Smith Frog Hip Thrust

Description

How to Do Smith Frog Hip Thrust

1. 1
   Setup

   Place a weight bench or plyo box behind the Smith machine, perpendicular to the bar, ensuring it is stable and won't slide.

2. 2
   Setup

   Sit on the floor with your upper back against the bench, positioned so the padded Smith machine bar rests across your hip crease.

3. 3
   Setup

   Bring the soles of your feet together, allowing your knees to splay outwards, forming a "frog" leg position, and position your heels close to your glutes.

4. 4

   Brace your core, unrack the bar, and drive through your heels and the outer edges of your feet to thrust your hips upwards towards the ceiling, exhaling as you lift.

5. 5

   Squeeze your glutes powerfully at the top, ensuring your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, then slowly lower the bar back down with control, inhaling.

Tips

• Focus on driving through the heels and the outer edges of your feet to maximize glute activation throughout the entire range of motion.
• Maintain a strong core brace and avoid arching your lower back at the top; your rib cage should stay stacked over your pelvis to prevent hyperextension.
• Control the descent of the bar, resisting the weight on the way down to increase time under tension for the glutes and hamstrings.
• Ensure your knees track outwards, actively pushing them away from each other to keep tension on the glute medius and prevent internal rotation during the thrust.

Common Mistakes

• ×Arching the lower back at the top of the movement instead of achieving full hip extension; fix this by engaging your core and posteriorly tilting your pelvis to squeeze your glutes fully.
• ×Rushing the eccentric phase and letting the weight drop quickly; instead, control the bar's descent for 2-3 seconds to maximize muscle engagement and prevent injury.
• ×Allowing knees to cave inwards during the thrust; actively push your knees out throughout the movement to keep tension on the glutes and protect your knee joints.