There's certainly no shortage of glute bridge variations out there. And just when you thought you'd tried them all, it's time to add another to your exercise repertoire: the Kas glute bridge.
Popularized by (and named after) Kassem Hanson, creator of N1 training, this exercise is sure to give your glutes an other-worldly workout. So, if building a strong butt is on your to-do list (and it probably should be), it's time to give the Kas glute bridge a go.
Although you'll get some hamstring action with this move, it's really a glute isolation exercise, Araujo says. Because it's so slow and controlled, it keeps your glutes under tension for longer. And the longer your muscles stay contracted under tension, the more strength you build.
"Since it's so focused on your glutes, it's also a good activation exercise, too," Araujo says. "You can do this exercise with a light dumbbell or no weight at all to wake your muscles up before a workout."
Stronger glutes make you less reliant on weaker muscle groups for mobility, like your hips and lower back (more on that below). The stronger your glutes, the stronger your daily movement patterns and the less likely you are to experience injury, Araujo says.
Generally, the activities you do take place in the front of your body or in a forward motion (like walking or running), which means these muscles are stronger. But strengthening muscles on the back of your body, like your glutes and hamstrings, can help prevent muscle imbalance and the aches and pains that usually follow.
Your glutes are responsible for initiating a lot of the movements and exercises you do each day, like picking up a box from the ground, Araujo says. But your lower back tends to compensate when these muscles aren't strong enough, causing unwanted stress on your spine.
Strengthening your glutes helps take some of the pressure off your lower back and helps stabilize your hips, preventing aches and pains.
As mentioned above, the Kas bridge is a glute exercise, which is where you should feel the most burn. But if you feel it in your quads or knees, your feet are probably too close to your hips, Araujo says. This mistake, though common, defeats the purpose of the exercise and can lead to knee pain.
Lowering your glutes all the way to the ground isn't a mistake, per se, but isn't exactly what this exercise calls for, Araujo says. The beauty of the Kas glute bridge is that it keeps your glutes at the highest point of tension to really build this muscle group. Lowering all the way to the floor defeats the purpose of the exercise.
"A lot of people tend to arch their back as they lower their hips," Araujo says. "But this puts a lot of tension and pressure on your lower spine, which you absolutely don't want."
Although resting your head on the bench may seem convenient, it's another mistake you want to avoid. Often, people tend to let their head rest on the bench behind them while their lower body moves the weight. But this puts tension on your neck, making you more prone to injury.
Once you've perfected the standard Kas glute bridge, you can start trying some variations and alternatives that let you build more lower-body strength or scale back where needed.