Single-Leg Hip Thrust

Move · Resistance Training · Movement, Typed Supps

Losing the second leg costs more than half the load, because one hip now has to stop the pelvis dropping as well as lift it.

Stage by stage

Set-up (Foot position sets the angle): With no second leg to correct drift, foot placement under the knee at lockout matters more than it does bilaterally.
At lockout (Peak torque at the top): The load's moment arm is greatest near full hip extension, which is what distinguishes the thrust from squats and hinges.
Throughout (Abductors keep pelvis level): Gluteus medius and minimus resist frontal-plane drop; a dipping hip means that demand, not extension strength, has been exceeded.
Months later (Asymmetry narrows): Closing the side-to-side gap tends to show up as more even loading in squats and deadlifts.

Muscles trained

Primary: glutes
Secondary: abs, hamstrings, hip abductors

Intensity

5 METs (Resistance (weight) training, squats, slow or explosive effort).

Time to effect

Weeks: Side-to-side strength differences usually surface quickly here even in people who felt symmetrical on the two-legged version.
Months: Closing that gap tends to carry over into more even loading on squats and deadlifts, where an unnoticed weak side often shows up as a subtle hip shift.

Related supplements

Creatine Monohydrate

Common myth

"If you can hip thrust heavy with both legs, the single-leg version should be easy." In reality: Losing the second leg's support removes a meaningful amount of stability, not just half the load — many people need considerably less weight than half their two-legged number.