The Gluted workout guide · Bridge vs thrust
GLUTE BRIDGE
VS HIP THRUST.
Both moves lift your hips with your glutes: the bridge starts with your back on the floor and is easier to learn anywhere. The hip thrust puts your shoulder blades on a couch edge or bench, so your hips travel further and it is easier to add load later. Start with bridges, then add hip thrusts once bridges feel steady.
Compare the movesAt a glance · Bridge / Hip thrust
- Start position
- Back on the floor · Shoulder blades on a couch edge or bench
- Equipment
- None · A stable couch or bench
- Range
- Shorter · Longer
- Easier to
- Learn · Load
- In the 30-Day Starter
- Days 1–7 · From days 8–14
SAME HIP LIFT.
DIFFERENT SETUP.
Glute bridge
- Start position
- Back on the floor
- Equipment
- None
- Range
- Shorter
- Easier to
- Learn
- In the 30-Day Starter
- Days 1–7
Hip thrust
- Start position
- Shoulder blades on a couch edge or bench
- Equipment
- A stable couch or bench
- Range
- Longer
- Easier to
- Load
- In the 30-Day Starter
- From days 8–14
Gluted’s bodyweight ladder is glute bridge → single-leg glute bridge → hip thrust → single-leg hip thrust. The app suggests the next harder variation once you finish every set at the top of the rep range with control. The 30-Day Starter begins with bridges in days 1–7 and introduces hip thrusts in days 8–14.
LEARN THE LIFT.
FEEL THE SQUEEZE.
Leave room to lie down and warm up before you start. Keep breathing and use a range you can control. If it hurts, stop.
Thrust · No equipment
Glute bridge
Glute bridge demo. AI-generated from real movement. 5-second loop · Uploaded October 24, 2026. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Drive through your heels and lift your hips. Squeeze your glutes at the top with your ribs down. Lower slowly and tap the floor.
Check in: Press through your heels. Stop the lift before your lower back arches; squeeze your glutes rather than reaching higher.
Where you may feel it: Mostly in your glutes, strongest during the squeeze at the top.
Felt it in your thighs? Walk your feet a little further from your hips and push through your heels.
Thrust · Stable couch or bench
Hip thrust
Hip thrust demo. AI-generated from real movement. 3-second loop · Uploaded October 24, 2026. Use a stable couch edge or bench that cannot slide. Rest your shoulder blades on the edge and plant your feet flat on the floor.
Tuck your chin and drive your hips up. Keep your shins vertical at the top, squeeze and pause.
Check in: Keep your chin tucked rather than throwing your head back. Finish the hip lift with a glute squeeze before your lower back arches. Leave enough space between your feet and the couch for your shins to be vertical at the top.
Where you may feel it: Mostly in your glutes, peaking as your hips lock out at the top.
Felt it in your thighs? Walk your feet out until your shins are vertical at the top.
FEEL IT IN
YOUR QUADS?
Check your feet and your finish.
Move your feet a little further out and push through your heels rather than your toes. For a hip thrust, aim for vertical shins at the top. Keep your chin tucked and stop before your lower back arches.
The bridge is the simpler place to practise the glute squeeze.
Tell Gluted where you felt it.
After a workout, the app asks where you felt each move. Answering Thighs twice on the same move brings a new cue and a swap that puts more of the work on your glutes.
Further reading: Bret Contreras on feeling hip thrusts in your quads.
Your two-move session
BRIDGE FIRST.
THEN THRUST.
This is a standalone sample from Gluted’s custom workout builder, using Lift & tone with no equipment: three sets of 12–20 reps with thirty-second rests for each move. You still need a stable couch or bench for the hip thrust.
Two-move sample · Lift & tone goal · Bodyweight
Glute bridge
- Sets
- 3
- Each set
- 12–20 reps
- Rest
- 30 seconds
Hip thrust
- Sets
- 3
- Each set
- 12–20 reps
- Rest
- 30 seconds
| Exercise, in order | Sets | Each set | Rest after a set |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glute bridge | 3 | 12–20 reps | 30 seconds |
| Hip thrust | 3 | 12–20 reps | 30 seconds |
Finish all three bridge sets before moving to hip thrusts. Start at the lower end of the rep range while you learn the moves, and take longer rests when you need them.
QUICK ANSWERS.
Is a hip thrust better than a glute bridge?
Neither is the right choice for everyone. A bridge is easier to learn on the floor, while a hip thrust gives your hips more travel and is easier to load later. Gluted’s plans use both. Start with the setup you can control.
Can I do hip thrusts at home without a bench?
Yes, with a stable couch edge that cannot slide. Support your shoulder blades on the edge and keep your feet flat. If you do not have a stable support, stay with bridges on the floor.
Should I do bridges and hip thrusts in the same workout?
Yes, like the two-move sample above, once both setups feel steady. Leave a rest day between strength sessions for the same muscle group.
Do I need weights?
No. Both moves can be done with bodyweight. When you are ready to add load, the dumbbell glute workout guide covers loaded hip thrusts.