Abdominal hip trusts are a great strength training exercise for beginners, and this movement is just as effective as more challenging exercises. As with any new exercise, be sure to follow the directions closely in order to use proper form and achieve optimal results with the exercise.

About Abdominal Hip Thrusts

Before performing any new type of strength training exercise, it is important to learn what muscles are targeted by the exercise and why it is important. This exercise not only helps to strengthen the "core" muscles, also known as the abdominals, obliques and muscles of the lower back, but also provides a degree of stabilization to this area, thereby helping to prevent injury or pain. As with any exercise, be sure to use good form in order to achieve optimal results while performing the abdominal hip thrusts.

Positioning Your Body

While some strength training exercises require a high degree of preparation, this exercise is not one of them. In fact, positioning your body for abdominal hip thrusts is relatively simple. Start by placing an exercise or yoga mat down on the ground. Lay down on the mat with your head, neck, and back flat on the ground. Bend your knees so that your feet are also flat on the ground. Ideally, your feet should be placed one shoulder's width apart, with your toes pointing forward. Look directly up at the sky, so your spine is in a straight line from your head to your tailbone.

Performing Abdominal Hip Thrusts

Now that you are postioned properly, you can begin to perform the exercise. Start by taking a few deep breaths. As you exhale your breath, use he muscles in your core to lift your hips and buttocks off the ground. You should now be in a straight line from your shoulders up to your knees. Slowly lower your hips and buttocks back down to the ground. Perform another ten repetitions of the exercise before taking a short break. Do at least two sets of ten repetitions of abdominal hip thrusts in order to achieve optimal results.

Increasing the Intensity of Abdominal Hip Thrusts

There are a number of ways that you can alter this exercise in order to make it more challenging. One easy way to do this is by setting a weight plate on your pelvis. Performing the abdominal hip thrust with this additional weight will increase the workload of the muscles, thereby increasing the intensity of the exercise. Another easy way to make this exercise more challenging is by holding the pose at the top of each repetition. Instead of immediately lowering your buttocks back to the ground each time you lift them, hold them at the top for a count of three. This fatigues the muscles, making them work harder, and therefore increases the intensity of the exercise.