Does your lower back ache after an ultra-long day of sitting stagnant at your desk?
Do your hips feel kind of unstable while doing your normal gym workout sesh?
You’re not alone – and the glute bridge march exercise might just help.
The glute bridge march is a pretty simple move that targets your glutes, strengthens your core, and restores balance to your lower body – all from the ground up (and it’s easy to perform!).
In this article, I’ll break down exactly what the glute bridge march exercise can do for you, how to do the movement with good form and elevation, plus all the benefits and muscles it works.
How to Do the Glute Bridge March: A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Check out this step-by-step tutorial on how to do a glute bridge march exercise with ease:
Step 1) Set Up Your Starting Position With Good Form
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, keeping them about hip-width apart. Place both of your arms by your sides with your palms down for some extra stability. Make sure your heels are close enough that you can just touch them with your fingertips.
Step 2) Brace Your Core, Lifting Into a Bridge
Press firmly through your heels to lift your hips off the floor, forming a straight line from your shoulders down to your knees. Don’t be scared to engage your glutes and core here – and remember: your ribs shouldn’t flare, and your low back shouldn’t arch during this exercise.
Step 3) Lift Your Right Leg Into a March
Without letting your hips drop or rotate at all, slowly lift your right foot off the ground and bring your right knee toward your chest. Keep your left leg firmly planted and your hips super level.
Step 4) Pause With Intention, Controlling Your Movement
Hold the lifted position you’re in for around 1 to 2 seconds. Keep your core braced and your glutes fully engaged to prevent your hips from tilting or swaying side to side. If you feel a wobble, it’s your body telling you where stability is missing – simply lock in and stay steady.
Step 5) Lower Your Right Foot, Then Switch Sides
Return your right foot to the floor, planting it firmly but without letting your hips drop. Then, lift your left knee toward your chest, keeping your hips level and your core and glutes engaged to maintain balance and good form. Think slow, steady, and strong – no rushing between sides.
Step 6) Alternate Sides for Reps or Continuous Movement
Keep marching back and forth, maintaining your bridge position throughout the whole exercise.
Aim for 10 to 12 reps per side, or you can go for 30 to 60 seconds of continuous movement.
How to Do the Glute Bridge March Elevated
This is how to do a glute bridge march elevated (it’s beginner-friendly, too – I promise!):
Step 1) Set Up Your Elevated Surface to Get Going
Position a stable object like a workout bench, aerobic step, or low plyo box (you know – those boxes you see at the gym made of wood or foam) near you. Sit in front of it and place both your heels on top of the surface – about hip-width apart is good. Your knees can be bent at 90° .
Step 2) Lie Back to Find Your Starting Position
Lie flat on your back with both of your arms extended by your sides, palms pressing down securely for balance. Scoot your hips close enough to the elevated surface you chose so that when your feet rest on it, your knees still remain bent at roughly 90°. Your shins should be parallel to the floor here, and your setup needs to feel very stable before you start the exercise.
Step 3) Brace Your Core, Lifting Your Hips
Press through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling, driving the movement from your glutes – not your lower back. Your body needs to form a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, with your ribs down and spine neutral. Squeeze your glutes at the top and brace your core as if you’re preparing for impact. This is your bridge: strong, stable, and alertly aligned.
Step 4) Begin Your March, Lifting Only One Leg
With your hips elevated and core engaged, gently lift your right foot off the surface and bring your right knee toward your chest. Keep your left foot pressing down, firing up your glutes to prevent your hips from dropping or shifting. Imagine balancing a glass of water on your pelvis.
Step 5) Pause, Control, and Keep Good Form
Hold this lifted position for 1 to 2 seconds. Keep your pelvis level and your core tight, resisting any wobble or rotation. This is where your deep stabilizers kick in – stay strong and focused!
Step 6) Lower Your Leg, Switching Side Immediately
With control, return your right foot to the surface, planting it without letting your hips sag or twist. Immediately lift your left knee toward your chest and repeat the move, maintaining alignment through your spine, pelvis, and hips. Keep your glutes engaged and your core fully braced here.
Step 7) Continue Alternating Sides for Reps or Continuous Movement
Repeat the marching motion, switching legs with lots of precision and control each round.
Aim for 8 to 12 reps per side, or try to go for 30 to 45 seconds of continuous marching.
Stay elevated and stay engaged – the goal is quality over speed, keep in mind.
What Is the Glute Bridge March?
The glute bridge march is a dynamic core and glute exercise that combines a traditional glute bridge with a marching motion (it’s in the name, after all). You start in a bridge position – hips lifted off the floor, core engaged, and shoulders grounded – then alternate lifting one knee toward your chest at a time, mimicking a slow “march” while maintaining your pelvic stability.
This newbie-approved exercise creates a powerful challenge for your glutes, hamstrings, deep core, and hip stabilizers, all while reinforcing great posture and alignment. While the exact origin of the glute bridge march isn’t traceable, it’s rooted in foundational principles from physical therapy and corrective exercise. It’s often chosen because it’s low-impact yet high-reward.
6 Glute Bridge March Benefits Back by Science
Take a look at the 6 most prominent glute bridge march benefits that are backed by science:
→ 1) Activates and Strengthens Your Glutes
The glute bridge march targets all three gluteal muscles in your body – especially your gluteus maximus and glute medius – which are essential for hip extension, posture, and athletic power.
Why it matters: Did you know that weak glutes are connected to lower back pain and poor movement mechanics? Research in a renowned active journal shows that the glute bridge march exercise (very) effectively recruits your glutes, improving your strength and stability. [1]
→ 2) Improves Your Core Stability and Control
Marching one leg at a time forces your core to resist rotation, keeping your pelvis level. This also deeply activates your transverse abdominis and obliques for better stability and control.
Why it matters: According to another scientific journal, your core stability plays a very important role in reducing spinal stress and preventing any injuries while doing dynamic movements. [2]
→ 3) Enhances Your Hip and Pelvic Stability
By doing the glute bridge march exercise from a single-leg bridge position, you’re challenging the stabilizers in your hips, like the glute medius and minimus, which are often undertrained.
Why it matters: A 2011 study found that hip stability is essential for injury prevention, especially in runners and athletes who rely on controlled movement patterns and proper joint alignment. [3]
→ 4) Improves Your Balance and Single-Leg Strength
Alternating leg lifts during the glute bridge march movement offers you a balance challenge that has been proven (with research) to build coordination, along with good ankle and knee control.
Why it matters: Balance training with this dynamic move may enhance proprioception (your body’s awareness of its position and movement in space), reducing overall fall risk. Research shows this benefit is especially notable in aging adults and during gym-based exercise. [4]
→ 5) Builds Posterior Chain Strength Without Spinal Compression
Unlike normal ol’ squats or deadlifts, the glute bridge march exercise is known to strengthen your posterior chain – glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors – without overloading your spine.
Why it matters: It’s a super joint-friendly move for those who can’t tolerate heavy lifting because of things like back or joint issues, while still building good movement patterns and habits. [5]
→ 6) Supports Your Lower Back Health
Fully engaging your glutes, hamstrings, and core while maintaining a neutral spine position helps to unload pressure from your lower back, promoting good posture and reducing strain.
Why it matters: When these muscles are firing to their highest potential, they can reduce overcompensation by your lumbar spine – AKA a big cause of lower back pain. Using tools like The QL Claw before exercising or stretching can help target and release tight muscles around your hips and glutes, improving mobility and making it way easier to activate these stabilizers.
Glute Bridge March Muscles Worked
Here are the primary and secondary glute bridge march muscles worked:
Primary Muscles Worked
→ Gluteus Maximus: Located in the back of your hips and butt, this is the largest glute muscle and the driver of hip extension – your powerhouse muscle during the lift phase of the bridge.
→ Gluteus Medius + Minimus: These smaller glute muscles sit on the outer surface of your pelvis, just beneath your gluteus maximus. They both help stabilize your hips and pelvis – which is especially important when lifting one leg at a time during the glute bridge march exercise.
→ Hamstrings: Located right on the back of your thighs, your hamstrings assist in hip extension and help control the movement as you lift and lower your hips while marching.
→ Core (Transverse Abdominis + Obliques): Your core engages to keep your pelvis level and your body stable as you lift each leg. Your obliques especially fire to prevent any wobbling.
Secondary Muscles Worked
→ Erector Spinae: These lower back muscles help maintain a neutral spine during the bridge.
→ Hip Flexors: When you lift each leg into a march, hip flexors engage to bring your knee up.
→ Quads: These front thigh muscles assist in stabilizing your lifted leg and boosting balance.
→ Calves: These support ankle and foot stability as you ground through your heels for the lift.
Before Doing the Glute Bridge March Exercise, Use The QL Claw
If your lower back, hips, or glutes feel stiff or sore at all, you might be starting the glute bridge march exercise with overactive or tight muscles – and that, friends, can sabotage your form before you even begin your exercise. That’s exactly where targeted muscle release comes in.
The QL Claw is a self-massage tool designed to release deep tension in the muscles that often contribute to lower back pain, including your quadratus lumborum (QL), glutes, psoas, and piriformis. These muscles tend to tighten up from long hours of sitting or poor posture, throwing off your core stability and hip alignment – two essentials for a successful glute bridge march.
By using The QL Claw before your workout, you can:
→ Improve mobility
→ Reduce compensation from tight muscles
→ Actually activate your glutes and core, like this exercise is meant to do
Using The QL Claw is like flipping the “on” switch for your stabilizers. By releasing deep tension in your hips, glutes, and lower back, it can restore proper movement patterns and muscle engagement. You’ll notice improved mobility, reduced strain on your lumbar spine, and better control during every rep of the glute bridge march – so, you’re technically training smarter.
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Glute Bridge March FAQs
What Does the Glute Bridge March Do?
The glute bridge march is a core-stabilizing and glute-activating move that challenges your body’s ability to stay stable under a dynamic, single-leg movement by engaging deep muscles.
Unlike a regular glute bridge, which involves both of your feet staying planted, the march version forces your core and hips to engage deeper as you lift one leg at a time. This trains pelvic stability, core control, and unilateral glute strength, which can improve your posture, protect your lower back, and enhance normal movements like walking, running, climbing stairs, and jogging.
What Muscles Does the Marching Exercise Target?
Here are the top 8 muscles that the glute bridge march (or “the marching exercise”) works:
1) Gluteus Maximus
2) Gluteus Medius + Minimus
3) Hamstrings
4) Core
5) Erector Spinae
6) Hip Flexors
7) Quads
8) Calves
Who Is the Glute Bridge March Good and Not Good For?
The glute bridge march exercise is generally safe and beneficial for most people, including:
→ Beginners who are just starting to build core and glute strength
→ Those with sedentary jobs or weak posterior chains (AKA the muscles on your backside)
→ Athletes needing pelvic stability (think runners, lifters, or swimmers)
→ People who are recovering from low-impact injuries
However, the glute bridge march may not be ideal for these people:
→ Anyone dealing with active lower back pain or lumbar instability
→ People with any unhealed hamstring or hip injuries
→ Those with poor core awareness or pelvic control
What Will Happen if I Do Glute Bridge Marches Every Day?
If done with good form and control, doing glute bridge marches on the daily can offer you:
→ Improved glute and core activation
→ Better posture and spinal alignment
→ Enhanced pelvic stability and hip mobility
→ Lower risk of any lower back strain or injury
→ Increased mind-muscle connection
It’s important to know that muscles need some time to recover. Doing glute bridge marches is fine in moderation, of course, especially as part of a warm-up. But for strength gains, 3 to 4 times per week is often more effective, giving your muscles plenty of time to adapt and rebuild.
Does A Glute Bridge March Reduce Belly Fat?
Doing a glute bridge march doesn’t directly reduce belly fat, but it helps in an important way. While no strength exercise can spot-reduce belly fat, this move may boost your core strength, spinal alignment, and muscle activation, all of which support a well-rounded fitness routine.
When mixed with good, proper nutrition, regular cardiovascular activity, and overall strength training, exercises like the glute bridge march can help you reduce body fat over time. The stronger your core, the more efficient your movement, and that can indirectly support fat loss.
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