Stretch · beginner · 5s hold

Glute Bridge

By Oliver Wakefield-SmithLast reviewed 2026-08-021 primary source cited→ About

Glute bridges train the hip extensors. Leinonen and colleagues (2000) compared 19 women with chronic low back pain against 19 without, and found gluteus maximus was active for less time during trunk flexion in the back pain group. They concluded the glutes should be considered in rehabilitation. That is an association: it does not show that weak glutes cause back pain or that bridges fix it. None of the studies in our references tests the glute bridge on its own.

Glute maxHamstringsCore stabilisers

Illustration · follow the steps below for the actual technique

How to do it

1
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat, hip-width apart
Feet hip-width
2
Press through your heels and lift your hips off the floor
Lift hips
3
Squeeze your glutes at the top, do not arch your low back
Glutes drive lift
4
Hold 5 seconds at the top, lower with control
Hold and lower
5
Repeat 10 times. Glute squeeze is the goal, not height
Squeeze, do not arch

The evidence

Citation: Leinonen V, Kankaanpää M, Airaksinen O, Hänninen O (2000). Back and hip extensor activities during trunk flexion/extension: effects of low back pain and rehabilitation. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation · DOI: 10.1016/s0003-9993(00)90218-1

Common questions

Are glute bridges good for lower back pain?

It may help, but not as a stretch. A glute bridge strengthens the gluteus maximus and trains hip extension. The evidence is indirect: gluteal muscle activity differs in people with low back pain (Leinonen 2000) and in people who develop it during prolonged standing (Nelson-Wong and Callaghan, 2010), but neither study tests the bridge. You should feel the bridge in your glutes and hamstrings, not in your lower back.

Do glute bridges work for lower back pain?

Possibly, and indirectly. The bridge does not stretch the lumbar spine; it activates the glutes so the hips do the work of extending the hip. The reasoning is that stronger glutes take load off the lower back, but none of the studies in our references tests the bridge for back pain, so treat it as a sensible exercise to try rather than a proven treatment.

Should I feel a glute bridge in my lower back?

No. A correct glute bridge is felt in the glutes and mildly in the hamstrings. If you feel it in your lower back, you are arching the spine to lift instead of driving through the glutes. Lower the hips, tuck the pelvis slightly, and squeeze the glutes at the top rather than reaching for height.

Routines that use this stretch

8-Minute Extension-Bias (McKenzie) Routine 12-Minute Maintenance Routine

Written by Oliver Wakefield-Smith

Founder of Digital Signet. Researches and writes evidence-based consumer health content. Not a clinician. The studies this site relies on are named and linked on the references page. Email corrections.