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Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts being performed with proper form
Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts demonstration video — proper form for the full movement.

How to do Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About this exercise

Sets Logged
150,089
Popularity Rank
556th
Difficulty
Beginner
Glutes Strength
95 mSCORE 10th
Equipment Required

Workouts with Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

    Target muscles worked

    Primary Muscles
    Glutes
    Secondary Muscles
    Hamstrings

    Instructions for Proper Form

    This exercise is a weighted variation on the more standard Hit Thrust. By holding a medicine ball 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.

    1. Position yourself on the ground with your heels roughly 6 inches away from your glutes.
    2. Grasp a medicine ball with both hands and position it in front of your hips.
    3. Contract your glutes and hamstrings to drive your heels into the ground in order to raise your hips.
    4. Hold this position for a moment once your hips are inline with your knees and shoulders.
    5. Slowly allow your hips to return to the starting position while maintaining tension in your glutes and hamstrings.
    6. You should feel this exercise primarily in your glutes and hamstrings, not your lower back.

    Tips & FAQs

    • Foot Placement

      Foot placement is critical to getting good muscle activation with this exercise, however it isn't always exactly the same for each person, or even each attempt. Play around with where you're placing your feet, and try to find the position that helps you get the best glute activation.

    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.

    Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator

    Average Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts standards by male, female, weight, age and height

    Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.

    • beginner
      8
      reps
      15
      lbs
      1 Rep Max
      20
      lbs
    • intermediate
      8
      reps
      17.5
      lbs
      22.5
      lbs
    • advanced
      8
      reps
      20
      lbs
      25
      lbs

    Enter your stats to calculate your Reps & Weight

    How is this calculated?

    Alternatives & Variations to Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

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    1. 1. Dumbbell Hip Thrust

      Photo of Dumbbell Hip Thrust being performed
      88.1 mSCORESWAPPED 930 TIMES

      This 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. 2. Barbell Hip Thrust

      Photo of Barbell Hip Thrust being performed
      95.2 mSCORESWAPPED 534 TIMES

      Barbell 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.

    3. 3. Cable Hip Extension

      Photo of Cable Hip Extension being performed
      89.9 mSCORESWAPPED 439 TIMES

      Cable 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.

    4. 4. Dumbbell Glute Bridge

      Photo of Dumbbell Glute Bridge being performed
      69.3 mSCORESWAPPED 420 TIMES

      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.

    5. 5. Glute Kickback Machine

      Photo of Glute Kickback Machine being performed
      94.6 mSCORESWAPPED 420 TIMES

      Glute 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.

    6. 6. Single Leg Kickback

      Photo of Single Leg Kickback being performed
      86.2 mSCORESWAPPED 374 TIMES

      Single 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.

    7. 7. Hip Thrust

      Photo of Hip Thrust being performed
      97 mSCORESWAPPED 330 TIMES

      Hip 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.