smith hip raise: technique and muscles worked

Animated demonstration of smith hip raise

How to do this exercise

Step:1 Position yourself on the smith machine with your back against the pad and your feet shoulder-width apart.
Step:2 Place your hands on the barbell, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Step:3 Engage your core and glutes, then push through your heels to raise your hips off the ground.
Step:4 Continue lifting until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
Step:5 Hold for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
Step:6 Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Equipment: Smith machine
Body part: Thighs Glutes
Target muscle: Gluteus maximus
Secondary muscle: Lower back Quadriceps Hamstrings Rectus abdominis

Hypertrophy grade

Good8 / 10

Nemeo’s take

This is a “D system” variation to reproduce the movement of a vertical leg press. While lying directly on the ground beneath a Smith Machine, you push the bar upward with the soles of your feet. It is the “big brother” of the classic press to target the stretching of the glutes and hamstrings, because the angle of the bust in relation to the legs is very closed. It's an exercise that provides intense isolation of the quadriceps and glutes, but it requires extreme caution: safety relies entirely on the machine's stops, as the bar is suspended directly above your pelvis.

This catalog score reflects Nemeo’s assessment of the exercise’s muscle-building potential. It is not a standardized scientific rating or a personalized recommendation.

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smith hip raise

How to do this exercise

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