Legs · Bodyweight
Kneeling Hip Thrust
How to do the kneeling hip thrust, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Kneel upright with your knees on a pad and your shins flat on the floor. Sit your hips back toward your heels, then drive forward by squeezing your glutes until your torso and thighs form a straight line. Keep your core braced and lower under control before repeating.
- 1Glutes squeezing hard to drive your hips forward
- 2A straight line from knees to shoulders at the top
- 3Core and ribs staying down so the hips do the work
Common mistakes
- Don't arch your lower back to reach the top position
- Avoid pushing forward with your quads or lower back instead of the glutes
- Don't let your hips lag behind; finish with a full glute squeeze
Muscles worked
The kneeling hip thrust mainly works the glutes, with the hamstrings, lower back, and quads assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- Lower BackSupport
- QuadsSupport
- Upper AbsMinor
- Lower AbsMinor
Kovo programs the kneeling 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.