Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts
Medicine Ball Hip Thrusts are a glute-focused resistance exercise performed by bridging your hips upward while leaning your upper back against a bench. This variation adds moderate load to the hips to build strength and stability in the posterior chain without requiring a barbell setup.
Since medicine balls typically come in fixed weight increments, our AI analyzes your RPE and rep consistency to determine exactly when you have outgrown a specific weight. By integrating your recovery stats and daily readiness, the app can intelligently program this exercise as a moderate-intensity accessory move on days when your lower back recovery scores suggest avoiding heavy barbell loading.
Form Cues
- Place your shoulder blades firmly against the edge of the bench
- Hold the medicine ball steady on your hips with your hands
- Drive through your heels to lift your hips
- Tuck your chin slightly towards your chest
- Squeeze your glutes hard at the top of the movement
- Don't hyperextend your lower back at the top
- Don't push through your toes or lift your heels
- Don't let the bench slide backward
- Don't swing your body to generate momentum
- Don't let your knees collapse inward
Common Mistakes
- Arching the lower back instead of extending hips
- Placing feet too far forward or backward
- Not achieving full hip extension
- Using neck muscles to assist the lift
- Allowing the knees to cave in
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the gluteus maximus, forcing it to drive hip extension against resistance in a shortened position. It effectively recruits the hamstrings as synergists while the core musculature engages isometrically to stabilize the spine and pelvis throughout the thrust.
Primary
Secondary
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