Single-Leg Hip Thrust
Glute + hamstring strength for sprint power
How to do it well
The set-up and the rep in full, then the cues the app shows on the exercise card — the short version, for the moment you are standing in front of the bar.
Set-up
Set up as for a hip thrust, upper back on a bench edge, one foot flat on the floor under the knee and the other leg bent with the knee pulled towards the chest.
The rep
Drive through the heel of the working leg and lift the hips until the thigh is in line with the torso. Hold for a second with the glute squeezed and the hips level, then lower slowly. Finish all reps on one side, then switch.
On the exercise card
- Squeeze the glute at the top
What goes wrong, and the fix
| What goes wrong | The fix |
|---|---|
| The hips tilt towards the free leg | The pelvis should stay level. Slow down and lower the range until you can hold it square. |
| Pushing through the toes | Shift the weight back onto the heel, which keeps the work in the glute and hamstring. |
| Arching the lower back at the top | Tuck the chin and keep the ribs down. Stop at full hip extension. |
Make it easier, or harder
- Easier
- Two-leg hip thrust or glute bridge, or a single-leg bridge from the floor.
- Harder
- A dumbbell on the working hip, a longer hold at the top, or the working foot raised on a step.
How Train Smart prescribes it
The sets and reps below are the authored starting point. The actual weight you see is calculated from your own last top set and the week you are in within your four-week block.
In the bodyweight program it is the main glute strength exercise: one leg carries the whole body, so there is real load without any equipment.
| Program | Session | Sets × reps | Load |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodyweight Athlete | Lower Strength + Power | 3 × 10/leg | BW |
What it trains, and who trains it
- Muscles worked
- Glutes
- Region
- Lower body
- Prescribed in
- bodyweight training
If you cannot do this one
Rack taken, kit missing, or it does not suit you. These are the swaps the app offers, matched by movement pattern and body region — each with the reason it is a fair substitute.
| Alternative | Why it works as a swap |
|---|---|
| Trap Bar Deadlift | Big posterior-chain pull, back-friendly — sprinter strength gold standard |
| Romanian Deadlift | Hamstring + glute loaded stretch — anti-injury for soccer/AFL |
| Conventional Deadlift | Full-body max strength pull |
| Sumo Deadlift | Wide stance, more glute/adductor — hip-driven athletes |
| Deficit Deadlift | Standing on a plate — longer pull, more eccentric for hamstring resilience |
| Snatch-Grip RDL | Wider grip + bigger upper-back demand — Olympic lifters, throwers |
This exercise, in a program that knows why it is there
Train Smart puts this movement in the right session, at the right point in your block, at a weight calculated for you — and swaps it automatically if you do not have the kit.
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