How to do a Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Workouts with Dumbbell Glute Bridge
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
This exercise is a weighted variation of the more common Glute Bridge. Like other Glute Bridge variations, this exercise primarily targets your glutes. By placing a dumbbell against your hips, you can add a bit more resistance to this exercise. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their Glute Bridge a bit more challenging.
- Lay face up on the floor and position your feet flat on the ground roughly shoulder-width apart.
- Grasp a dumbbell with both hands and position it on top of your hips with one hand on each head of the dumbbell.
- Contract your glutes and hamstrings to raise your hips by pushing through your heels into the ground. Stop once your hips are in line with your knees and shoulder.
- Tense your glutes and hamstrings and hold this position for the duration of the exercise.
- Maintain good posture by keeping your shoulders and feet in contact with the floor.
- You should feel tension in your glutes and hamstrings.
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How effective are weighted glute bridges?
Weighted glute bridges - with dumbbells - are very effective for strength and lean mass gain. They primarily target the gluteus maximus, and also engage the hamstrings and core muscles for stabilization. Adding a weight, like dumbbells, increases resistance, making the exercise more challenging and enhancing muscle strength and growth in the glutes and posterior chain.
Common Form Mistakes
Over Extending
Don’t drive your hips as far as you can. This can increase your risk of injury, and doesn’t benefit the exercise itself. Drive your hips forward to a point where you feel good activation in your glutes, and hold that position.
Alternative Exercises to Dumbbell Glute Bridge
1. Dumbbell Hip Thrust
88.1 mSCORESWAPPED 11,554 TIMESThis exercise is a weighted variation on the more standard Hit Thrust. By holding a dumbbell against your hips, you can add a bit more resistance to this usually bodyweight exercise. This is a great variation for adding a bit more difficulty to your Hip Thrusts.
2. Hip Thrust
97 mSCORESWAPPED 4,688 TIMESHip Thrust is a compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily targets your glutes. This is a great beginner exercise that can help you learn and develop your glute drive, which is helpful for a number of different exercises and general movements. It’s a simple and easy to perform exercise that can help you develop strength.
- Beginner
- Glutes
3. Barbell Hip Thrust
95.2 mSCORESWAPPED 4,099 TIMESBarbell Hip Thrust is a more challenging, weighted variation of the Hip Thrust. Beyond the added resistance from using a barbell, you’ll also place your shoulder blades on a flat bend in or to raise yourself off the ground. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their Hip Thrusts more challenging.
4. Single Leg Kickback
86.2 mSCORESWAPPED 3,257 TIMESSingle Leg Kickback is a compound, bodyweight exercise that primarily targets your glutes. The exercise requires you to engage your glutes, and kick your leg back and up with your knees bent. Targeting each side independently is a great way to identify discrepancies in mobility and strength between sides.
- Beginner
- Glutes
5. Glute Kickback Machine
94.6 mSCORESWAPPED 2,809 TIMESGlute Kickback Machine is a variation on the more standard Single Leg Kickback. Unlike the standard variation, this exercise uses a machine to add resistance to the movement rather than just bodyweight. This gives you a bit more control over your resistance, and can be more easily scaled to your current capabilities. Additionally, the use of a machine restricts your range of motion, and adds stability to the movement. This lets you focus more on exertion than stabilizing the movement.
- Beginner
- Glutes
- Glute Kickback Machine
6. Cable Hip Extension
89.9 mSCORESWAPPED 2,787 TIMESCable Hip Extension is an exercise that involves strapping your leg to a cable machine, and then extending your leg out behind you. The use of a cable allows you to have precise control over the direction your resistance is coming from. This lets you perform this exercise from a standing position unlike many other similar exercises that require you to lay on the ground.
- Beginner
- Glutes
- Hi-Lo Pulley Cable