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  • Gluteus maximus
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  • Beginner

45-degree hip extension

The 45-degree hip extension works your glutes and hamstrings, with your lower back and inner thighs helping. Start with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping with about 3 reps in reserve. To build muscle, do 2 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 reps.

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Video on the way

We film every move with real women. Until then, follow the steps and the 3 tips.

  1. Tip 1Hinge at the hips, not your back
  2. Tip 2Squeeze your glutes to rise
  3. Tip 3Stop at a straight line

Where you should feel it

In your glutes and hamstrings. Your lower back works to keep your back firm, but it shouldn't be what tires most. If it is, check the pad height and stop at a straight line.

Main muscles
Gluteus maximus, semitendinosus and semimembranosus, and biceps femoris
Also working
Spinal erectors and adductor magnus

How to do it

  1. Set the pad so its edge sits just below the crease of your hips and lock your heels under the rollers, feet turned slightly out.

  2. Cross your arms over your chest, or hug a plate, and keep a straight line from head to heels.

  3. Hinge at the hips and lower your torso with a firm back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.

  4. Squeeze your glutes and rise until your body is back in a straight line, without going past it at the top.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake

    Rising past a straight line and arching your lower back at the top.

    How to fix it

    Stop when your head, hips and heels line up. Past that point the work goes to your lower back.

  • Mistake

    Pad set too high, at your belly, so your hips can't hinge.

    How to fix it

    Lower the pad until its edge is just below the crease of your hips so they can hinge freely.

  • Mistake

    Rounding your back to go lower.

    How to fix it

    Go down only as far as your back stays firm. The range comes from your hips.

Sets and reps for your goal

GoalSetsRepsReps in reserveRest
Getting started2 to 38 to 12360 to 120 s
Muscle and definition2 to 46 to 121 to 31.5 to 3 min
Max strength3 to 53 to 62 to 32.5 to 4 min

Max strength (3 to 6 reps) only once your form is solid, always with 2 to 3 reps in reserve.

Reps in reserve: how many more reps you could still do with good form when you end the set.

Variations

Same movement, other equipment

  • With a plate

    The same exercise hugging a weight plate to your chest, to add load little by little.

  • Cable pull-through

    The same hip hinge, standing, with the rope from the low pulley running between your legs.

  • Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

    Standing, you hinge at the hips with the dumbbells sliding down close to your legs.

At home or with more support

Taken? Swap it for one of these

They work the same main muscle.

Keep exploring

Sources

  • Sets and reps

    Currier BS, D'Souza AC, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, et al. Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229507.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Delgado J, Drinkwater EJ, et al. Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension. J Strength Cond Res. 2019;33(10):2595-2601.

    PubMedDOI

Review

Draft. This guide is waiting for review by a certified strength and conditioning professional.

Updated October 31, 2026