10 Best Hip Raise (bent Knee) Alternatives for Home & Rehab

If you can’t do the Hip Raise (bent Knee), use alternatives that still load the rectus abdominis and hip flexors—such as glute bridge, dead bug, hollow hold, reverse crunch, and plank variations. Focus on posterior pelvic tilt, brace your core, and squeeze the glutes at the top to maintain hip extension and lumbar stability.

Original Exercise: Hip Raise (bent Knee)

Hip Raise (bent Knee)
Primary Muscle
Abs
Equipment
Body-weight
Difficulty
Beginner
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Glutes, Hamstrings
How to Perform Hip Raise (bent Knee)
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
  3. Engage your core and glutes, then lift your hips off the ground until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Best Hip Raise (bent Knee) Alternatives

Best Match
Bench Hip Extension

1. Bench Hip Extension

80% Match
Glutes Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with your back against the bench and your feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands on the bench for support.
  3. Engage your glutes and hamstrings, then lift your hips off the bench until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Butt Lift (Bridge)

2. Butt Lift (Bridge)

80% Match
Glutes Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on the floor on your back with the hands by your side and your knees bent. Your feet should be placed around shoulder width. This will be your starting position.
  2. Pushing mainly with your heels, lift your hips off the floor while keeping your back straight. Breathe out as you perform this part of the motion and hold at the top for a second.
  3. Slowly go back to the starting position as you breathe in.
Band Hip Lift

3. Band Hip Lift

64.7% Match
Glutes Band Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place a resistance band just above your knees.
  3. Engage your glutes and core muscles.
  4. Press your heels into the ground and lift your hips off the floor, squeezing your glutes at the top.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
Ball Leg Curl

4. Ball Leg Curl

64.4% Match
Hamstrings Stability-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Begin on the floor laying on your back with your feet on top of the ball.
  2. Position the ball so that when your legs are extended your ankles are on top of the ball. This will be your starting position.
  3. Raise your hips off of the ground, keeping your weight on the shoulder blades and your feet.
  4. Flex the knees, pulling the ball as close to you as you can, contracting the hamstrings.
  5. After a brief pause, return to the starting position.
Decline Sit-up

5. Decline Sit-up

63.7% Match
Abs Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie on a decline bench with your feet secured and your knees bent.
  2. Place your hands behind your head or across your chest.
  3. Engage your abs and lift your upper body off the bench, curling forward towards your knees.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your upper body back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Lying Lifting (on Hip)

6. Barbell Lying Lifting (on Hip)

63.3% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back on a bench with your feet flat on the ground and your knees bent.
  2. Hold the barbell with an overhand grip and position it on your hips.
  3. Engaging your glutes, lift your hips off the bench until your body forms a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Barbell Glute Bridge Two Legs On Bench (male)

7. Barbell Glute Bridge Two Legs On Bench (male)

63.3% Match
Glutes Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by sitting on the edge of a bench with your upper back resting against it and your feet flat on the ground, hip-width apart.
  2. Place a barbell across your hips, holding it securely with both hands.
  3. Engage your glutes and core muscles, then press through your heels to lift your hips off the bench, creating a straight line from your knees to your shoulders.
  4. Pause for a moment at the top, squeezing your glutes.
  5. Slowly lower your hips back down to the starting position.
Arms Apart Circular Toe Touch (male)

8. Arms Apart Circular Toe Touch (male)

62% Match
Glutes Body-weight Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms extended to the sides.
  2. Keeping your legs straight, bend forward at the waist and reach down towards your toes with your right hand.
  3. As you reach down, simultaneously lift your left leg straight up behind you, maintaining balance.
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with your left hand reaching towards your toes and your right leg lifting up behind you.
  5. Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.
Butt-ups

9. Butt-ups

61% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Place your hands by your sides, palms facing down.
  3. Engaging your abs, lift your legs off the ground, bringing your knees towards your chest.
  4. At the top of the movement, squeeze your abs and pause for a moment.
  5. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
Bent-Knee Hip Raise

10. Bent-Knee Hip Raise

60.2% Match
Abs Body-weight Beginner Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Lay flat on the floor with your arms next to your sides.
  2. Now bend your knees at around a 75 degree angle and lift your feet off the floor by around 2 inches.
  3. Using your lower abs, bring your knees in towards you as you maintain the 75 degree angle bend in your legs. Continue this movement until you raise your hips off of the floor by rolling your pelvis backward. Breathe out as you perform this portion of the movement. Tip: At the end of the movement your knees will be over your chest.
  4. Squeeze your abs at the top of the movement for a second and then return to the starting position slowly as you breathe in. Tip: Maintain a controlled motion at all times.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Hip Raise (bent Knee) Alternative

You may substitute Hip Raise (bent Knee) for pain, limited mobility, or lack of progress. Low-back discomfort often means the lumbar extensors are doing too much work; choose moves that emphasize posterior pelvic tilt and avoid lumbar extension. Equipment limits or rehab needs push you toward unilateral or anti-extension patterns (dead bug, plank) to train transverse abdominis and rectus abdominis safely. For strength progression, use exercises that maintain hip hinge mechanics and glute co-contraction—cue a tucked pelvis and drive through the heels to shift load from lumbar spine to hips and glutes.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Pick a substitute based on what you need to train: hip extension strength, anterior core control, or anti-extension stability. If you want hip-drive and glute activation, choose glute bridges and cue dorsal foot pressure and squeeze at lockout. For anti-extension and motor control, use dead bugs with slow limb lowers while drawing the navel to spine. If spine tolerance is low, prioritize supine holds (hollow hold) with a posterior pelvic tilt to reduce lumbar shear. Track muscle activation by feeling rectus abdominis engagement on exhale and ensure hips remain neutral to target the intended muscles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does Hip Raise (bent Knee) work?

The Hip Raise (bent Knee) primarily targets the rectus abdominis and hip flexors while recruiting the glutes and hamstrings for hip extension. Maintain a posterior pelvic tilt and squeeze the glutes at the top to shift torque from the lumbar spine to the hips.

What is the best bodyweight alternative to Hip Raise (bent Knee)?

The glute bridge is the top bodyweight alternative to emphasize hip extension and posterior chain co-activation; press through the heels and drive the hips up while tucking the pelvis. For core-focused replacement, use the dead bug—slowly lower opposite limbs while drawing the navel to the spine to train anti-extension control.

Can I build muscle without doing Hip Raise (bent Knee)?

Yes—use progressive overload and exercise selection that target the same muscle groups. Combine glute bridges, reverse crunches, and weighted hollow holds or plank progressions; cue a firm core brace and full hip extension to maximize rectus abdominis and glute stimulus.

More Exercise Alternatives

Find Alternatives for Any Exercise

Use our free tool to discover the best substitute exercises based on your available equipment and goals.

Try the Exercise Substitution Finder →

Our similarity scores are calculated using a weighted algorithm based on movement patterns, muscle activation, and biomechanics. Learn about our methodology