Barbell Hip Thrust
The hip thrust is the most load-tolerant glute exercise there is, which is exactly why it is so easy to do badly. Add enough weight and the lower back will happily take over the movement without you noticing.
These six faults explain most hip thrusts that build a sore lumbar spine instead of glutes, along with the correction for each.
| Primary muscles | Gluteus maximus |
|---|---|
| Secondary muscles | Hamstrings, quadriceps, adductors, core |
| Equipment | Barbell, bench, pad |
| Level | Beginner to advanced |
| Most common failure point | The last few degrees of hip extension |
| Best camera angle for a form check | Side view, at bench height |
The bench edge should sit just under the bottom of your shoulder blades. Too high and the shoulders get pinned; too low and you lose range at the top.
Position the feet so that at full lockout your shins are vertical and your knees are at about 90 degrees. Too close loads the quads, too far loads the hamstrings.
Pull the ribs down toward the pelvis and tuck the chin slightly, eyes on the far wall. This posture is what stops the lower back from creating the range.
Push the floor away through the mid-foot and heel, extending the hips until the torso is parallel with the floor. Squeeze the glutes hard at the top.
Return over about two seconds without letting the bar crash. Stop just short of the floor to keep tension on the glutes between reps.
Everything that matters here — shin angle, hip extension, rib position — lives in the sagittal plane. A phone on the floor will distort all three.
Check two things in that one frame: is the torso parallel with the floor, and are the shins vertical? That answers most hip thrust questions.
The lower ribs lifting away from the pelvis is the visible sign that the lumbar spine is finishing the rep instead of the glutes.
If the set felt like hamstrings, the video will usually show the shins angled back at lockout. Sensation and position match more often than people expect.
Film the set, and Stance returns the specific fault and the correction instead of a raw video to interpret yourself. The clip is analyzed and then deleted, never stored.
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Because the lumbar spine is producing the last part of the range that your glutes cannot. Pull the ribs down toward the pelvis, tuck the chin, and finish the rep when your torso is parallel with the floor rather than pushing higher. If you still cannot lock out without arching, the load is too heavy.
Far enough forward that your shins are vertical and your knees sit at roughly 90 degrees at full lockout. Feet too close shifts the work to the quads, feet too far forward shifts it to the hamstrings. Film from the side at lockout and adjust a few centimetres at a time.
The edge should sit just below the bottom of your shoulder blades when you are set up. A bench that is too tall pins the shoulders and makes you roll during the set; too low and you lose range at the top. A standard flat bench works for most people, but check where the edge actually lands on your back.
A one-second pause with the glutes squeezed is one of the most useful things you can add. It removes momentum, forces genuine full hip extension, and makes it immediately obvious when the load has outrun the range you can actually lock out.
This guide is general training information, not medical advice. Stop and consult a qualified professional if a movement causes pain.
