Bar locked in place so you just chase the squeeze.
Tuck your chin and finish with hips fully extended, don't hyperextend your lower back.
With your upper back on a bench and the padded bar locked over your hips, the Smith machine version of the hip thrust removes every stability excuse, the bar cannot roll, tip or drift. That leaves the glutes to drive full hip extension against a fixed vertical load, with the hamstrings assisting from the planted feet. It earns its place as a set-and-forget way to load the glutes heavy and just chase the squeeze at the top.
Absolutely. The bar sits right across your hips and even moderate weight is miserable without padding. A thick bar pad or folded mat is standard kit for this one.
Flat on the floor, positioned so your shins are near vertical at the top of the rep. Feet too close turns it quad-heavy, too far away and the hamstrings steal the show from the glutes.
The rep ends when your hips reach level with a hard glute squeeze. Arching beyond that shifts the load into your lower back, which adds discomfort and zero glute work.
