The Kas glute bridge is a hip thrust variation that uses only the top portion of the movement to keep constant tension on your glutes. Named after strength coach Kassem Hanson, it strips away the full range of motion of a traditional hip thrust and replaces it with small, controlled reps performed entirely at the top, where your glutes are working hardest.
How It Differs From a Hip Thrust
The setup looks nearly identical to a barbell hip thrust: bench behind you, shoulder blades resting on the edge, barbell in your hip crease, feet flat on the floor. The difference is what happens during each rep.
In a standard hip thrust, you lower your hips all the way to the floor and then drive back up. That full range of motion recruits your quads and hamstrings alongside your glutes, making it a true compound lift. In a Kas glute bridge, you start at the top with your hips fully locked out, lower just a few inches (a helpful cue is to stop when your knees begin to drift forward), then squeeze back up. You never let your glutes fully relax between reps.
That shortened range of motion is the entire point. By keeping reps small and controlled, you dramatically increase time under tension for the glutes while reducing the contribution of surrounding muscles. Think of it less like a powerful press and more like a sustained, repetitive squeeze. If a hip thrust is for moving heavy weight explosively, the Kas glute bridge is for making a lighter weight feel brutal through isolation.
Step-by-Step Setup
Start by positioning a flat bench behind you. Ideally, the bench height should be roughly at your knee level, so your shoulder blades can rest comfortably on the edge without your torso being angled too steeply.
Sit on the floor with your back against the bench and roll a barbell into your hip crease (a bar pad helps). Plant your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart, with your knees bent. Here’s the detail that matters most: your shins should be vertical, or close to it, at the top of the movement. If your feet are too far out in front of you, your hamstrings take over. A simple way to find the right position is to press your hips up to full lockout first, check that your shins are roughly perpendicular to the floor, then begin your set from there.
Brace your core by drawing your belly button slightly toward your spine, tuck your tailbone, and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. That’s your starting position. From here, lower your hips just a few inches, then press back up by squeezing your glutes hard. Each rep is short and deliberate.
Mistakes That Shift Work Away From Your Glutes
The most common error is arching your lower back to push the weight up instead of extending through your hips. This creates an anterior pelvic tilt, loads your lumbar spine, and can lead to injury over time. The fix is simple: tuck your tailbone throughout every rep. You should feel the effort in your glutes, not your lower back. If you notice your ribs flaring or your back tightening, the weight is probably too heavy or you’ve lost your brace.
Another frequent mistake is letting your knees flare outward or collapse inward. Keep them tracking in line with your ankles and parallel with your hips. This locks the movement into hip extension rather than letting your body compensate with rotation or lateral drift. The goal is to isolate the hip joint so the glutes do essentially all the work.
Finally, watch out for “bobbing,” where reps get fast and bouncy. The Kas glute bridge only works as designed when the tempo is slow and controlled. If you’re rushing through reps, you’re losing the time-under-tension advantage that makes this exercise different from a regular hip thrust in the first place.
Why the Shortened Range of Motion Works
Your glutes produce the most force near full hip extension, which is the top of any bridging movement. A standard hip thrust spends a good portion of each rep in the bottom range, where your hamstrings and quads contribute more. The Kas glute bridge eliminates that bottom range entirely and parks you in the zone where glute activation peaks.
Because you never release tension, each set accumulates fatigue in the glutes quickly. This makes the exercise effective for muscle growth even at moderate loads. You don’t need to stack on as many plates as you would for a full hip thrust. Most people find that 60 to 70 percent of their hip thrust weight is plenty to create a strong burn within 10 to 15 reps.
How to Program It
The Kas glute bridge works best as an accessory movement rather than a primary strength exercise. Because the range of motion is so short, it’s not ideal for building raw power, but it excels at targeted glute hypertrophy. Three sets of 10 to 15 reps with a 2-second squeeze at the top of each rep is a solid starting point. You can place it after your main lower-body lifts (squats, deadlifts, or full hip thrusts) to finish off your glutes, or use it as a standalone glute activation drill on upper-body days.
If you’re new to it, start with just your bodyweight or a light barbell to get the pelvic tuck and tempo right before adding load. The movement is deceptively simple, and the difference between “feeling it in your glutes” and “feeling it in your lower back” often comes down to a few degrees of pelvic position.