The standard Hip Thrust is fantastic for building and strengthening the butt muscles. Once you become strong enough in the standard version, there are benefits to doing the 1 Leg versions too. If you can already do a 1 Leg Version, here is a simple way to add some resistance - hold a dumbbell on the same side as the foot that is on the floor. Teaching Points:
•Begin sitting on a floor with a bench behind body. Ideally bench height, when seated, should be at shoulder blade height. If bench is higher, begin exercise with butt off floor. •Lift one leg off floor and keep raised during exercise. Hold a dumbbell in one hand on the hips. •Brace abdominal muscles and keep braced throughout exercise. •Begin movement by breathing out and squeezing glute muscles hard whilst driving through feet to lift hips up towards ceiling. •Shoulder blades and upper back should rotate around edge of bench as hips raise up. •Continue raising hips until knees - hips - shoulders are in a straight line. Do not over extended lower back to lift higher. •Breathe in and reverse motion back to starting point. •Repeat all reps on one side and then repeat with other leg.
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The Hip Thrust exercise is great for working the butt muscles through a large range of motion. Just like the Hex Dumbbell Glute Bridges from a few weeks ago, altering the foot position changes the emphasis of muscles being worked. That is why this is a great variation to try. One tip I would suggest though is that the dumbbell can be prone to sliding on the floor so I would place it against a wall for this exercise. Key points:
• Begin sitting on a floor with a bench behind body. Feet should be either side of a hex dumbbell, squeezing into it. Knees out to the sides where they should remain during the exercise. • Ideally bench height, when seated, should be at shoulder blade height. If bench is higher, begin exercise with butt off floor. • Brace abdominal muscles and keep braced throughout exercise. Arms can be lightly held in front of body or resting on bench for additional support. • Begin movement by breathing out and squeezing glute muscles hard whilst driving through feet to lift hips up towards ceiling. • Shoulder blades and upper back should rotate around edge of bench as hips raise up. • Continue raising hips until knees - hips - shoulders are in a straight line. Do not over extended lower back to lift higher. • Breathe in and reverse motion back to starting point. Exercises such as Donkey Kicks and Glute Kickbacks are among some of the most butchered exercises I see being done in the gym. The purpose of those exercises is to make the butt muscles work during a hip extension movement (moving your leg backwards). Unfortunately for many people, they either have weak butt muscles or poor technique and end up using their lower back more than they should. This is easy to spot as you'll see the lower back dip down during the exercise. The Modified Donkey Kick is a great way to correct a lot of these issues because it blocks the lower back from moving and forces the butt muscles to do more of the work. It does also make this exercise a lot tougher than you might think. Teaching points:
•Start on hands and knees. Shoulders directly over hands, hips over knees. •Extend one leg fully backwards until it is straight, foot still on floor. •Shift body and weight backwards towards foot of bent leg whilst lowering down onto forearms. •Keeping the extended leg as straight as possible, breathe out, squeeze the butt muscles and try to lift the foot a few inches off the floor •Focus on lifting the foot rather than flicking it off the floor. •Complete all reps on one side before switching sides If this is too tough, shift the bodyweight forward slightly until you can complete the reps. If this becomes too easy, hold the foot in the top position for 1 - 2 seconds. If you struggle to feel your butt muscles working during a glute bridge exercise, this is a fantastic variation which should hit them like never before. The key to this exercise is to keep the knees out to the sides the whole time. Teaching points:
•Lay on back with knees bent and feet on either side of a hex dumbbell, squeezing into it. •Brace abdominal muscles and keep braced throughout exercise. •Squeeze glutes and lift hips up off floor. Continue raising until there is a straight line from knees - hips - shoulders. •Avoid over-arching lower back during exercise and try not to use hamstrings during exercise. Work should be done by butt muscles. •With control, lower back to floor and repeat. •Use a towel across hips to cushion against weight if using a dumbbell |
AuthorThis is my, mostly, Personal Trainer musings and information which I hope you'll find helpful! Archives
May 2021
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