Conditioning
Hip thrust to knee strike
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- glutes · hip flexors · abs
- Also
- obliques · hamstrings · calves · front delts
- Sides
- Left and right
The hip thrust to knee strike is a standing conditioning drill: you drive the hips forward from a staggered stance, then pull the rear knee up and across into a strike. It trains hip extension and quick knee drive on one side at a time, so it builds glute and trunk control alongside a working heart rate. Useful if you want a circuit movement with no impact on the joints and no equipment.
Form
How to do hip thrust to knee strike
- 1Stand in a short staggered stance with the working leg back, ball of that foot on the floor, hands up in front of your chin. Keep the front knee soft.
- 2Squeeze the rear glute and push the hips forward until your body is a straight line from knee to shoulder, without arching the lower back.
- 3From that forward hip position, drive the rear knee up and slightly across your body, pulling the ribs down to meet it. Exhale sharply on the strike.
- 4Return the foot to the staggered stance under control and reset the hips before the next drive. Inhale as the leg lowers.
- 5Keep the pace steady and repeat for the whole effort, then do the other side.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Arching the lower back instead of extending the hip.
Fix: Keep the ribs stacked over the pelvis and stop the thrust as soon as you feel the glute take the work.
Swinging the knee up with momentum and no trunk involvement.
Fix: Pull the knee with the hip flexor and crunch the same-side ribs toward it so the strike has a clear end point.
Letting the stance drift wide or long, which kills the hip drive.
Fix: Keep the feet close together in a short stagger and reset the same foot position after every strike.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.