What you'll gain
Isolates one glute through a long, loaded hip extension range.
Builds single-leg hip strength that carries into running and sprinting.
Surfaces and corrects left-right glute strength gaps.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Sit in front of a bench with a dumbbell on the floor and place your working heel on top of the bench.
- 2
Cross your free ankle over the working knee in a figure-four shape, then lift the dumbbell across your hips.
- 3
Lower your hips toward the floor while keeping the figure-four leg position locked in place.
- 4
Drive the working heel into the bench and push your hips up until they're in line with your shoulders.
- 5
Squeeze the working glute hard at the top with the hips fully extended for a one-second hold.
- 6
Lower under control to the start position, then complete all reps before switching legs.
Common Mistakes
Pushing through the toes instead of the working heel, which pulls work into the quad.
Letting the hips tilt sideways at the top, which lets the other side help and breaks the isolation.
Overextending the lower back at the top instead of holding a clean hip lockout.
Cutting the range short by stopping before the hips fully extend, missing the strongest part of the rep.
About This Exercise
The dumbbell figure-four heels-elevated hip thrust is a single-leg glute lift. The free leg crosses over the working knee in a figure-four shape, the working heel sits up on a bench, and a dumbbell loads the hips. The setup completely isolates one glute and forces it to drive every rep through a long range. For app builders targeting glute-specialization audiences, this is a high-value single-leg variation. It fits intermediate-to-advanced glute blocks, athletic prep for runners and sprinters, and coach content focused on single-leg strength. The figure-four position is hard to teach from a photo, so a 3D angle does serious work for both creators and end users.
Looking for an exercise animation collection for your app, coaching platform, or content workflow? MoveKit gives you consistent quality across every movement so your product feels cohesive from first launch through scale.
Build faster with related MoveKit resources
Dumbbell Figure Four Heels Elevated Hip Thrust
A single-leg hip thrust where the free leg crosses into a figure-four — isolating one glute through a deep range.
Specifications
Built for
- Glute-specialization blocks in hypertrophy apps
- Single-leg strength tracks for athletic prep programs
- Runner and sprinter conditioning in coaching platforms
- Glute-focused content for trainer Reels and TikToks
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
Bodyweight Reverse Lunge
$4.99A single-leg lunge stepping backward — builds the glutes and quads while staying easy on the front knee.
Dumbbell Alternating Forward Lunge
$4.99A loaded forward lunge that alternates legs each rep — training the quads, glutes, and balance one side at a time.
Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat
$4.99A rear-foot-elevated split squat loaded with dumbbells — one of the highest-return single-leg exercises for quads and glutes.
Dumbbell Cross Body Romanian Deadlift
$4.99A single-leg Romanian deadlift where the dumbbell tracks across the body — biasing the working glute and hamstring through a long hinge.
Dumbbell Feet Elevated Glute Bridge
$4.99A glute bridge with feet up on a bench and a dumbbell across the hips — a longer-range variation that hits the glutes harder.
Dumbbell Goblet Alternating Curtsy Lunge
$4.99A loaded curtsy lunge held in goblet position — alternating sides each rep to train the glutes through a cross-body angle.