How is this different from a glute bridge?

A Glute Bridge is done with the feet flat and the knees pointing up, while this version presses the soles together and lets the knees fall out. The frog position keeps the hamstrings and lower back less involved but also shortens the range of hip extension.

How many reps should I do?

Because body weight is a light load, it is usually trained for higher reps: around 3 sets of 10 as a warm-up, or 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 as a finisher at the end of a session.

Why do I feel it in my inner thighs instead of my glutes?

The soles-together position stretches the inner thighs, and people with tight hips can feel that stretch more than the glute squeeze. Slide your feet a little farther from your hips or narrow the knee spread, and if it still feels like a stretch, do the same lift with your feet flat.

Yes. Once 30 clean reps feel easy, rest a dumbbell on your hips and move on to the Dumbbell Frog Hip Thrust, or loop a resistance band around your thighs.

Can it replace the hip thrust?

No. It is a warm-up or a high-rep finisher rather than a heavy strength exercise, so for heavier glute work progress to the Bodyweight Hip Thrust and the Barbell Hip Thrust.

Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust

What Is the Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust?

Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the glutes and also engages the hamstrings, inner thighs and core. It is a beginner-level movement performed lying on the floor with the soles of the feet pressed together and the knees turned out, so the hips lift from a frog or butterfly position instead of the usual feet-flat bridge.

The movement is best known as the frog pump, a name popularized by glute researcher and coach Bret Contreras, who uses it as a glute activation drill and as a regression for people who struggle to feel their glutes during hip thrusts, squats or deadlifts. Because it needs no equipment and little load, it usually sits at the start of a lower-body session as a warm-up or at the end as a high-rep finisher.

The frog position changes who does the work. With the knees bent sharply, the heels close to the hips and the thighs spread wide, the hamstrings are short and the lower back is kept flat, so the glutes have to drive the lift. A study of healthy young adults found that bridging with the thighs spread to 30 degrees produced more gluteus maximus activity, less lower-back muscle activity and less forward pelvic tilt than bridging with the thighs at 15 degrees or together. The frog position opens the thighs wider still, although that exact setup was not tested. The trade-off is a shorter range of hip extension than a feet-flat bridge, which makes this a high-rep glute exercise more than a strength builder.

It suits beginners, people who feel bridges mostly in their hamstrings or lower back, and lifters who want to warm up their glutes before heavier hip work. Paying attention to the squeeze at the top matters here, since the load is light and the point of the drill is to feel the glutes working. Anyone whose hips or knees object to the soles-together position can build up with the Glute Bridge first, and once high reps feel easy the Dumbbell Frog Hip Thrust adds load to the same pattern.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Gluteus Medius: Medium
Adductor Magnus: Low
Biceps Femoris: Low
Rectus Abdominis: Low
Semimembranosus: Low
Semitendinosus: Low
Tensor Fasciae Latae: Low
Erector Spinae: Minimal

Instructions

Lie face up on the floor with your knees bent and your head resting on the floor.
Press the soles of your feet together and slide your heels in toward your hips, letting your knees fall out to the sides.
Bend your elbows, set them on the floor beside your torso and make fists with your forearms pointing up.
Brace your abs and tuck your pelvis slightly so your lower back flattens against the floor.
Keep your soles pressed together, squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off the floor.
Rise until your hips are in line with your torso, keeping your ribs down and your knees wide.
Pause for a moment at the top and squeeze your glutes.
Lower your hips with control until they lightly touch the floor, then repeat.

Common Mistakes

Arching the lower back
Lifting the hips by extending the lower back instead of squeezing the glutes moves tension off the glutes and onto the spine.
Heels too far from the hips
Setting the feet farther from the body than your hips need lets the hamstrings take over more of the lift, so keep the heels as close to the hips as is comfortable.
Letting the knees close
Drawing the knees together as the hips rise gives up the wide, turned-out hip position that sets this variation apart from a regular bridge.
Forcing the knees wide
Pressing the knees toward the floor past a comfortable range loads the groin and inner knee instead of the glutes.
Rushing the reps
Bouncing through fast reps without a pause at the top skips the part of the range where the glutes work hardest.

Injuries

Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is only body weight and the range of motion is short, so problems usually come from the position rather than the effort. The soles-together setup places the hips in a wide, externally rotated position, which can strain the groin and inner knee or cause a pinch at the front of the hip in people with limited hip mobility. Lifting by arching the lower back instead of squeezing the glutes moves the work onto the spine.

Keep the lower back flat and the ribs down throughout, and stop each rep where the glutes, not the lower back, finish the lift. Let the knees fall out only as far as they go comfortably rather than forcing them toward the floor. If the position bothers your hips or knees, slide your feet farther from your hips, narrow the knee spread, or set the feet flat and do a regular Glute Bridge instead. A Clamshell also trains the hip rotators without the soles-together hold.

To progress, add a pause at the top, use a band around the thighs, or place a dumbbell on the hips with the Dumbbell Frog Hip Thrust. For a longer range and heavier glute work, move on to the Bodyweight Hip Thrust and later the Barbell Hip Thrust.

Stop if you feel sharp groin pain, pinching at the front of the hip, pain on the inside of the knee, or lower-back pain that does not ease when you tuck your pelvis. Pain that persists after the session should be checked by a physical therapist or doctor.

Overview

Primary Focus: Glutes
Equipment: Body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust

The Bodyweight Frog Hip Thrust is also known as:

Frog Pump

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is this different from a glute bridge?: A Glute Bridge is done with the feet flat and the knees pointing up, while this version presses the soles together and lets the knees fall out. The frog position keeps the hamstrings and lower back less involved but also shortens the range of hip extension.
Q: How many reps should I do?: Because body weight is a light load, it is usually trained for higher reps: around 3 sets of 10 as a warm-up, or 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 as a finisher at the end of a session.
Q: Why do I feel it in my inner thighs instead of my glutes?: The soles-together position stretches the inner thighs, and people with tight hips can feel that stretch more than the glute squeeze. Slide your feet a little farther from your hips or narrow the knee spread, and if it still feels like a stretch, do the same lift with your feet flat.
Q: Can I add weight?: Yes. Once 30 clean reps feel easy, rest a dumbbell on your hips and move on to the Dumbbell Frog Hip Thrust, or loop a resistance band around your thighs.
Q: Can it replace the hip thrust?: No. It is a warm-up or a high-rep finisher rather than a heavy strength exercise, so for heavier glute work progress to the Bodyweight Hip Thrust and the Barbell Hip Thrust.