How to do Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology

About Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

Sets Logged
124,230
Popularity Rank
405th
Difficulty
Beginner
Glutes Strength
95 mSCORE 10th
Equipment Required

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?

Alternative Exercises to Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts

Filter By

  1. 1. Dumbbell Hip Thrust

    Photo of Dumbbell Hip Thrust being performed
    88.1 mSCORESWAPPED 1,417 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 801 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

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    89.9 mSCORESWAPPED 693 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. Glute Kickback Machine

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    94.6 mSCORESWAPPED 688 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.

    • Beginner
    • Glutes
    • Glute Kickback Machine

  5. 5. Single Leg Kickback

    Photo of Single Leg Kickback being performed
    86.2 mSCORESWAPPED 643 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.

  6. 6. Dumbbell Glute Bridge

    Photo of Dumbbell Glute Bridge being performed
    69.3 mSCORESWAPPED 558 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.

  7. 7. Cable Pull Through

    Photo of Cable Pull Through being performed
    89.6 mSCORESWAPPED 509 TIMES

    Cable Pull Through is a compound exercise that primarily targets your glutes. This exercise is similar to a kettlebell swing, although it can be performed much slower. The use of a cable allows for consistent tension throughout the movement while still developing your glute drive and hip hinge. This is a great exercise for anyone looking to build muscle mass and strength in their glutes, especially with regards to a hip hinge.

  8. 8. Hip Thrust

    Photo of Hip Thrust being performed
    97 mSCORESWAPPED 428 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.

  9. 9. Kettlebell Swing American

    Photo of Kettlebell Swing American being performed
    83 mSCORESWAPPED 331 TIMES

    This exercise is a variation on the more common Kettlebell Swing. Like the more standard version, this is a compound, explosive movement that primarily targets the glutes. By swinging the kettlebell overhead, this exercise can better translate to some more advanced exercises like Snatches. This is a great exercise for developing power.

  10. 10. Elevated Hip Bridge

    Photo of Elevated Hip Bridge being performed
    84.8 mSCORESWAPPED 311 TIMES

    This exercise is a variation on the more standard Hit Thrust. Like Hip Thrust, this is a compound, bodyweight movement that primarily targets the glutes. By elevating your feet on a bench, or other surface, you can increase your range of motion, which can lead to better muscle activation. This is a great variation for anyone looking to make their Hip Thrusts a bit more challenging.