Band Glute Bridge
A floor glute bridge with a loop band above the knees, adding an abduction demand to ordinary hip extension.
How to do it
- Loop a resistance band around both legs just above the knees.
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, hip width apart.
- Set your arms at roughly 45 degrees from your torso and brace your abdominals.
- Press your heels down and lift your hips while pushing outward against the band.
- Stop when your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line, then squeeze the glutes.
- Lower your hips back toward the floor under control and repeat.
Key technique cue
Keep pushing the knees out against the band; don't arch the lower back at the top.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Arching the lower back at the top instead of finishing with the glutes, which loads the lumbar spine.
- ✕ Letting the knees collapse inward against the band, which removes the abduction demand.
- ✕ Pushing the knees out past the outside of the feet, which twists the knee joint.
- ✕ Placing the feet too far from the glutes, which shifts the work to the hamstrings.
Benefits
- ✓ Recruits the gluteus medius as well as the gluteus maximus in one movement.
- ✓ Teaches hip extension without loading the spine or needing a bench.
- ✓ Works as a low cost activation drill before squat and hinge training.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Band Glute Bridge
- Frog Pump
- Glute Bridge
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Step 2 -
Step 3
About the exercise
The band glute bridge is the standard floor bridge with a loop band sitting just above the knees. You lie on your back with the feet flat and hip width apart, press the heels down, and lift the hips until the body forms a straight line from knee to shoulder. Pushing outward against the band throughout recruits the gluteus medius alongside the gluteus maximus, which is why it is used as an activation drill. The hamstrings assist and the abdominals stop the lower back arching at lockout.
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