ProgreviaB-stance hip thrust: proper form, muscles worked and common mistakes
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How to do it
Put almost all the weight on one leg and use the other, staggered on the toes, only for support. Drive the hips to full extension squeezing the working glute. Near-unilateral load that corrects asymmetries.
Muscles worked
Main muscle: glutes. When it plans weekly volume, every set of this exercise counts in full for glutes: the generator does not split it with other muscles.
B-stance hip thrust: nearly one-legged, with the other foot as a kickstand
A regular hip thrust splits the push between both legs; in the B-stance, one leg stays back and serves only as a kickstand, so the other leg pushes almost alone. You still have the stability of your back on the bench, but the working glute takes a much bigger share of the load and pelvic control, which tends to rotate, comes into play. That is why the total weight is usually well below what you move on a two-leg hip thrust, and why the exercise shows which side is weaker before you move on to a full one-legged hip thrust.
Use it as a middle step between the two-leg hip thrust and the single-leg version, when you notice differences between sides or when you can no longer add weight to the bar. It also helps if a heavy bar feels uncomfortable across your hips: with less total load, you can still get a good stimulus. Do all the reps on one side first, starting with the weaker one, and match the reps on the other.
Keep the support foot on light contact with the toes and do not push with it, and check that your hips stay level: if one drops or the trunk twists as you rise, lower the weight. At the top, with the working shin vertical, check that you feel the glute, not the lower back.
Technical sheet
- Movement pattern
- Hip hinge
- Minimum level
- Beginner
- Technical demand
- Needs coaching
- Fatigue it generates
- High (1.2 out of 2.2)
- Risk if technique breaks down
- Low
- Worked one side at a time
These are the values the generator uses to decide where the exercise goes within the session.
Recommended sets and reps
As a compound lift, it fits in 3–5 sets of 5–12 reps leaving 1–3 reps in reserve (RIR). Prioritize it at the start of the session, when you're fresh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Arching the lower back at the top instead of extending the hips: chin tucked and ribs down keep the tension on the glutes.
- Gripping the bar with each hand at a different distance from the center: one side works harder without you noticing.
- Always starting with your good side and doing fewer reps on the other: start with the weaker side and match its reps on the strong one.
What the research says
This is a multi-joint lift, and with these the rep range matters less than it seems: Schoenfeld and colleagues (2021) concluded that muscle growth is similar with heavy or moderate loads as long as sets end close to failure, while maximal strength improves more with heavy loads.
Being unilateral, it lets you spot and fix differences between sides. In the study by Speirs and colleagues (2016), five weeks of Bulgarian split squats produced strength gains similar to the back squat in rugby players.
On how hard to push: the meta-analysis by Refalo and colleagues (2023) found no clear advantage in going to failure over stopping just short of it. That is why the generator programs it with reps in reserve (RIR) instead of asking for failure on every set.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading recommendations for muscle strength, hypertrophy, and local endurance: a re-examination of the repetition continuum. Sports. 2021;9(2):32.
- Speirs DE, Bennett MA, Finn CV, Turner AP. Unilateral vs. bilateral squat training for strength, sprints, and agility in academy rugby players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2016;30(2):386-392.
- Refalo MC, Helms ER, Trexler ET, Hamilton DL, Fyfe JJ. Influence of resistance training proximity-to-failure on skeletal muscle hypertrophy: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2023;53(3):649-665.
How B-stance hip thrust compares with other glutes exercises
Of the 15 glutes exercises in the catalogue, ranked from least to most fatiguing by the values the generator uses, B-stance hip thrust is number 11.
With that fatigue it is best placed early in the session, while you are fresh, without stacking equally demanding exercises for the same group after it.
With different equipment, the same movement pattern offers 3 alternatives, such as Banded hip thrust, Cable pull-through and Kettlebell swing.
| Exercise | Equipment | Fatigue | Technique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banded hip thrust | resistance band | Low (0.6 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Cable pull-through | cable | Moderate (0.9 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| B-stance hip thrust | barbell | High (1.2 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Hip thrust | barbell | High (1.3 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Paused hip thrust | barbell | High (1.3 out of 2.2) | Basic |
| Kettlebell swing | kettlebell | High (1.4 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
| Sumo deadlift | barbell | Very high (2 out of 2.2) | Needs coaching |
One side at a time. The meta-analysis by Kassiano et al. (2025), across nine studies, found no significant difference in hypertrophy between unilateral and bilateral training; for strength, each format improved most in its own type of test.
- Kassiano W, Nunes JP, Costa B, Ribeiro AS, Loenneke JP, Cyrino ES. Comparison of muscle growth and dynamic strength adaptations induced by unilateral and bilateral resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. 2025;55(4):923-936.
Related guide
Hip thrust: technique, mistakes and the science
Alternative exercises
More hip hinge exercises
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Frequently asked questions
What muscles does B-stance hip thrust work?
B-stance hip thrust mainly works the glutes muscle group, plus synergist and stabilizer muscles depending on the variation.
How many sets of B-stance hip thrust should I do?
Between 3 and 5 sets per session, adjusting the total weekly volume for glutes to your level (about 10–20 sets per muscle per week).
Should I do B-stance hip thrusts instead of regular hip thrusts?
Not necessarily instead. The regular hip thrust lets you load heavier and is easier to progress, while the B-stance is better for checking and fixing differences between sides. Many people do the regular version as the main lift and use the B-stance as a second exercise, or swap them from block to block.
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