Dumbbell Glute Bridge

How to Perform the Dumbbell Glute Bridge

Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground about hip-width apart, and a dumbbell resting across your hips.
Hold the dumbbell in place with both hands to keep it stable throughout the movement.
Press your feet into the floor and drive your hips upward by squeezing your glutes.
Raise your hips until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Squeeze your glutes hard at the top and hold for 1-2 seconds.
Lower your hips back to the floor under control without fully relaxing at the bottom, and repeat.

Hyperextending the lower back at the top

Stop when your hips are in line with your torso; over-arching shifts stress to the lower back.

Pushing through the toes instead of the heels

Drive through your heels to maximize glute activation and reduce hamstring dominance.

Letting the knees cave inward

Actively press your knees outward to keep them aligned with your toes.

✓Effectively builds glute strength and size with minimal spinal loading.
✓Easy to set up and perform with just a single dumbbell.
✓Excellent for learning the hip extension pattern before progressing to hip thrusts.

●Place your feet closer to your hips to increase glute activation relative to hamstring involvement.
●Use a towel or pad on your hips under the dumbbell for added comfort.
●Focus on a strong glute squeeze at the top rather than just raising the hips.

Strength

4-5 sets of 3-5 reps at 80-90% 1RM

Hypertrophy

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps at 65-75% 1RM

Endurance

2-3 sets of 15-20 reps at 50-60% 1RM

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