Bodyweight Glute Bridge

The bodyweight glute bridge is the simplest way to train hip extension, and its simplicity is exactly why it appears in warm-ups, rehabilitation programmes and home routines alike. Lying on your back with the knees bent, driving the hips upward asks the gluteus maximus to do its primary job with no load on the spine and no equipment at all. That makes it accessible to almost anyone, and it makes it a useful diagnostic: if you feel the movement in your hamstrings or your lower back rather than your glutes, something in the pattern needs attention before you load it. Foot placement decides where the effort lands, with the heels roughly under the knees at the top. The fault to watch for is arching the lower back to reach higher, which replaces hip extension with spinal extension.