Physioball Hip Bridge
Also works: Hamstrings
A shoulder-supported bridge with your upper back on an exercise ball and your hips hanging free. The raised, unstable support lets the hips travel through a much larger arc than a floor bridge and forces the glutes to control rotation as well as extension.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Sit on the ball and walk your feet forward until your shoulder blades and upper back rest on it and your hips hang free.
- Place your feet flat, hip-width or slightly wider, shins vertical when your hips are at the top.
- Cross your arms on your chest, or hold them out wide only if you need the balance.
- Tuck your chin slightly and let your head rest on the ball rather than craning it forward.
- Squeeze your glutes before you move so the first rep does not start with your lower back.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale as the hips lower, exhale as you drive up and lock out. Three seconds down, one second held at the top, one to two seconds up.
Before you load it
- Use a burst-resistant ball rated for well above your bodyweight, and check it for punctures before you get on it with weight across your hips.
- Do not turn this into a loaded barbell hip thrust. A bar on your hips over a rolling ball leaves you no way to bail if the ball moves.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Bodyweight first, and it is enough for most people for several weeks. Progress by holding the top for three seconds, then by moving to one leg with the other knee pulled to your chest, then by resting a single dumbbell or plate across the hips with a folded towel underneath. Do not load a rolling ball heavily — once you want real weight, use a bench and a barbell.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Walk your feet back until your shins are vertical at the top of the bridge. If the hamstrings still cramp, move them another few centimetres closer and slow down.
Stop when knees, hips and shoulders form one straight line. Keep your ribs pulled down and tuck the pelvis slightly at lockout so the glutes finish the rep, not the spine.
Set your feet firmly and press evenly through both heels. If it still travels, put the ball against a wall or in a corner for the first few sessions.
Take three seconds down, one second held at the top and drive up under control. The ball adds stability demand only if you actually stop and hold.
Why bother
On the floor your shoulder blades stop the hips descending very far, so the bridge trains a short top range. Sitting the upper back on a ball raises the pivot roughly 55-65 cm, which lets the hips sink well below the knees and then rise to full lockout. More range under tension is the point.
The ball also rolls. Every rep is a small rotational-control problem for the glutes and adductors, and it exposes a side-to-side imbalance far more clearly than a bench or the floor. That is why it belongs before the barbell hip thrust rather than after it.
Where it fits
A good accessory after squats or deadlifts, or the main glute movement on a day when you want the hips loaded without a bar on your body. Three sets of 12-20. Once bodyweight is easy, move to a bench and a barbell rather than piling plates onto your hips on a rolling ball.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
When this gets easy
Asked and answered
What size ball do I need?
Sit on it: your knees should end up level with your hips or a touch lower. In practice that is a 55 cm ball up to about 1.70 m tall, 65 cm from 1.70 to 1.85 m, and 75 cm above that. Undersized is the common error — too small a ball drops the pivot and you lose the extra range that made you pick the ball over the floor in the first place. Inflate it firm; a soft ball sinks under your shoulders and does the same thing.
Does the instability make it better than a stable surface?
Not in the way it is usually sold. Unstable surfaces reduce the force you can produce, so as a muscle-building tool the wobble costs you rather than helping. What the ball genuinely buys is range of motion and honest feedback about a side-to-side imbalance. Choose it for the depth of the hip drop, not because someone told you instability recruits more fibres.
Should I progress to one leg before adding weight?
Yes, on a ball that is the right order. Pull the free knee to your chest, keep the pelvis level and expect to lose roughly a third of your reps on the first attempt. A dropped hip on the unsupported side means you are past your control, not past your strength — cut the range and rebuild. Only once single-leg reps are clean is it worth thinking about a bench and a bar.
Is the ball actually better than a bench?
Not for load, and load is what drives growth. The bench is safer, more stable and takes a barbell. The ball wins on range of motion at bodyweight and on exposing left-right imbalances. Use the ball while you are unloaded, use the bench once you want weight.