Smith machine hip thrust
- Muscle group
- Buttocks
- Equipment
- Smith machine
- Primary muscles
- Glutes
- Secondary muscles
- Hamstrings
- Place a bench behind the Smith machine bar. Sit on the floor with your upper back resting against the bench and the bar over your hips.
- Plant your feet shoulder-width apart. Lift your hips to unrack the bar.
- Lower your hips with control, then drive through your heels to lift your hips back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Tips
- Position the bar directly across your hip bones before unracking, and keep a folded mat or pad between the bar and your hips throughout the set.
- At the top of each rep, tuck your chin slightly and keep your ribs down so your lower back stays in a neutral position rather than arching upward.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and your shins close to vertical at the top of the movement so your knees stay stacked over your ankles.
Common mistakes
- Driving through the toes instead of the heels causes the hips to shift forward rather than rise straight up, taking the glutes out of the intended path of movement.
- Letting the hips drop too quickly on the way down, rather than lowering them with control, cuts the range of motion short and makes it harder to maintain a stable position on the bench.
- Flaring the knees outward during the lift causes them to drift away from the line of the feet instead of tracking in the same direction.
Make Every Set Count.
Plan your workouts, track every session, and see your progress over time.
