Smith Hip Raise

Setup

1. 01Set the Smith bar at a height you can reach with your feet while lying under it.
2. 02Lie on your back with your head away from the uprights and grip the frame or a bench behind you.
3. 03Place the soles of both feet flat against the underside of the bar.
4. 04Unrack the bar with your legs so it rests on your feet with knees bent.

Execution

1. 01Brace, then curl the pelvis up off the floor, pushing the bar toward the ceiling.
2. 02Let the hips and lower back peel off the pad as the abs shorten.
3. 03Pause briefly at the top with the pelvis fully tucked.
4. 04Lower the hips back down slowly without letting the bar crash.

Checkpoints

• -The lift comes from a pelvic curl, not a leg press kick.
• -The bar path stays vertical and quiet in the rails.
• -Hands stabilize the torso without hauling on the frame.
• -The lower back returns to the floor one segment at a time.

Common mistakes

• -Kicking the bar up with the legs instead of curling the pelvis.
• -Loading too much weight and cutting the pelvic tuck short.
• -Letting the knees drift toward the face rather than pushing straight up.
• -Dropping the hips quickly and losing abdominal tension.