Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Rear Decline Bridge: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The rear decline bridge is a bodyweight exercise targeting the glutes, with secondary emphasis on the hamstrings and lower back. It involves lifting the hips off the ground while lying on your back, engaging the posterior chain.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Hamstrings
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the rear decline bridge
Front view: muscles worked by the rear decline bridge. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Back view: muscles worked by the rear decline bridge. Primary: glutes. Secondary: hamstrings.
Primary Secondary

How to do the rear decline bridge

  1. Step 1: Lie on your back with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Step 2: Place your arms by your sides with your palms facing down.
  3. Step 3: Engage your glutes and hamstrings, and lift your hips off the ground until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Step 4: Hold this position for a few seconds, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the rear decline bridge by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Rear Decline Bridge alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.