A machine hip thrust performed on a plate-loaded glute drive, where the built-in back pad and foot platform set the position so the hips can extend against the load without setting up a bench.
What this exercise works
Muscles
gluteus maximus · gluteus medius · hamstrings · quadriceps
Goals
hypertrophy · strength
Equipment
Hip thrust machine
Category
Strength
Difficulty
beginner
Demonstration
Step 1
Step 2
How to perform the movement
Load the plate horns evenly and sit into the machine with your upper back against the pad and your feet flat on the platform.
Pull the hip pad or lap bar across your hips and adjust it so it sits on the crease of the hips, not on your stomach.
Set your feet so that your shins will be roughly vertical when your hips are at the top, and take hold of the handles.
Drive your hips up by squeezing the glutes until your thighs are level with your torso, and hold briefly at the top.
Lower under control until your hips are just short of the bottom of the range, and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Technique cues and common mistakes
Get the pad on the hip crease. Sitting it up on the stomach is the only genuinely uncomfortable thing this machine does, and it is fixed by moving the pad, not by adding padding.
Finish with the hips, not the lower back. If the ribs flare at the top you have run out of hip extension and started arching, which is where the machine stops training the glutes.
This is the hip thrust to reach for when the bench and barbell are taken -- the back pad and platform are part of the frame, so there is no setup to get wrong.
From guide to workout
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