What muscles does the frog hip thrust work?

The glutes extend your hips, the hamstrings assist and your midsection holds the rib position. It is the same muscle set as a standard barbell hip thrust, which is the entry to read for the measured detail.

Does the frog stance work the glutes harder?

That is the claim made for it and we could not find anything measuring it, so we are not going to repeat it. What is true is that turning the feet out and bringing them in changes the position your hip works in, and on a hip thrust foot position changes what you feel.

How close together should your feet be?

Close enough that the soles are facing each other, and no closer than your hips will let you hold with the knees open. That distance is individual, and forcing it is what makes the front of the hip complain.

Can you go as heavy as a normal hip thrust?

Usually not. Less of your foot is on the floor and the stance takes work to hold, so the position tends to give out before your glutes do. Treat it as a variation with its own numbers rather than a way to chase your thrust weight.

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Barbell · intermediate · upper legs

Barbell bench frog glute

Also called Frog pump, Frog hip thrust, Barbell frog glute bridge, Frog thrust, Weighted frog pump.

The short answer

This is a barbell hip thrust done with the feet turned out and pulled in toward you, soles close together and knees open. Your glutes extend the hips exactly as they do in the standard version. The frog stance is a specific setting of foot position, which on a hip thrust is the dial that decides what you feel. It is not a different exercise and it does not have separate evidence behind it.

How to do it

Step onePosition your upper back on a flat bench with a barbell across your hips.
Step twoPlace your feet flat on the ground with knees bent and turned outward in a frog stance.
Step threeDrive your hips upward by squeezing your glutes until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
Step fourHold at the top for a moment, then lower your hips back down with control.

What usually goes wrong

Each starts with what you would notice.

Your knees creep back together as the set goes on.

WhyHolding the hips turned out under load takes work, and when it gets hard the knees close because that is the easier place for them to be.

FixThink about keeping the knees pushed apart the whole time, not just at the start. The open position is the only thing separating this from an ordinary hip thrust, so if the knees close, you have simply changed exercises mid-set.

Your feet slide apart as you drive up.

WhyWith the soles pressed together and turned out, only the outside edges of your feet are really on the floor, so there is much less surface to push from than in a flat-footed thrust.

FixPress through the outside edges deliberately, and set up on a surface with some grip rather than a polished floor. If they still slide, put your heels against something solid.

The stance pinches at the front of your hip.

WhyTurning the leg out and drawing it in is a position not every hip has range for, and the pinch is the joint reaching its limit rather than a muscle complaining.

FixMove the feet a little further away and open the knees a little less. There is no correct frog angle, only the one your hips let you hold. If the pinch is the only thing you feel, the standard thrust is the better version for you.

What it is for

The bench frog barbell glute bridge is a weighted hip thrust variation that uses a frog stance to increase glute activation. Performed with a barbell across the hips and upper back on a bench, it primarily targets the glutes with secondary engagement of the hamstrings and lower back.

Questions people ask

What muscles does the frog hip thrust work?: The glutes extend your hips, the hamstrings assist and your midsection holds the rib position. It is the same muscle set as a standard barbell hip thrust, which is the entry to read for the measured detail.
Does the frog stance work the glutes harder?: That is the claim made for it and we could not find anything measuring it, so we are not going to repeat it. What is true is that turning the feet out and bringing them in changes the position your hip works in, and on a hip thrust foot position changes what you feel.
How close together should your feet be?: Close enough that the soles are facing each other, and no closer than your hips will let you hold with the knees open. That distance is individual, and forcing it is what makes the front of the hip complain.
Can you go as heavy as a normal hip thrust?: Usually not. Less of your foot is on the floor and the stance takes work to hold, so the position tends to give out before your glutes do. Treat it as a variation with its own numbers rather than a way to chase your thrust weight.