By: Chris Gates

The dumbbell glute bridge is a fantastic exercise for overall health.

This exercise is going to help you build a strong posterior chain, build muscle, prevent injury, improve balance, and more. And since so many folks are interested in building a bigger dump truck these days… Yeah, this will help with that, too!

In this article, I’m going to explain exactly how to do a dumbbell glute bridge. We’ll talk about proper set up, as well as the form and technique cues you can use to get the most out of this exercise.

I’ll also break down how you can do variations of this exercise to target different parts of your lower body.

Let’s dive in!

How to Do A Dumbbell Glute Bridge: The Setup

To perform a dumbbell glute bridge, you really only need one piece of equipment: a dumbbell.

Beyond that, your body and the floor will take care of the rest.

Here are the steps to perform this exercise correctly:

1. Lay down on the floor on your back, with your knees up in front of your body.
2. Align your feet directly below your knees.
3. Retract your shoulder blades to keep your back tight, and brace your core while performing each rep.
4. Place the dumbbell in your hip crease and hold with a hand on either side.
5. Thrust your hips up to the ceiling, pushing them through the dumbbell. Make sure you squeeze your glutes at the very top of each rep.
6. Lower your hips back down to the ground.

Step 1: Lay down and get in the proper position

If you don’t have a smooth surface to lay down on, I’d recommend putting on a sweatshirt, or grabbing a yoga mat to help make this part more comfortable.

You should lay flat on your back with your feet below your knees. In this position, think about retracting your shoulder blades so that you can stabilize your upper back and keep it tight. You should also focus on keeping your core braced while you perform each rep to help with stabilization.

Step 2: Place the dumbbell in your hip crease and hold it with both hands

This is where you involve the dumbbell.

Put the dumbbell right on top of your hips at the crease. Get it to sit comfortably in this position, and hold either end of the dumbbell with each hand to make sure it doesn’t move while you’re performing the reps.

Step 3: Thrust your hips up to the ceiling, squeezing your glutes at the top of each rep

With the dumbbell stabilized, thrust your hips into the dumbbell and up towards the ceiling. While performing this part of the exercise, remember that it’s important to continue to keep your back tight and your core braced.

At the top of each repetition, squeeze your glutes as hard as you can, and then lower the weight back down to the ground under control.

How to Do A Dumbbell Glute Bridge: Variations

The primary focus of the dumbbell glute bridge is to work the glutes, but you can vary your foot positioning a bit to emphasize different portions of your lower body.

Once you’re in the starting position, you can move your feet forward (out in front of your knees), which will emphasize your hamstrings a bit more.

Or, you can bring your feet in closer to your body, which will emphasize the quads a bit more for this exercise.

—

I hope you found this tutorial helpful! Be sure to check out my YouTube channel, which has hundreds of tutorials and videos to help you get the most out of your fitness routine!

And if you’re interested in getting customized coaching to help you accomplish your fitness goals, check out my online fitness coaching page to learn about how we can work together! If you’re interested, you can submit a coaching application form and I’ll reach out to you to talk more about your goals.

Thanks for reading!