Glute Drive Machine

How to do it

1. Sit on the machine with your upper back against the back pad and the belt or lever pad across your hip crease.
2. Set your feet flat on the platform, hip-width apart, so your shins will be vertical at the top.
3. Hold the handles by your hips and brace your core.
4. Drive through your heels and push your hips up until your torso and thighs form a straight line.
5. Squeeze the glutes at the top, then lower the weight under control until the plates nearly touch.

Tips

• Adjust the foot position until you feel the glutes rather than the thighs.
• Pause for a second at full hip extension.

Common mistakes

• Overarching the lower back at the top.
• Using the handles to pull yourself into the pad.
• Cutting the range short at the bottom.

Muscles worked by the Glute Drive Machine

• Gluteus maximus Primary51%
• Gluteus medius Secondary11%
• Hamstrings (biceps femoris) Secondary10%
• Adductors Minor6%
• Hamstrings (semitendinosus/-membranosus) Minor6%
• Quads (vastus lateralis) Minor6%
• Quads (vastus medialis) Minor4%
• Spinal erectors (lower back) Stabilizer4%
• Quads (rectus femoris) Stabilizer2%

Share per muscle in the Zulta muscle model. The model spreads the load of one rep over 40 muscles, based on EMG and biomechanics research.

Fixed path. Hip extension against a load on the hips with the knees bent: glute max peaks at lockout, the bent knee keeps the hamstrings short so they only assist.

Glute Drive Machine alternatives

Same equipment

• Machine Hip ThrustMachine
• Reverse Hyper MachineMachine

Different equipment

• Smith Machine Hip ThrustSmith machine
• Cable Hip ThrustCable
• Dumbbell Hip ThrustDumbbell

No equipment

• Frog PumpBodyweight

Make it harder

• Machine Hip ThrustMachine
• Smith Machine Hip ThrustSmith machine
• Cable Hip ThrustCable
• Dumbbell Hip ThrustDumbbell

Similar exercises

• Smith Machine Glute BridgeSmith machine
• Smith Machine Hip Thrust (Single Leg)Smith machine

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the Glute Drive Machine work?

Mainly the gluteus maximus. The gluteus medius and hamstrings (biceps femoris) assist.

Is the Glute Drive Machine good for beginners?

Yes. The Glute Drive Machine is rated beginner in the Zulta library: the technique is easy to learn with a light weight.

What is a good alternative to the Glute Drive Machine?

For example the Machine Hip Thrust, Reverse Hyper Machine and Smith Machine Hip Thrust. They train mostly the same muscles, some with different equipment.

How do you make the Glute Drive Machine harder?

Add weight or reps, or move on to the Machine Hip Thrust and Smith Machine Hip Thrust.

Sources

• Contreras et al. 2015, J Appl Biomech 31(6):452-458 (hip thrust vs back squat)

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