The Hip Bridge is the first in our bodyweight series of exercises. Bodyweight exercises do not use free weights or any other type of machine or equipment; rather you use your own bodyweight as resistance for the workout.
Bodyweight exercises are beneficial as you typically do not require the use of outside machines and equipment, meaning that they can be performed at home or any open area in a gym. Additionally, they are helpful for both strengthening various muscle groups and also for honing and sculpting your muscles.
Target Body Part: Full Body (Latissimus Dorsi, Abdominals (Pike), Hip Flexors (Pike), Biceps, Forearms)
- Primary Muscles: Gluteus Maximus
- Secondary Muscles: Hamstrings, Adductors, Rectus Abdominus and Erector Spinae as stabilizers.
- Equipment Needed: Mat or carpeted floor
Performance Points:
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- Press both feet into the floor as you squeeze your glutes, raising your hips up until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
- Pause at the top then slowly lower your body back to the floor, and repeat.
COACHES KEY: Press hips straight up.
Reps/Sets:
- Include this exercise as part of a full-body workout
- Complete quality repetitions without sacrificing technique. Use an assisted machine, rubber band if doing body weight pull ups is difficult
Modifications:
- Beginner: Both feet maintain contact with the floor
- Advanced: For more of a challenge, do a single leg lift bridge with only one foot in contact with the floor and the other leg fully extended.
This exercise is just one of many bodyweight exercises, which are beneficial as you typically do not require the use of outside machines and equipment, therefore can be performed at home or any open area in a gym. Additionally, they are helpful for both strengthening various muscle groups and also for honing and sculpting your muscles.
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