Floor based glute pump. Simple setup, brutal squeeze.
Push through your heels and squeeze the glutes, don't arch your lower back to get higher.
Bridging from the floor puts the glutes through a short, sharp arc of hip extension with peak tension right at the top where they are fully shortened. The hamstrings assist by helping drive the hips up, though planting your feet close to your body keeps them from taking over. It is the simplest way to load the glutes heavy without a bench, a rack setup or any spinal loading.
The bridge is done flat on the floor so the range is shorter and everything happens near lockout, while a hip thrust off a bench adds a deep stretch at the bottom. The bridge is easier to set up and brutal for the top squeeze, the thrust gives a longer range.
Use a thick bar pad or fold a mat over the bar, and position it right in the crease of your hips before you lift off. Bare knurling on hip bones is the number one reason people quit this exercise early.
You are finishing the rep with an arch instead of a squeeze. Tuck your ribs down, drive through the heels, and stop the moment your hips reach a straight line from knees to shoulders. Height beyond that point comes from your spine, not your glutes.
