by adding weight (a dumbbell or barbell across your hips) or performing single-leg glute bridges.

Overarching the back: As mentioned above, this is a common mistake. Focus on engaging your core to prevent this.
Using momentum: Control is key. Slow and steady movements are more effective than quick, jerky ones.
Not squeezing the glutes: The glute squeeze is what activates the target muscles. Make sure you're consciously squeezing at the top of the movement.
Looking around: Keep your head and neck relaxed and in a neutral position. Looking around can strain your neck.

By following these steps and considerations, you can perform glute bridges safely and effectively to strengthen your posterior chain.