The perfect butt with just one exercise? Yes, you read that right. With the pelvic lift it is possible to get a tight buttocks à la J. Lo. We'll show you why the bridge exercise is so effective and how to do it correctly.
Girls watch out: Now is exactly the right time to get your booty and legs fit for shorts, skirts and co. One of the most effective exercises for this is the pelvic lift.
Do you also want a defined and firm butt, then this exercise is made for you.
The pelvic lift specifically trains your entire gluteal musculature and, incidentally, your thighs.
The best thing about it: in no time you will already see the first successes.
The pelvic lift makes your butt glow at home. But also your calves, your back extensor and the thigh back muscles are properly challenged and strengthened.
Table of contents
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How do I do the pelvic lift correctly?
Yes, it looks really simple. But if you don't do the exercise consciously and with body tension, it won't do you much good. Pelvic lifts performed without body tension are hardly effective.
So it's all about building tension to get the most out of your workout.
But don't worry: even as a beginner, you'll quickly get the hang of the pelvic lift exercise. I would even recommend it to beginners to develop a better body awareness. This will help you later with the really complex exercises.
Let's take a look at pelvic lifts in detail.
- Equipment needed: no
- Difficulty: easy
- Suitable for beginners: yes
- Designations: Pelvic lift, bridge, pelvic lift
- Muscle groups used: Back muscles, thighs, buttocks
Pelvic lift execution for beginners
- Lie down with your back on the mat.
- Stand with your legs bent.
- Place your arms on the floor parallel to your body. They will help you keep your balance.
- Tighten the thighs and buttocks.
- Raise your pelvis until your body forms a line from your shoulders to your pelvis to your knees.
- Press your heels firmly into the exercise mat.
- Stay in this position for at least 5 seconds before slowly lowering the pelvis again. But do not lie down on the mat!
Attention: Body tension is essential for this exercise.
For beginners, 8 to 12 reps and three reps are optimal. If you manage less, then that's not bad.
Make a note of how many times you do the exercise. This way you can keep track of how your fitness level is improving.
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Pelvic lift execution for advanced
If you are already good at this exercise, you can also try the one-legged version.
- Lie flat on the gym mat with your legs bent.
- As before, your arms rest loosely on the floor beside your body.
- Now stretch one leg straight out and lift it together with the pelvis.
- Again, your body should form as straight a line as possible from the top of your feet to your shoulders.
What are the variants for advanced users?
If you want it even harder, you can place your heels further away from the pelvis. The same exercise can be done with one leg. The greater the angle of the leg set up, the harder it will fall.
Alternatively, you can place a weight on your hips with your hands, such as a kettlebell. Place it either on the side of the lifted leg or on the side of the standing leg, or perform it on two legs.
Too heavy? Then attach a weight cuff to the leg you want to lift.
Another variation would be to place your legs on an exercise ball. Likewise, you can place it (or both) on a balance cushion.
And if you don't want to do that, do the pelvic lift with one leg - but instead of lowering the body, stay in the position and pull the knee to the chest, then extend it through again and repeat the process.
Static or dynamic - which is better?
You can perform pelvic lifts either statically or dynamically. As a beginner, the static version will be more difficult for you because you lack deep muscles. Therefore, many beginners are advised to perform the exercise dynamically. The fact is: both will lead to muscle soreness and will soon strengthen your leg and pom muscles.
In the static version you hold the position without moving. Tense the entire body, push the pelvis up and make sure that the buttocks do not sink. As a beginner, 20 seconds is a real feat.
Take a short break and then start again 2x. Make a note of how long you can do it to keep track of your progress.
The exercise is always dynamic when you move during it. That is, when you lower the pelvis and push it up again.
A mixture of static and dynamic, you get when the upper body stays in the same position and you only move the lower body. Like in this exercise, where you thread the upper leg under the standing leg.
This variation is aimed specifically at the muscles of the lower back and buttocks. You can probably already tell from the photo that it is anything but easy.
For the back of the thighs of the standing leg, this exercise is anything but easy - you might even get a cramp. This pelvic lift is not suitable for beginners.
What do I have to pay attention to in the pelvic lift design?
When you lift your pelvis, your legs and back work together. But the focus should be on your glutes.
If you feel a strong effort in your back during the bridge exercise, then you should focus more on tensing your butt.
If that doesn't help either, then it's quite possible that your lower back is poorly trained.
While the pelvic lift is a simple exercise, there are still a few things you should keep in mind when performing it:
- Always raise your pelvis slowly.
- Head, feet and shoulders remain on the floor during the classic pelvic lift.
- The lower back should not bend and the hips should not be raised higher than necessary.
- Thighs and upper body should form a line.
- The final position should be held for a few seconds.
- It is important for an effective butt workout to repeat the exercise several times.
- Make sure to always tense the trunk, thigh and gluteal muscles.
- Avoid a hollow back and press breathing.
- Do not overstretch your head and always perform the entire movement sequence in a controlled manner.
Again and again you see the exercise with lifted toes. So instead of putting the whole foot down, the weight is shifted to the heel and the toes are lifted about 10 to 15 cm.
With this small change, you ensure that the lower legs are also used more. Especially the muscles along the shin are required.
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Beware of the most common mistakes with pelvic lifts
Actually, you can't do much wrong with this exercise. However, there are some typical mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.
1. the hollow back
A classic beginner's mistake in the pelvic lift is that the abdomen is stretched out too far. This automatically creates a hollow back, which is anything but good.
You can prevent this by not lifting your pelvis so high and tightening your abdominal muscles.
2. the body tension and posture
The pelvis does not form a line with the upper body as it is lowered during the holding position.
Pay special attention to the position of the pelvis and back. You can also practice the bridge exercise in front of the mirror, so you can see immediately when your body tension decreases.
What is also not so rare is that the posture of the legs is wrong. Or in other words, you don't position your legs parallel. This can cause them to tip to the side during the exercise.
3. the wrong muscles
Especially beginners tend to push up their body with the muscles of the thighs. But this is not the purpose of the exercise.
It's more about pushing your weight up into the air from your pelvis, using your butt muscles and leg muscles. You need to press your heels firmly into the mat.
4. too fast
You will not stay in the final position for long. Once you are in the top position, you should hold it for at least 5 seconds while tensing your butt.
Only quickly up and down brings you no training effect. The muscles then simply have to work too little. Tighten your buttocks and legs when lifting your pelvis.
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Why is the pelvic lift exercise so effective?
What should not be missing in any butt workout: the bridge exercise.
It strengthens not only the back of your thighs, but also the large gluteal muscle and the lower back extensor.
In addition, the calves and abdomen are also trained. What more could you want?
The exercise is also simple to perform. You need nothing more than a gym mat.
The pelvic lift is also feasible for beginners. Advanced users can easily vary the exercise.
Did you know that doing pelvic lifts lying down can give you a steely butt? Perfect for those who are not fans of endurance sports or complex movements.
And a crack butt pays off several times. The pomus muscle is a very powerful muscle. It is crucial for transferring power from the lower body to the upper body.
Nevertheless, this muscle is not strong enough in most people. That's because we sit far too much.
As a result, the abdominal and back muscles are no longer in balance. This can lead to pain in the lower back. So with this exercise you not only strengthen the gluteal muscles, but also promote a healthy spine.
Which muscles does the bridge train?
That the buttocks are trained is already clear. But let's look very closely.
A total of three muscle groups are involved:
- Gluteal muscles
- Back Stretcher
- Leg biceps (back of thigh)
The pelvic lift exercise provides a crisp butt, tightens the thighs, strengthens your back extensor and thus prevents back pain.
You will quickly notice the first results if you do the exercise correctly and regularly. So then: let's go.
Our conclusion
The pelvic lift is a really effective exercise. With it you can increase fitness and health.
When you lift your pelvis, you simultaneously train the back muscle chain and the front side of the body is opened wide. This also promotes good posture.
You sit a lot in everyday life? Then this exercise is just right for you. You will notice the first results after a very short time.
So remember, it's worth it! Have fun training! :)
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