Rear Decline Bridge

Setup

1. 01Lie on your back with your heels up on a flat bench or box.
2. 02Position the hips close enough that the knees are bent about 90 degrees.
3. 03Place arms on the floor at your sides for stability.
4. 04Tuck the pelvis slightly and brace before the first rep.

Execution

1. 01Drive the heels down into the bench and lift the hips.
2. 02Extend until the body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
3. 03Squeeze the glutes hard at the top for a full second.
4. 04Lower the hips under control until they hover just above the floor.

Checkpoints

• -The finish comes from the hips, not from arching the lower back.
• -Heels stay planted on the bench with steady downward pressure.
• -Ribs stay down; the movement is hip extension, not spinal extension.
• -Tension stays on the glutes and hamstrings between reps.

Common mistakes

• -Hyperextending the lower back at the top.
• -Setting up too far from the bench and turning it into a hamstring cramp machine.
• -Pushing through the toes instead of the heels.
• -Dropping the hips quickly instead of lowering with control.