Dumbbell B-stance hip thrust

1. 1

   Sit on the floor with the bench edge just below your shoulder blades and lay the dumbbell across your hips, holding both ends.

2. 2

   Plant your working foot flat at hip width and move the other foot a little forward, with only its heel on the floor and toes up.

3. 3

   Drive through the heel of your working leg and lift until your torso lines up with that thigh. Your front foot only helps you balance.

4. 4

   Squeeze your glute for 1 second at the top with your hips level, then lower under control. Finish all reps, then switch legs.

• Mistake

  Pushing with both feet, so your front leg takes part of the work.

  How to fix it

  Keep only your front heel down with the toes up, so that foot can't push. Almost all the effort comes from your working leg.

• Mistake

  Your hips tilt or rotate toward your front leg.

  How to fix it

  Keep both hip points at the same height, like a tabletop. If they keep tilting, use a lighter dumbbell.

• Mistake

  Lifting too high and arching your lower back at the top.

  How to fix it

  Stop when your torso lines up with your working thigh, ribs down and chin slightly tucked.

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

• Barbell B-stance hip thrust

  A padded barbell across your hips, feet in the same B-stance. For when the heaviest dumbbell already feels light.

• Hip thrust machine

  The back pad and belt stay fixed and you set your feet in the same B-stance, with no weight to hold on your hips.

• Single-leg hip thrust

  Your front foot comes off the floor and your working leg does it all. The next step once the B-stance feels easy.

• At home: b-stance couch hip thrust

  Swap the bench for a sturdy couch pushed against a wall. No dumbbell? Rest a weighted backpack on your hips or use just your bodyweight.

• Prefer more stability? Two-leg dumbbell hip thrust

  Prefer more stability? With both feet planted, your base is wider and it's easier to keep your hips level, using the same bench and dumbbell.

• Single-leg hip thrust

  Gluteus maximus · Bodyweight

  Intermediate

• Dumbbell hip thrust

  Gluteus maximus · Dumbbell

  Beginner

• Barbell hip thrust

  Gluteus maximus · Barbell

  Intermediate

• Single-leg glute bridge

  Gluteus maximus · Bodyweight

  Beginner

• 

  Gluteus maximus

  56 exercises

• Glute exercises with dumbbells

  17 exercises

• How to grow glutes

  What the science says about sets, exercises and how long it takes.

• 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

  Neto WK, Soares EG, et al. Gluteus Maximus Activation during Common Strength and Hypertrophy Exercises: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2020;19(1):195-203.

  Full textPubMed

• Exercise choice

  Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, et al. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Front Physiol. 2023;14:1279170.

  Full textPubMedDOI

• Variations

  Collazo García CL, Rueda J, et al. Differences in the Electromyographic Activity of Lower-Body Muscles in Hip Thrust Variations. J Strength Cond Res. 2020;34(9):2449-2455.

  PubMedDOI