Single Leg Hip Thrust (Bodyweight, Bench)
The Single Leg Hip Thrust is a unilateral bodyweight exercise performed with your upper back supported on a bench to isolate and strengthen the glutes. This movement corrects strength imbalances between legs while targeting the gluteus maximus and hamstrings with minimal equipment.
Iridium tracks progression on this bodyweight movement by monitoring RPE and rep trends relative to your current body mass. The system credits this volume specifically toward your Glute Maximum Recoverable Volume while factoring in fatigue from your 7-day training history. If your posterior chain recovery score is low, Iridium limits exposure to this exercise to prevent exceeding your weekly volume landmarks.
Form Cues
- Place your upper back against the bench edge just below your shoulder blades
- Tuck your chin to your chest and look forward throughout the set
- Drive firmly through the heel of your working foot
- Squeeze your glute hard at the top to reach full hip extension
- Keep your ribs down and core braced to protect your lower back
- Don't throw your head back or look at the ceiling
- Don't arch your lower back to get higher
- Don't push through your toes
- Don't let your working knee collapse inward
- Don't use momentum to swing yourself up
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending the lower back
- Placing foot too far forward
- Placing foot too close to bench
- Incomplete hip extension range
- Neck extending backward
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the gluteus maximus, forcing it to lift your bodyweight without assistance from the opposite leg. It also engages the hamstrings as synergists and relies heavily on the core and glute medius to maintain pelvic stability and prevent rotation.
Primary
Secondary
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