16 Glute Bridge Exercises That'll Work All The Muscles In Your Butt

When you want to work your booty, there’s nothing wrong with sticking to a regular glute bridge. This move is a classic because it gets the job done, but if you want to mix things up there are several glute bridge variations you can try that add other muscles into the mix.

ICYMI, a standard glute bridge is a bodyweight exercise where you lie on your back, bend your knees, and lift your hips off the floor, explains Dr. Tessa Spencer, PharmD, CNC, CPT, a certified personal trainer. It’s a go-to for any butt workout because it effectively targets your glutes, though it also strengthens your hamstrings and core muscles, too.

Glute bridges contribute to overall lower body strength, which is important for functional strength, aka your ability to feel strong and stable as you go about your day. According to Emily Skye, a trainer and owner of the virtual fitness program Emily Skye FIT, a glute bridge is also helpful for keeping your posture balanced.

“It works the muscles at the front of the hips, for an all-round stronger pelvic region,” she tells Bustle, noting that this is what keeps the rest of your body in alignment. It’s why the move is also known as a stabilization exercise, as it activates the stability muscles in your spine, resulting in improved posture during everyday movements.

A classic glute bridge — or any of its many variations — can be done every day as part of a pre-workout warmup or stretch routine, says Skye. Simply plop down on a mat and do a few reps to loosen your hips or light up the lower half of your body before running, walking, or doing other lower-body exercises, like squats or lunges.

You can also do bridges as part of a strength training routine (perhaps on butt day). To strengthen your lower body and see the most benefit, Skye recommends adding glute bridge variations three to four days a week. Here, trainers break down 16 different glute bridge exercises to help you get started.

1. Single-Leg Glute Bridge

According to Skye, this power move is great for the posterior chain, aka the muscles that run down the back of your body, like your glutes, hamstrings, and calves. And here’s a quick tip: “If bridges give you a cramp in your hamstrings, try raising your toes off the ground and using just the heels of your feet to keep you stable,” she says.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Keep your feet hip-distance apart.
• Extend one leg straight off the ground.
• Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes.
• Push through your planted foot to slowly lift your hips into the air.
• Hold the bridge for a moment before slowly lowering back down.
• Do 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps per side.

2. Resistance Band Glute Bridge Abduction

Want to truly feel the burn? By adding an abduction or sideways movement with a resistance band, Skye says you’ll effectively target all the muscles in your butt at once.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor about hip-distance apart.
• Place a resistance band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Activate your core.
• Squeeze your glutes and push through your heels to lift your hips into the air.
• At the top of the bridge, widen your knees out to the side, pushing against the resistance of the band.
• Bring your knees back together and lower your hips back down.
• Raise and lower for 40 seconds.

3. Frog Pumps

To effectively zero in on your booty muscles, try this variation. “Frog pumps take your hamstrings and lower back out of the equation and make your gluteus maximus and minimus do all the work — a great way to activate sleeping muscles,” says Skye.

• Lie on your back with your arms by your sides, palms facing down or tucked under your butt.
• Bring the soles of your feet together.
• Scooch them up as close to your hips as possible.
• Let your knees fall open out to the sides.
• Engage your core and squeeze your glutes as you push against the sides of your feet to lift your hips into the air.
• Hold for a moment at the top of the pump and squeeze.
• Lower your hips back down.
• Raise and lower for 40 seconds.

4. Sliding Bridge

According to Kate Hamm, a fitness and yoga instructor and owner of AnamBliss, this bridge exercise activates the hamstrings and improves hip stabilization. “Maintaining an even pelvis strengthens the gluteus minimus and medius for more stable hips that can aid in walking and running,” she tells Bustle. And that helps prevent injury, too.

• Begin in a traditional bridge position on your back with your knees bent.
• Put socks on or slide a towel under one foot to use as a glider.
• Rest your hands on your ASIS, aka the bony points of the front of the hips.
• Press into your feet and lift your hips up off the ground.
• Slide one foot away from your body, making sure your hips stay even. (You may notice that hip of the moving leg wants to dip down.)
• Press your heel into the ground and pull your foot back in.
• Repeat 10 to 20 times on one leg, then switch feet.
• For a challenge, try sliding both feet out and back in at the same time.

5. Long Bridge Variation

This glute bridge exercise involves a different foot placement that activates your hamstrings more than your glutes. If you have tight hammies or back pain, Hamm says this move can help loosen things up.

• Begin in a traditional bridge position on your back with your knees bent.
• Move your feet away from your body until your knees are about 6 to 8 inches off the ground.
• If it feels better, flex your feet so just your heels are on the ground.
• Press into your feet to lift your hips off the ground.
• Feel the burn in your hamstrings.
• Lower the hips down to the ground.
• Repeat 10 to 20 times.
• For a challenge, reach your hands up in the air to increase instability or try a single-leg variation.

6. Elevated Glute Bridge

According to Weilin Wu, PT, a personal trainer with Blink Fitness, an elevated glute bridge increases the distance your hips have to travel, which can help you better target your posterior chain.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent.
• Lift your feet and rest them on an elevated surface, like a step, bench, exercise ball, or couch.
• Rest your arms by your sides.
• Squeeze your glutes and abs as you lift your hips toward the ceiling.
• Raise your hips as high as you can go without arching your back. (You don’t want to put pressure on your neck.)
• Squeeze your glutes.
• Slowly lower your hips back down to the floor, engaging your abs and glutes as you go.
• Do two sets of 12 reps, with a one-second pause at the bottom.

7. Marching Glute Bridge

According to Kristina Centenari, a Tonal coach, Nike Run coach, and registered yoga trainer, this version of the glute bridge targets your glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent.
• Place your feet slightly in front of your knees.
• Push your feet into the floor to lift your hips.
• Keep your hips lifted as you march one knee toward your chest at a time.
• Aim for 3 sets of 16 to 20 reps.

8. Glute Bridge Hold

Exercises that require you to hold yourself steady for an extended period are a great way to keep your core, spine, and body well-supported, says Spencer. “They also help create balance in your day-to-day activities and prevent injury.”

• Lie back on the floor, bend your knees.
• Place your feet flat on the ground hip-width apart.
• Let your arms rest at your sides or cross them at the chest.
• To lift your hips, drive down through your heels.
• Lift your hips as high as possible.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top.
• Keep your belly button drawn in so you don’t hyper-extend your back.
• Make sure your knees remain in line with your hips and ankles.
• Keep squeezing your glutes.
• Hold at the top for at least 30 seconds.
• Slowly lower back down.
• Do 3 sets of 10 reps.
• For a challenge, try a single-leg glute hold.

9. Barbell Glute Bridge

To take things up a notch, Centenari recommends this move, which adds extra weight to target your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core.

• Start by lying on the floor with a barbell placed across your hips.
• Keep your feet hip-width apart and slightly in front of your bent knees.
• Push your feet into the floor to lift your hips against the weight.
• Lower with control and repeat.
• Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

10. Glute Bridge To Walk-Outs

To add a tricky element to your glute bridge, try walking your feet out to light up your core and posterior chain.

• Start on your back with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lift your hips.
• Brace your abs.
• Walk your feet away from your hips.
• Keep your body stable and be careful not to put your weight on your neck.
• Keep stepping your feet out until your body is in almost a straight line, with your hips and booty barely hovering off the floor.
• Walk your feet back in to the starting position.
• Do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.

11. Kickstand Glute Bridge

“This move is a great way to focus on one side of the glutes while still maintaining pelvic stability,” says Leigh Taylor Weissman, a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach based in New York City. “It’s ideal for targeting the gluteus maximus and medius, and helps address imbalances while building strength on each side.” (That’s because each leg get a moment to shine.)

• Start lying on your back with one foot flat on the floor.
• Step the other slightly forward, so only the heel is touching the ground.
• Drive through the heel of the flat foot to lift your hips.
• Squeeze the glute at the top.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

12. Glute Bridge With Tempo

To really light up your buns, Weissman recommends doing a tempo-based variation to increase the time your muscles are under pressure, while also adding a cardio element. “This extended range helps build better control and engagement, especially in the glute max and glute med,” she says.

• Get into a classic glute bridge position.
• Lift your hips.
• Lower halfway.
• Lift again to the top of the bridge, then lower all the way down.
• That completes one rep.
• Do 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

13. Hip Thrusts

Been wondering about hip thrusts? They use the same mechanics as a glute bridge and can help zero in on more muscles. “By elevating your back onto a bench or platform, the hip thrust adds hip flexion, increasing your range of motion,” says Weissman. “It’s one of the best variations for building glute strength and size. I recommend keeping the form tight — feet flat, spine neutral, and a big squeeze at the top.”

• Choose a barbell that’s the correct weight for your workout.
• Sit on the ground with your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart, and your knees bent.
• Rest your shoulders on a workout bench with your head slightly off the edge.
• To thrust, drive your hips up towards the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
• Lower down and repeat.
• Do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 15 reps.

14. Glute Bridge To Sit-Up

According to Nicole Glor, a NASM-certified trainer and group fitness instructor, this move is also called the “seesaw bridge” because you move from a bridge right into a sit-up.

• Start on your back with your feet hip-width apart.
• Lift your hips into a bridge.
• Low them back down.
• As you lower, engage your core and do a crunch.
• Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

15. Articulated Bridge

According to Portia Page, CPT, a Pilates instructor, the articulated bridge is a great spine stretch that also works your glute and hammies.

• Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Think of your pelvis like a wheel.
• Lift your hips slowly as you “peel” your spine off the floor one vertebra at a time until you are in a bridge position.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• Lower the same way in reverse.

16. Glute Bridge With Pilates Ball

Glor is also a fan of incorporating a small Pilates ball for an extra squeeze. This will work your inner thighs or adductor muscles, as well as your glutes and core thanks to the way your body works to stabilize and hold the ball in place.

• Start on your back with your feet hip-width apart.
• Place a mini Pilates ball between your thighs.
• Lift your hips into a bridge.
• Squeeze your legs in on the ball.
• Release.
• Low your hips back down.
• Do 3 sets of 20 reps.

Studies referenced:

Choi, K. (2016). The effects of performing a one-legged bridge with hip abduction and use of a sling on trunk and lower extremity muscle activation in healthy adults. J Phys Ther Sci. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5080190/

Huxel Bliven, K. C. (2013.) Core stability training for injury prevention. Sports health. doi.org/10.1177/1941738113481200.

Yoon, J. O. (2018.) Effect of modified bridge exercise on trunk muscle activity in healthy adults: a cross sectional study. Brazilian journal of physical therapy. doi.org/10.1016/j.bjpt.2017.09.005.

Sources:

Dr. Tessa Spencer, PharmD, CNC, CPT, certified personal trainer

Emily Skye, trainer

Kate Hamm, fitness and yoga instructor

Weilin Wu, PT, personal trainer

Kristina Centenari, Tonal Coach, Nike Run Coach, RRCA-certified running coach, registered yoga trainer, and functional range conditioning certified

Leigh Taylor Weissman, certified personal trainer, nutrition coach

Portia Page, CPT, Pilates instructor

Nicole Glor, NASM-certified trainer, group fitness instructor