Exercise Notes
The shoulder-and-feet-elevated hip thrust is the most challenging bridging variation because
it moves the hips through the greatest range of motion and considerably increases the
demands on the hamstrings. The double-leg version is still challenging for many
intermediate-level exercisers, although more advanced exercisers will require single-leg
variations to sufficiently challenge their hip extensors. The reason the hamstrings work so
much harder in this variation is because the hips drop lower than the feet, thereby requiring
the hamstrings to produce a knee flexion torque as well as a hip extension torque. For this
reason, this exercise works the hamstrings through both of its roles—hip extension and knee
flexion.