Kriti Sanon's Glute Workout: Six Moves, Real Strength Lessons
UPLIFT IRON CLUBWhat Kriti Sanon's New Glute-and-Core Session Actually Shows
A celebrity gym clip can be useful without being a complete training plan. Kriti Sanon's latest session, shared by coach Karan Sawhney in mid-October, puts lower-body strength and trunk control in the same frame. The visible exercise menu includes weighted hip thrusts, glute bridges, dumbbell deadlift or hip-hinge variations, forward and reverse lunges, weighted sit-ups and controlled leg raises. Those choices are recognizable because they cover several jobs rather than promising one miracle move: extend the hip, hinge under load, stabilize on one leg and move the trunk against resistance.
That combination is more interesting than the usual promise of getting 'toned' by repeating a secret celebrity circuit. A hip thrust trains force production near the top of hip extension. A dumbbell hinge challenges the posterior chain as the hips travel backward. A lunge asks the front leg to absorb and produce force while balance becomes part of the task. A sit-up and a leg raise demand different combinations of spinal and pelvic control. Put together sensibly, the movements can build a credible lower-body and core session.
There are limits to what any short video proves. A montage does not tell us the working weights, exact number of sets, repetitions, rest periods, proximity to failure, weekly schedule or the changes made across months. It cannot establish that one session caused a particular physique. Nor should a viewer copy a professional actor's overall training workload when their sleep, nutrition, coaching and recovery circumstances may differ. The video shows exercise selection, not a complete prescription.
The useful question is therefore not 'How do I train exactly like Kriti?' but 'Which pieces of this workout solve a real problem in my program?' If you already squat heavily, a hip thrust might add glute work without another long set of axial loading. If bilateral lifts dominate, lunges can add a meaningful single-leg challenge. If your core training is just holding a plank until the clock gets boring, progressive sit-ups and controlled leg raises offer different measurable demands.
Choose a purpose before choosing a load. Muscle gain needs hard enough sets and progressive training over time; balance needs movements you can control without wobbling through every repetition; general fitness benefits from consistency and a manageable total workload. The exercises are tools, not proof that an expensive studio or a viral routine is required. The smartest version keeps the training principles and leaves the celebrity comparison behind.
Hip Thrusts and Glute Bridges: Load the Hips, Not the Hype
Hip thrusts and glute bridges share a basic pattern: the hips extend as the glutes drive the pelvis upward. The setup changes the challenge. In a floor bridge, the upper back stays on the ground and the movement is relatively short. In a bench-supported thrust, the shoulders pivot on the bench, allowing a larger hip excursion and convenient loading with a barbell, dumbbell or machine. The floor version is useful for learning control, warming up or adding low-equipment work. The thrust is often easier to progress heavily.
For a hip thrust, place the bench edge under the lower shoulder blades, keep the feet planted and position the load securely across the hip crease with padding where needed. Start with the ribs stacked over the pelvis rather than arching the low back. Drive through the whole foot, raise the hips until the torso and thighs roughly align, and pause without throwing the head backward. Lower with control. A shin that is roughly vertical near the top is a reasonable starting point, but adjust foot distance to find a comfortable glute-focused position.
The main mistake is chasing a spectacular plate count while turning the top position into lumbar extension. A heavier bar does not make a better glute exercise if every repetition ends with the lower back doing the visible work. Another error is using such a tiny range that the athlete never controls the lowering phase. Keep the load that lets you own the top and bottom, then add weight only when the repetitions remain repeatable.
Glute training does not have a single crowned king. A controlled nine-week comparison in previously untrained adults found that hip thrusts and squats produced broadly similar glute growth when training volume was equated, while squats produced greater thigh growth. Each group improved more at the exercise it practiced. That does not mean the two movements are identical, or that everyone must do both. It means high muscle activation during one set is not enough to declare one exercise universally superior for long-term growth.
For a practical starting prescription, try three working sets of eight to twelve hip thrusts, resting around ninety seconds to two minutes between sets. Keep roughly one to three clean repetitions in reserve. If you are new to the pattern, begin with two sets of ten to fifteen bodyweight bridges and graduate to loaded thrusts once you can keep the pelvis and ribs organized. A single-leg bridge can make light equipment more challenging, but it is not automatically better than a stable bilateral movement for progressive overload.
Use the bridge or thrust to complement, not replace, the rest of leg training. The hip can extend strongly without the knee traveling through much range, so include knee-dominant work elsewhere if quads are also a goal. That is why a sensible lower-body session can pair hip thrusts with squats or lunges rather than treating one glute exercise as an entire leg day.
Dumbbell Deadlifts and Hip Hinges: Give the Hamstrings Real Work
The dumbbell hinge is the quieter half of a glute-focused workout, and often the part that exposes weak technique fastest. A hip thrust emphasizes hip extension near the top of the movement; a Romanian-deadlift-style hinge challenges the posterior chain as the hips travel backward and the hamstrings lengthen under tension. These are complementary demands. If you can thrust a large load but struggle to maintain position during a modest dumbbell hinge, more plates on the thrust will not solve the missing pattern.
Stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand, feet about hip-width apart and knees softly bent. Before descending, think of closing a car door with your hips. Push the pelvis backward while keeping the weights close to the legs and the torso braced. Stop when the hamstrings reach a useful stretch or the pelvis can no longer move backward without the spine changing position. Then drive the floor away and bring the hips forward to stand. The dumbbells do not need to touch the floor. Your available hip motion, limb lengths and control determine the sensible depth.
A deadlift from the floor and a Romanian deadlift are not interchangeable descriptions. Starting each repetition from the floor usually requires more knee bend and a different setup; an RDL starts standing and keeps more continuous tension through the hinge. The short workout clip does not establish which precise variation, range or loading progression is used every time. For a recreational lifter, choosing one version deliberately is better than imitating an ambiguous video frame.
Three useful checks can keep the movement honest. First, the knees should not continue drifting forward until the exercise becomes a squat with dumbbells. Second, the load should travel close to the body rather than hanging far in front and pulling the torso out of position. Third, the lowering phase should be controlled enough that you could stop briefly at any point. If the hamstrings never feel challenged but the low back fatigues immediately, shorten the range, reduce the load and revisit the hinge rather than forcing the dumbbells lower.
Start with three sets of eight to ten repetitions and a two- to three-second lowering phase. Rest two minutes when the load is demanding. Once every repetition reaches a similar depth with stable positioning, add the smallest available weight increment or one repetition per set. For home training, a single dumbbell held centrally or a loaded backpack can work initially, but two dumbbells often allow a more natural path around the legs.
The purpose is not to produce the most dramatic hamstring soreness tomorrow. The purpose is to accumulate repeatable hard sets that can be tracked and improved. If a hip thrust already gives you plenty of glute work, the hinge adds a different lengthened-position challenge and makes the whole lower-body session more balanced.
Forward and Reverse Lunges: The Single-Leg Strength Test
Lunges deserve their place in this workout because they add something a bilateral hip thrust and hinge cannot fully reproduce: one leg must produce most of the force while the body controls balance and position. Forward and reverse versions look similar in a quick clip, but the stepping direction changes the coordination task. A forward lunge asks the leading leg to decelerate the step before driving the body back. A reverse lunge lets you step backward while keeping the working front foot planted, which many beginners find easier to control.
For a reverse lunge, stand tall with a dumbbell in each hand or start without weights. Step back far enough to make room for both knees to bend, lower under control, then push through the front foot to return to standing. Let the torso lean slightly forward if that feels natural for your hip structure, but avoid collapsing into the front thigh. The front knee can move over the toes if the motion is controlled and comfortable; it does not need to be artificially held behind the foot. Keep the entire front foot connected to the floor.
A forward lunge uses a similar depth and trunk position, but pay attention to the landing. A very long, uncontrolled step can turn the repetition into a balance rescue. Step smoothly, absorb the load and return without bouncing off the back foot. If you are new to lunges or your knees are sensitive to the forward deceleration, reverse lunges or split squats are often easier starting points. Pain is not a technique target; use a shorter range or a supported version if needed.
Unilateral work can also reveal side-to-side differences that are hidden in bilateral lifting. One leg may feel steady while the other shakes; one hip may tolerate more depth; one foot may struggle to maintain contact. Those observations are information, not a reason to label the weaker side injured. Begin with the side that feels less coordinated and match the repetitions on the other side. Do not double the weaker side's volume automatically. Build stable, repeatable movement first.
For a practical hypertrophy-oriented dose, use two or three sets of eight to twelve repetitions per leg, leaving one or two controlled reps in reserve. If your balance limits the set long before the muscles work hard, lightly hold a rack or wall and use the other hand for a dumbbell. Assistance is not cheating: it can let the legs receive a stronger stimulus instead of turning every set into a wobble competition.
Choose either forward or reverse lunges as the main movement for a training block, rather than stacking both variations for redundant volume. Keep the alternative as a later progression or a lower-load accessory. Combined with a hinge and hip thrust, the lunge supplies knee-dominant and single-leg work, which makes the workout substantially more complete than glute isolation alone.
Weighted Sit-Ups and Leg Raises: Core Training Beyond a Flat Stomach
The core work in the session includes two recognizable patterns: weighted sit-ups and controlled leg raises. Both can be challenging, but they are not a shortcut to visible abdominal definition. Abdominal muscle size can respond to resistance training, while how clearly those muscles show also depends on overall body-fat distribution, genetics and nutrition. Doing a hundred extra repetitions cannot selectively remove fat from the stomach. The useful training goal is better force production and control, not the promise of targeted fat loss.
A weighted sit-up adds external resistance to a movement involving trunk flexion and hip flexors. Start on a mat with knees bent, feet comfortable and a light plate or dumbbell held near the chest. Exhale as you curl upward with deliberate control, then lower without throwing the shoulders backward. You do not have to sit completely upright if the final portion turns into a hip-flexor-dominant yank. Use a range you can control without pain. If even a light weight makes you pull on the neck or slam down, remove the load and rebuild the movement.
Leg raises have a different challenge. Lying on your back, lift the legs to a position you can control while keeping the pelvis stable. Lower slowly, stopping before the lower back arches excessively or the pelvis loses position. Bending the knees shortens the lever and is a sensible regression. A reverse crunch, in which the pelvis curls gently off the floor, can help some people feel the abdominal contribution more clearly. Straight-leg raises are not mandatory, and they should not become a contest to get the heels one centimeter above the floor at any cost.
The phrase 'lower abs' is convenient gym shorthand, but the rectus abdominis is not divided into entirely independent upper and lower muscles that can be isolated with a single magic angle. Changing the exercise changes the demands on the trunk, pelvis and hip flexors. Use that variation to develop control across tasks, not to promise a special strip of fat will disappear. If a movement irritates the hip flexors or low back, reduce the lever, shorten the range or substitute a dead bug or cable crunch.
Two or three sets of eight to fifteen deliberate sit-ups and two sets of eight to twelve controlled leg raises are plenty for a starting session. Rest around sixty to ninety seconds and prioritize the same clean technique on the final rep as on the first. To progress, add a small amount of load to the sit-up, extend the leg-raise lever gradually or improve control at the same difficulty. Do not add every progression simultaneously.
Core work is not separate from the lower-body lifts, either. The hinge and lunge already require trunk stiffness and balance. Direct ab work fills gaps in spinal and pelvic movement capacity, while the compound lifts teach you to maintain position against heavier whole-body forces. A strong routine benefits from both rather than treating an ab finisher as the entire explanation for an athletic physique.
Turn the Exercise Menu into Two Workouts You Can Actually Progress
Copying six exercises from a video is easy. Turning them into training that produces results requires decisions about order, weekly frequency, effort and progression. A sensible recreational version can use two lower-body-and-core sessions separated by at least one recovery day. This is an illustrative plan inspired by the movements, not a claim about Kriti Sanon's exact weekly schedule. If you already train legs hard on other days, count that work before adding these sessions.
Day A — hip extension and unilateral strength: Start with a five- to eight-minute warm-up of easy cycling or walking, bodyweight hinges and a few unloaded lunges. Perform three sets of eight to twelve hip thrusts, then three sets of eight to ten reverse lunges per leg. Finish with two sets of ten to fifteen glute bridges if the extra work is useful, followed by two sets of eight to twelve controlled leg raises. Rest around two minutes after demanding lower-body sets and about a minute after the core work. If the bridge adds only fatigue after the thrust, omit it rather than collecting redundant repetitions.
Day B — hinge and trunk control: Warm up with the same basic pattern rehearsal. Do three sets of eight to ten dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, then two or three sets of eight to twelve forward lunges or supported split squats per leg. Add two sets of ten to twelve moderate hip thrusts if recovery permits. Finish with two or three sets of eight to fifteen weighted sit-ups. You can replace one lunge set with a squat variation if quadriceps development is a priority. Keep the session simple enough that the final sets still look like the first sets.
Progression over four weeks: In week one, find loads that leave roughly two or three repetitions in reserve while technique remains solid. In week two, add one repetition per set where you can without losing control. In week three, increase the load slightly on movements that have reached the top of their rep range, returning to the lower end of that range. In week four, hold the new load and improve execution; if fatigue has accumulated, reduce a set or two rather than forcing a personal record. Track weight, repetitions and any meaningful technique notes.
This structure gives the major lower-body patterns more than one exposure across the week without demanding a celebrity's training schedule. A broad evidence synthesis published in 2026 reinforced that consistent progressive resistance training improves strength and muscle size across many equipment types and program structures. The main lesson for most lifters is to train regularly with sufficient effort and a manageable workload, not to chase increasingly complicated splits. More volume can support hypertrophy, but it is useful only when the sets are hard enough and recovery can support them.
There are two practical cautions. First, do not assume that every exercise in a montage was performed in one uninterrupted workout or in the order listed here. The sequence above is our training design. Second, adjust for your own context: a beginner might perform two sets per exercise, an experienced lifter might distribute these patterns across an existing upper/lower split, and someone with persistent pain should substitute a tolerable variation rather than grinding through it. The winning routine is the one that you can repeat, measure and gradually improve for months.
The final takeaway is refreshingly unglamorous. Hip thrusts can train glutes, hinges can challenge hamstrings, lunges can develop single-leg strength and direct abdominal work can build trunk control. None needs to be mysterious. Use the exercise ideas, apply progressive overload and give the results time to accumulate. That is far more valuable than trying to reproduce one perfectly edited minute of somebody else's gym life.
Gym shirts, tanks and workout gear for women who lift, train hard and live the gym lifestyle.
EXPLORE COLLECTION
