Legs · Barbell
Barbell One Leg Hip Thrust
How to do the barbell one leg hip thrust, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Sit with your upper back against a bench and roll a padded barbell over your hips. Plant one foot flat on the floor and lift the other leg off the ground. Drive through the working heel to extend your hips until your body forms a straight line, squeezing the glute, then lower under control.
- 1Feel the working glute drive your hips up to full extension
- 2Push through the heel of the planted foot and squeeze hard at the top
- 3Keep your chin tucked and ribs down to hold tension across the hip
Common mistakes
- Don't arch your lower back or shoot your hips too high
- Avoid letting your hips dip or rotate toward the working side
- Don't push through your toes; keep the drive in your heel
Muscles worked
The barbell one leg hip thrust mainly works the glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and quads assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
- CalvesMinor
Kovo programs the barbell one leg hip thrust for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.