The single-leg hip extension is a floor-based glute bridge performed on one leg that trains the gluteus maximus and hamstrings through full hip extension against bodyweight. Compared with the two-leg bridge, the working hip carries the whole load and the pelvis wants to drop toward the unsupported side, so the glute medius and obliques have to hold it level. The free leg stays extended or bent at the chest, which also stops the low back from finishing the lift. Coaches use it as a glute activation drill before squats and as a late accessory on lower-body days.
What Muscles Does the Single-Leg Hip Extension Work?
- Primary: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus)
- Secondary: Gluteus medius (side glute), adductor magnus
- Tertiary: Erector spinae, transverse abdominis, obliques
How Do You Set Up for the Single-Leg Hip Extension?
Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat, heels a hand's length from your glutes. Rest your arms at your sides, palms down. Lift your left foot and hold the knee above the hip or straighten the leg in line with the right thigh. Pull your ribs down, flatten the low back and press the right heel into the mat until the glute switches on.
How Do You Perform the Single-Leg Hip Extension?
- Set the working foot flat with the shin vertical and the knee pointing straight up, toes relaxed.
- Drive the right heel down and lift your hips off the floor, pushing them toward the ceiling rather than toward your head.
- Reach full extension when the shoulders, hips and working knee form one straight line and the pelvis is level.
- Squeeze the glute for two counts at the top with the ribs held down and the free leg still.
- Lower under control by bending at the hip until the glutes touch the floor lightly without resting your weight on them.
- Reset the heel pressure and the level pelvis, then repeat, switching legs after completing all reps on one side.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Push the floor away through the heel: Imagine leaving a footprint in sand on each rep so the hamstring and glute take the load instead of the quad.
- Tuck the tailbone at the top: Finishing with a slight posterior pelvic tilt locks the extension into the glute and keeps the low back out of it.
- Keep both hip bones at the same height all the way up and down.
- Hold the free leg completely still so it does not swing to help.
- Exhale as the hips rise and keep the ribs pinned to the floor line.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Rushing through short reps: bouncing the hips off the floor uses momentum instead of the glute, so pause on the floor and lift each rep from a dead stop.
- Overarching at the top: pushing the hips past neutral extends the lumbar spine under load rather than the hip, so stop where the torso and thigh form a straight line.
- Letting the pelvis tip toward the free leg: the hip drops and the working glute medius stops doing its job, so lift only as high as you can keep the hips level.
- Placing the foot too far from the glutes: a long shin angle turns the bridge into a hamstring curl and often cramps, so bring the heel closer.
- Pushing through the toes: the weight moves to the quad and calf, so lift the toes slightly and keep the heel heavy.
What Are the Best Single-Leg Hip Extension Variations?
- Glute bridge: both feet on the floor, the regression for learning full hip extension before removing a leg.
- Shoulders-elevated single-leg hip thrust: upper back on a bench for a longer range and a harder top position.
- Foot-elevated single-leg bridge: working foot on a low box shifts more of the load into the hamstring.
- Banded single-leg glute bridge: a band above the knees adds an abduction demand on the working hip.
- Dumbbell glute bridge: a dumbbell across the hips loads the same pattern on two legs.
How Do You Progress the Single-Leg Hip Extension?
- Add load by resting a dumbbell or plate across the working hip crease, moving up five pounds once every set finishes with a level pelvis.
- Build from 10 to 20 reps per side before adding external weight.
- Add a set per week up to 4 sets per leg, or a second weekly session.
- Hold the top position for three to five seconds on every rep, or elevate the working foot to lengthen the range.
How Should You Program the Single-Leg Hip Extension?
Use two light sets of the single-leg hip extension as an activation drill before squats or deadlifts, or place it last in a lower-body session as a glute isolation accessory. Train it two to three times per week for 2 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 reps per side, resting 30 to 60 seconds between sets. It complements heavy hinges by training end-range hip extension the deadlift never reaches.