The Resistance Band Glute Bridge - A Setup - To - Squeeze

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The Resistance Band Glute Bridge - A Setup - To - Squeeze

★★★★★ 4.8 · 66

Tasha Boyd07.08.2026JUMP TO TUTORIAL

I've watched more knees cave inward during a bridge than I can count across twelve years of rec-center classes, and nine times out of ten it's not a strength problem — it's a setup problem. The resistance band glute bridge is one of the few moves I hand to a total beginner and a returning athlete in the same session, because the band does the teaching for you. Here's the six-part sequence, straight off the mat, with the cues I actually use.

Getting Into Position

Lie on your back on the mat, knees bent to about 90 degrees, feet flat and hip-width apart. Loop the band around both feet — right at the arch, not up on the ankle bone — and keep just a light, steady tension in it before you do anything else.

• Hips stay down and pelvis neutral, not tucked or tilted
• Arms relaxed by your sides, palms down
• Goal here is simply a stable, quiet starting position

If you're newer to floor work, a folded towel under your lower back can take the edge off until you build some tolerance. This step feels like nothing, and that's the point — you're not lifting yet, you're just getting organized.

Setting the Band Tension

This is where most people lose the rep before it even starts. Press both feet firmly into the mat and get your heels planted directly under or just slightly in front of your knees — too far forward and you'll feel it in your hamstrings instead of your glutes.

Now push gently outward against the band. My cue in class is always the same: spread the band without rolling your feet. Your knees should track straight over your middle toes, not splaying wide or turning in.

The band isn't there to punish you — it's there to teach your knees where to go before your hips ever leave the floor.

Keep your neck and shoulders relaxed here. I see people clench their jaw fighting the band before they've even braced, which just wastes energy you need for the lift.

Bracing Before the Drive

Before any hip leaves the mat, brace your core gently — not a hard squeeze, just enough to keep your ribs down and pelvis neutral through the whole rep. Exhale as you prepare to press through your heels.

1. Ribs down, not flared toward the ceiling
2. Hands press lightly into the mat for balance, not for lift
3. Outward band pressure stays maintained the entire time

Think of this as the cue that separates a controlled bridge from one your lower back ends up doing. If you feel your low back arching hard as you brace, ease off the tension slightly and reset — that's your body telling you the pelvis has already tilted.

Driving the Hips Up

Drive through your heels and lift your hips until your thighs and torso begin to line up — this is the moment the glutes actually take over from the setup work you just did. Keep your knees pressing outward against the band the entire way up.

Move smoothly, not upward like a jerk off the floor. Momentum here is the enemy — I'd rather see someone lift three inches with control than fly up six inches using their neck and shoulders to launch.

• Shoulders stay anchored on the mat
• No pushing from the neck
• Knees stay out, pressing against the band throughout

If your feet are relatively close to your hips in this photo's stance, that's intentional — a slightly closer foot position gives you a more direct line to the glutes rather than the hamstrings doing all the work.

Holding the Squeeze

At the top, pause for 1 to 2 seconds and squeeze your glutes hard. You want a straight line running from your shoulders down through your knees — no flaring ribs, no over-arching the lower back to gain extra height.

This is the strongest position in the whole movement, and it's also the easiest place to cheat by arching instead of squeezing. Check three things: glutes tight, core still gently on, chin relaxed rather than jammed toward your chest.

Keep steady tension on the band the whole hold — if it goes slack, your knees have probably drifted inward without you noticing. That's your built-in feedback system, and it's honestly the best part of training this move with a band instead of bodyweight alone.

Lowering With Control and Repeating

Lower your hips slowly back to the mat, keeping your core engaged the whole way down rather than just letting gravity finish the rep for you. Don't let the knees collapse inward as you descend — that's usually where the band tension quietly disappears.

Tempo I recommend: 1 second up, a 1-2 second hold at the top, and 2 seconds down. Lightly touch down at the bottom, then begin your next rep without fully resetting your setup each time.

• Suggested set: 12-15 reps
• Rounds: 2-4, with a short rest between

If your glutes are burning by rep 10 and your form is still holding, that's a good sign you're using the right band tension — not too easy, not so hard you're compensating with your back.

Final Thoughts

This move looks simple in a photo, but there's a lot happening in those six steps — and most of the fixes people need live in the setup, not the lift itself. Run through it slow the first few times, let the band tell you where your knees actually want to go, and the rest tends to sort itself out.

DIY-Tutorial Pin Print

The Resistance Band Glute Bridge - A Setup - To - Squeeze

★★★★★ 4.8 · 66 ratings

Learn the resistance band glute bridge with exact setup, tension, and tempo cues from a certified trainer, including fixes for knees that collapse inward.

Lower Body Strengthresistance band glute bridge

PREP TIME3 min

Work Time10 min

TOTAL TIME13 min

Yield1 workout set (2-4 rounds)

DifficultyEasy

Costca. 15 $

Materials

• Equipment
• 1 exercise mat
• 1 medium loop resistance band
• Optional: folded towel for lower back support

Steps

1

Set up the position

Lie on your back with knees bent to about 90 degrees, feet flat and hip-width apart, and loop the band around both feet with light tension. Keep hips down and arms relaxed by your sides.

2

Create tension

Press heels firmly into the mat under or slightly in front of the knees, then push gently outward against the band without letting your feet roll. Keep neck and shoulders relaxed.

3

Brace and prepare

Exhale and gently brace your core, keeping ribs down and pelvis neutral. Press hands lightly into the mat for balance while maintaining outward pressure on the band.

4

Drive the hips up

Press through your heels and lift your hips smoothly until thighs and torso align, keeping knees pressed outward against the band. Avoid pushing from the neck or jerking upward.

5

Squeeze at the top

Pause for 1-2 seconds at the top, squeezing the glutes hard while keeping a straight line from shoulders to knees. Do not flare the ribs or over-arch the back.

6

Lower with control

Lower the hips slowly back to the mat using a roughly 2-second descent, keeping the core engaged and knees from collapsing inward. Lightly touch down before starting the next rep.

7

Repeat for the set

Complete 12-15 reps per round for 2-4 rounds, resting briefly between rounds and keeping steady band tension throughout every rep.

Hi! I'm Tasha

Hi, I'm Tasha! Certified personal trainer and twelve-year community rec center instructor — the room where a 68-year-old and a college athlete…

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