How to do a glute bridge for a stronger back
For a glute bridge, lie face up on a mat with knees bent, feet flat and about hip width apart. Breathe out, press your heels and midfoot into the floor, and raise your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders form a gentle ramp. Hold briefly with your ribs down, then roll back to the mat slowly. You should feel it in your seat and the backs of your legs.
Why it matters: Strong glutes take strain off the lower back and knees during walking, stairs and lifting.
Steps
- Lie on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat, about hip width apart.
- Rest your arms on the floor beside you, palms down, for balance.
- Breathe out and press your heels and the middle of each foot into the floor.
- Lift your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders make a gentle ramp, no higher.
- Keep your ribs down so the lift comes from your seat, not an arched back.
- Hold for a breath at the top, then roll your spine back down to the mat.
- Place a folded towel between your knees and hold it there if your knees drift apart or together.
Stop and call a professional if
- you feel it mostly in your lower back even after lowering the height: ask a physical therapist to check your setup
- you have pelvic pain or pressure, or leaking, during or after the movement: see your clinician or a pelvic floor physical therapist
- you are pregnant, gave birth in the last year, or have a heart, joint, bone or pelvic floor condition: ask your clinician or a physical therapist which movements suit you first
- you feel chest pain or pressure, faintness or breathlessness far beyond the effort: stop and call your local emergency number, 911 in the US
Questions to ask the professional
- Should I change my foot position to feel this more in my glutes?
Common mistakes
- Pushing the hips so high that the lower back arches.
- Letting the knees fall outward or squeeze inward.
- Dropping down fast instead of lowering with control.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to do a glute bridge for a stronger back
What to say
For a glute bridge, lie face up on a mat with knees bent, feet flat and about hip width apart. Breathe out, press your heels and midfoot into the floor, and raise your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders form a gentle ramp. Hold briefly with your ribs down, then roll back to the mat slowly. You should feel it in your seat and the backs of your legs.
What to show
- Lie on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat, about hip width apart.
- Rest your arms on the floor beside you, palms down, for balance.
- Breathe out and press your heels and the middle of each foot into the floor.
- Lift your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders make a gentle ramp, no higher.
- Keep your ribs down so the lift comes from your seat, not an arched back.
- Hold for a breath at the top, then roll your spine back down to the mat.
- Place a folded towel between your knees and hold it there if your knees drift apart or together.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if you feel it mostly in your lower back even after lowering the height: ask a physical therapist to check your setup.
Check question
How high should the hips go?
Answer: To a gentle ramp from knees to shoulders. Past the ramp, the lower back takes over from the glutes.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- Certified exercise professional guidance on movement form, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .