Frog Pump
A bridge variation with the soles of the feet together and knees flared, biasing hip extension toward the glutes.
How to do it
- Lie on your back on a mat with your arms resting at your sides.
- Put the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall out to the sides.
- Slide your heels in toward your hips and flatten your lower back into the floor.
- Tuck the pelvis under, then drive through the outer edges of your feet to lift the hips.
- Squeeze the glutes hard at the top without arching the lower back.
- Lower the hips to just short of the floor and repeat for high reps.
Key technique cue
Keep the knees open and heels close to the hips; don't arch for height.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Arching the lower back to gain height, which moves the work from the glutes to the erectors.
- ✕ Letting the knees drift back together, which removes the abduction that biases the glutes.
- ✕ Setting the heels too far from the hips, which brings the hamstrings back into the movement.
- ✕ Pushing through the toes instead of the outer edges of the feet, which loses the external rotation.
Benefits
- ✓ Isolates hip extension to the glutes by taking the hamstrings and erectors out of the pattern.
- ✓ Needs no equipment and very little space, so it fits warm-ups anywhere.
- ✓ Suits high rep activation and finisher work where heavier hinging would be fatiguing.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Frog Pump
- Band Glute Bridge
- Glute Bridge
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Step 2 -
Step 3
About the exercise
The frog pump is a glute bridge performed with the soles of the feet pressed together and the knees dropped out to the sides. Putting the hips into abduction and external rotation with the heels close to the body shortens the hamstrings and flattens the lumbar spine, which is what takes the hamstrings and spinal erectors out of the movement. What remains is close to isolated hip extension by the gluteus maximus. Range is small and the load is bodyweight, so it is normally programmed for high reps as an activation drill or a finisher.
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