Graduating from dumbbell glute bridges to barbell glute bridges can be intimidating. Balancing the longer barbell takes practice and can be an intimidating and makes a lot of athletes nervous to test out publicly in the gym. Introducing: the Smith Machine glute bridge!
The Smith Machine glute bridge is an excellent way to “bridge” the gap between dumbbell and barbell glute bridges. Not only does using the Smith Machine help you balance the weight, but it can strengthen your glutes so – if you want to- you’re strong enough to test your stabilizers with a free barbell glute bridge.
Let’s get you set up!
Setting Up the Smith Machine Glute Bridge
Walk over to the Smith Machine and rotate the bar toward you to unlock it. Then, lift the bar up high enough to slide a bench long ways underneath the bar. (You’ll have to rotate the bar back toward the machine to lock it in.)
Next, slide the bench long ways underneath the bar.
Now, set up the bar high enough above the bench for you you to fit underneath it while lying on the bench, but not so high that you can’t safely lower the bar to your hips when the time comes.
Finally, put your desired weight onto the bar.
Performing the Lift
Now that you’re all set up go ahead and lay on the bench. Your knees should be bent and feet on the bench – just like if you were to do glute bridges on a mat!
From here, unlock the bar and slowly lower it onto your hips – feel free to use a bar pad or towel if the bar puts too much pressure on your hip bones.
Holding onto the bar, perform a glute bridge with the weight for as many reps as possible. Remember you’ll want to keep your core engaged to support your spine-no arching at the top! To ensure this, think of lifting your hips by scooping your lower abdominals back and up.
Once you’ve completed your reps, re-lock the bar high enough to shimmy out from underneath during your rest time.
Need more help picturing the Smith Machine glute bridge? Check out this video from Coach Kierstin giving you the whole breakdown!
Want more training tips? Check out the DWL blog every Tuesday. But until then, give these popular posts a read: Dietary Fiber Intake: A Dancer’s Secret to a Healthy Gut, Training Tip Tuesday: The Y-Raise, 9 Things Physical Therapists Want Dance Athletes to Know
