3 Ways To Level-Up The Glute Bridge

Glutes and Shoulders, Oh My! 

The glute bridge is the cornerstone movement of a good butt-building routine. Master this and you unlock so much potential when it comes to training your posterior chain. 

One important caveat is to learn how to get the glutes to fire and core to stabilize while in an overhead reach position.

This could be a press, overhead squat, or simply reaching for something high on a shelf. 

Sounds silly to think about that, but a lot of injuries happen doing everyday things because we are conscious of our body positioning. 

Here are two moves you can add to your workout routine to help you learn how all of the trunk components work together (ie. hips, glutes, anterior and posterior core, and scapula).

Try them out in your next workout for a solid full-body exercise. 

Bridge with Overhead Reach

Grab a weight and get to it! Here I use a kettlebell, but you can also use a dumbbell, weighted plate, medicine ball, or just your bodyweight.

 

 

 

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A post shared by Fit Thrive Women’s Fitness (@kelliedavisfit) on Apr 4, 2019 at 8:49am PDT

1. Lie facing up with feet on the floor. 
2. Press the weight straight up until arms fully extend. 
3. Hinge at the hip, moving them toward the ceiling while keeping the core stable.
4. As you press the hips up, lower the weight toward the floor in an overhead reach.
5. Lower the hips back down and return the weight to the pressed position. 
6. Repeat for 3 sets of 6-10 reps.

Single-Leg Glute Bridge With Shoulder Stability

 

 

 

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A post shared by Fit Thrive Women’s Fitness (@kelliedavisfit) on Apr 15, 2019 at 8:14am PDT

1. Lie facing up with feet on the floor. 
2. Press the weight straight up until arms fully extend. 
3. Raise one foot, extending through the knee into a single leg position. 
4. Hinge at the hip, moving them toward the ceiling while keeping the core stable.
5. Lower the hips back down and repeat.
6. Repeat for 3 sets of 6-10 reps on each side.

 Glute March With Overhead Reach

(second video in above post)

1. Lie facing up with feet on the floor. 
2. Press the weight straight up until arms fully extend. 
3. Hinge at the hip, moving them toward the ceiling while keeping the core stable.
4. Holding this top position, lift one leg up to extend through the knee. As do you this, lower the weight toward the floor in an overhead reach.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Repeat for 3 sets of 6-10 reps.

Putting It All Together

Now you have these smooth new moves, so it's time to fit them into your routine. These exercises progress based on your skill level, so start with the top exercise. If you are a still mastering a basic bridge or single-leg bridge hold off on these for a bit. 

I recommend adding one of these exercises to your routine once or twice a week. Try it for 4 weeks, then add the next one.