# Lying Bent Knee Alternating Glute Raise - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9446/lying-bent-knee-alternating-glute-raise/ - Media ID: 9446 - Primary muscle: Glutes - Body part: Glutes - Equipment: Exercise Mat - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9446/lying-bent-knee-alternating-glute-raise.mp4 ## Description The Lying Bent Knee Alternating Glute Raise is a floor-based body weight movement performed face down on a mat. You lie prone with your forehead resting on your hands, bend both knees to roughly 90 degrees so the soles of your feet point toward the ceiling, and then lift one leg at a time by driving the knee and foot upward until the thigh just clears the floor. The alternating rhythm lets you train one glute while the other stays anchored, which makes it easier to feel each side working independently. This exercise targets the glutes directly, with the gluteus maximus doing most of the hip extension work and the hamstrings assisting as they contract over a bent knee. Because the spine stays neutral and the torso is supported on the floor, the lower back and deep core work mainly as stabilizers rather than prime movers. That makes it a joint-friendly way to train hip extension without loading the spine the way a barbell hip thrust or deadlift would. It is especially useful for people who struggle to feel their glutes during standing hip extension drills, for lifters warming up before heavier lower body work, and for anyone building a home routine with no equipment. The bent-knee position shortens the hamstrings slightly, which reduces their contribution and pushes more of the effort into the glute itself. Working one side at a time also exposes and gradually corrects left-to-right strength differences. Setup matters more than it looks. Keep both hip bones in contact with the mat throughout the set; the moment one hip peels up, you are borrowing range from the spine instead of the hip joint. The lift should come from squeezing the glute to raise the thigh, not from swinging the foot toward the ceiling. A lift of a few inches with a hard glute contraction beats a big arc with no tension. Move with intent: squeeze the working glute to lift, pause briefly at the top, and lower the thigh back down under control before switching legs. Keep the knees bent at the same fixed angle the whole time so the foot and shin simply travel with the thigh. Breathe steadily, exhaling as you lift and inhaling as you lower, and avoid holding your breath or arching the neck. Common use cases include glute activation circuits, rehabilitation-style training after lower back or hip issues once cleared for exercise, postpartum return-to-training programs, and as a finishing movement after squats or hip thrusts. If you feel it more in your lower back than your glutes, reduce the height of the lift and re-check that your pelvis stays flat on the mat. ## Instructions 1. Lie face down on an exercise mat with both legs extended behind you and your forehead resting on your stacked hands. 2. Bend both knees to about 90 degrees so the soles of your feet face the ceiling and your shins are perpendicular to the floor. 3. Draw your shoulder blades gently down, rest your forearms on the floor, and lightly brace your abdominals so your pelvis stays heavy on the mat. 4. Squeeze your right glute and lift your right thigh off the floor, keeping the knee at 90 degrees and pressing the foot toward the ceiling. 5. Stop when your thigh just clears the floor and you feel a strong contraction in the glute; your knee should stay aligned with your hip, not drift outward. 6. Pause for one second at the top, then lower the thigh back to the mat under slow control without letting the foot or shin rest. 7. Repeat the lift on the left leg while the right stays in its bent starting position. 8. Continue alternating legs for the desired number of reps per side, keeping both hip bones in contact with the mat on every rep. 9. Exhale as you lift each leg and inhale as you lower it; keep breathing rhythmically rather than holding your breath. 10. When the set is finished, extend both legs, press your hips into the mat, and shake out the glutes before the next round. ## Tips & Tricks - The most common mistake is arching the lower back to chase height. If your ribs lift or your hip bones leave the mat, shorten the range instead of extending the spine. - Keep the knee angle locked at roughly 90 degrees. Straightening the knee mid-rep shifts work to the hamstrings and turns it into a different exercise. - Drive the knee up rather than kicking the foot back and forth; the thigh and shin should travel as one fixed unit. - If you feel cramping in the working glute, that is usually a sign of weak isolated activation — reduce reps and focus on a one-second squeeze at the top. - Pointing the toes toward the ceiling and slightly flexing the foot helps many people feel the glute instead of the hamstrings. - Avoid letting the working knee flare wide open toward the side; it should travel in line with the hip so the glute extends the hip rather than rotating it. - Slow the lowering phase to two or three seconds. Most of the muscle-building benefit in this body weight drill comes from the eccentric control. - Place a folded towel under the hip bones if the floor is hard; discomfort at the pelvis often causes people to shift their weight and lose position. - Start with the weaker leg first and match the rep count with the stronger side to even out any imbalance over time. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Lying Bent Knee Alternating Glute Raise work? The gluteus maximus is the primary mover, raising the thigh through hip extension. The hamstrings assist at the bent knee, while the lower back and core stabilize the pelvis against the mat. ### Why are the knees bent in this exercise instead of kept straight? Bending the knees shortens the hamstrings, which reduces their ability to contribute to hip extension. That biases the work toward the glutes, making the bent-knee version more glute-focused than a straight-leg raise. ### Is the Lying Bent Knee Alternating Glute Raise suitable for beginners? Yes. It requires no equipment, the range is small, and the floor supports the torso, so most beginners can learn it quickly. Start with 8 to 10 controlled reps per leg and build from there. ### How high should I lift my leg at the top of each rep? Only until the thigh clearly leaves the mat and the glute is fully squeezed, usually a few inches. If the hip bones rise or the lower back arches, you have gone too far and are moving from the spine rather than the hip. ### Why do I feel this in my lower back instead of my glutes? That usually means the pelvis is lifting or the spine is extending to gain height. Reduce the lift, keep both hip bones pressed into the mat, and re-focus on squeezing the glute to start the movement. ### Can I do the Lying Bent Knee Alternating Glute Raise every day? As a light activation drill, yes — it is low-load and well tolerated. If you are training it hard with slow eccentrics and pauses, treat it like any strength exercise and allow a day of recovery between sessions. ### What can I use instead if lying face down is uncomfortable? Quadruped bent-knee glute raises or standing rear leg lifts train a similar glute pattern from a different position. A pillow under the hips can also make the prone position tolerable before switching drills. ### Should my feet touch each other or stay apart during the raise? Keep the knees roughly hip-width apart so the working leg travels in line with its hip. Letting the knees knock together or flare wide changes which part of the glute is working and can strain the outer hip. ### How many reps and sets should I do? For activation before heavier training, 2 sets of 10 to 12 reps per leg is enough. For standalone glute work, progress to 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps per side with a one-second pause at the top of each lift.