Glute Bridge with Bench Support (Smith Machine)

Starting position

1. Place a flat bench across the Smith machine so that when you lean on it the bar sits directly over your hips.
2. Sit on the floor with your back against the bench, its edge just below your shoulder blades. Lower the bar into the crease of your hips and put a pad on it.
3. Bend your knees with feet shoulder-width apart on the floor. Hold the bar with your hands on either side of your hips.
4. If the machine has safety stops, set them just above your hip height at the bottom.

Execution

1. Take a breath and brace your abs. Lift your hips and rotate your wrists to unhook the bar.
2. Inhale and lower your hips under control.
3. Exhale, press through your heels and drive your hips up, squeezing your glutes, until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Shins vertical, chin slightly tucked. Hold for 1 second.
4. After the last rep, at the top, rotate your wrists to rack the bar on the hooks.

Common mistakes

• Bench in the wrong spot — the bar's fixed path ends up over your stomach or thighs instead of your hips.
• Arching the lower back at the top — the load moves to the back.
• Pushing through the toes — the quads work instead of the glutes.
• No bar pad — painful pressure on the hip bones.

Beginner tips

• Start with the empty Smith bar and practice unhooking and re-racking it.
• Adjust your feet so your shins are vertical at the top.
• The rails guide the bar path but don't replace control — lower slowly.

Alternatives

• Glute Bridge with Bench Support — the same movement pattern with a free barbell
• Barbell Romanian Deadlift — glutes and hamstrings while standing
• Hyperextension — hip extension with support