Dumbbell Hip Thrust
The dumbbell hip thrust is a bench-supported hip extension: with your upper back on a bench and a dumbbell across your hips, you drive your hips up until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. It mainly works the glutes, with the hamstrings assisting, and needs no rack or barbell.
Also called: DB Hip Thrust, Single-Dumbbell Hip Thrust, Dumbbell Bench Hip Thrust · Equipment: dumbbell · Pattern: hinge
Step by step
- Sit on the floor with your back against the long edge of a flat bench, so the edge sits just below your shoulder blades. Set the bench against a wall or rack if it tends to slide.
- Fold a towel over your hip crease and rest a dumbbell across it. Hold both ends of the dumbbell so it stays still through the rep.
- Place your feet flat, about hip-width apart, with toes turned out slightly. Set your heels so your shins are vertical when your hips are at the top.
- Take a breath and brace your trunk. Tuck your chin slightly and keep your ribs down.
- Drive through your heels and raise your hips until your torso and thighs form a straight line. Your upper back pivots on the bench edge as you rise.
- At the top, squeeze your glutes and tuck your pelvis slightly, with your shins vertical and your ribs still down. Hold for about one second.
- Bring your hips back down under control until they are just above the floor, then drive up for the next rep.
- After the last rep, sit your hips to the floor and roll the dumbbell off to one side.
- Drive through your heels
- Shins vertical at the top
- Ribs down, chin tucked
- Squeeze your glutes and tuck your pelvis at the top
- Upper back pivots on the bench edge
- Hold the dumbbell still in the hip crease
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Gluteus maximus: lower | Prime mover | C |
| Gluteus maximus: upper | Prime mover | C |
| Hamstrings: biceps femoris (long head) | Secondary | C |
| Adductor magnus | Secondary | D |
| Erector spinae | Stabiliser | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Arching the low back to finish
Fix: Keep your ribs down and tuck your pelvis; finish with torso and thighs in line.
Feet too far from the bench
Fix: Bring your heels closer so your shins are vertical at the top of each rep.
Feet too close to the bench
Fix: Slide your feet out until your shins are vertical at the top and your heels stay down.
Finishing short of full hip extension
Fix: Drive your hips up until your shoulders, hips and knees form a straight line.
Dumbbell rolling or tipping
Fix: Rest the dumbbell on a folded towel and hold both ends with both hands.
Head pushed back into the bench
Fix: Keep a slight chin tuck and look down your body towards your knees at the top.
What the research says
Muscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessEndurance
- Load range — Research comparing loads finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, although very light loads (around 20% of maximum) have underperformed. Because one dumbbell caps the load, many lifters use higher reps or single-leg sets to keep sets hard.
- Effort — Studies show sets that finish a few reps short of failure capture most of the growth benefit, and training to true failure adds only a small extra effect.
- Volume and frequency — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. Training a muscle about twice a week is a common way to spread that volume.
- Hip thrust and squat — A nine-week trial found similar glute growth from hip thrusts and back squats. A review of glute training notes the hip thrust as a way to emphasise the glutes over other leg muscles.
- Dumbbell version — There is no direct research on the dumbbell hip thrust. It shares the barbell version's movement and resistance profile at a lighter maximum load.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the dumbbell hip thrust in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.