FitnessFitness Tips

Which Muscles Do You Work When Doing Hip Thrusts?

Learn all of the hip thrust muscles worked, focusing on glute activation and strengthening your lower body.

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Photo: Getty/ Kanawa_Studio
Published Jan 27, 2024

Written by 

Caroline Juster

Which muscles are worked in hip thrusts?

The main muscle worked during hip thrusts is your gluteus maximus—the biggest and strongest muscle in your body.

Your hamstrings, other glute muscles (gluteus medius and gluteus minimus), and adductor longus are also targeted to a lesser extent. This makes the barbell hip thrust an ideal exercise for training the back of your lower body.

How to do hip thrusts with perfect form every time

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Place a barbell on your hips. You can put a foam pad or towel around the middle of the barbell to protect your hip bones.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through your heels and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and drive up into the barbell.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Hold this position with fully extended hips for 1 to 2 seconds.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Repeat.

What are the benefits of hip thrusts?

1. They build glute strength and muscle

One of the most notable hip thrust benefits is that the move can help you build a bigger, rounder behind. Placing load directly on your hips heavily targets your glute muscles. This helps them grow when paired with proper nutrition and a well-rounded lower-body workout program.

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Even if you don’t care about what your butt looks like, everyone can benefit from having stronger glutes. Strong glutes help keep your knees and low back healthy. They let you lift more weight on other exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

2. They improve your athletic performance

If you’re looking to become more resilient and competitive on the track, field, trail, or court, hip thrusts can help by strengthening your glutes. Strong glutes play a key role in running, cutting, jumping, and other athletic moves. They can make you more powerful and explosive as well as reduce your risk of knee and lower back injuries.

3. They train your lower body without taxing your knees

Some people can’t target their glutes through squats and lunges due to knee injuries. The hip thrust is a more knee-friendly hip thrust alternative that allows you to lift heavy without compromising your recovery.

How to make hip thrusts easier

1. Mini band hip thrust

Not ready to perform hip thrusts with a barbell? Try adding a mini band around your knees. This is a great way to add a bit of load while you learn the exercise.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Place a mini band just above your knees.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through your heels and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and your hips up.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Hold this position with fully extended hips for 1 to 2 seconds.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Repeat.

2. Dumbbell hip thrust

You can still perform loaded hip thrusts if you don’t have access to barbells. Place a dumbbell on top of your hips and use your hands to keep it in place. You could also use a kettlebell, medicine ball, or sandbag.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Place dumbbell horizontally on top of your hip joints. Hold each side of the dumbbell so it stays in place.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through your heels and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and drive up into the dumbbell.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Hold this position with fully extended hips for 1 to 2 seconds.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Repeat.
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3. Glute bridge

The glute bridge is perfect for beginners or anyone who can’t do hip thrusts. These can be performed as a bodyweight warm-up drill or loaded with a barbell or other weights as part of a strength workout.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Lie down on your back.
  2. 2.
    Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground. Your feet should be hip-distance apart, and your arms should be slightly diagonal away from your body with your palms on the floor.
  3. 3.
    Lift your hips until you have a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
  4. 4.
    Squeeze your glutes at the top.
  5. 5.
    Release as you lower your hips back down.
  6. 6.
    Repeat.

How to make hip thrusts harder

Looking to spice up your hip thrust training? Try these three challenging variations. Warning: These aren’t for the faint of heart!

1. Single-leg hip thrust

Single-leg hip thrusts are a fantastic exercise for building functional lower-body strength. Try it once you’re feeling confident on two legs.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Lift one foot off the ground.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through you the heel that’s on the ground and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and drive your hips up.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Hold this position with fully extended hips for 1 to 2 seconds.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Repeat.

Tip: You may want to try this move without any added weight first. In time, you can consider adding extra load with a barbell or dumbbell.

2. Hip thrust with mini band hip abduction

You can use a mini band to challenge your gluteus medius and other hip abductors. These muscles are located on the sides of your hips and play an important role in knee health and athletic performance.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Place a mini band just above your knees and place a barbell on your hips. You can put a foam pad or towel around the middle of the barbell to protect your hip bones.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through your heels and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and drive up into the barbell.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Hold this position with fully extended hips for 1 to 2 seconds.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Perform 8 to 15 reps.
  9. 9.
    Roll the barbell off your legs.
  10. 10.
    Still sitting up, perform 15 to 20 mini band hip abductions where you drive your knees out hard against the band.
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3. Pulse hip thrust

This variation dramatically increases your time under tension, which means your set goes on a lot longer.

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Photo: Caroline Juster, CPT
  1. 1.
    Begin seated with your back against a bench. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades.
  2. 2.
    Position your feet so they are just outside your hips and knees.
  3. 3.
    Place a barbell on your hips. You can put a foam pad or towel around the middle of the barbell to protect your hip bones.
  4. 4.
    Initiate the rep by driving through your heels and lifting your hips off the ground. Squeeze your butt and drive up into the barbell.
  5. 5.
    Look straight ahead and not up at the ceiling.
  6. 6.
    Perform 5 mini pulses where you lower your hips a few inches (not all the way to the floor) and then drive your hips back up.
  7. 7.
    Finish the rep by slowly lowering your hips back to the floor.
  8. 8.
    Repeat.

Tip: It’s best to do fewer reps of this move. Try 5 to 10 total reps.

Hip thrust vs. glute bridge: What’s the difference?

Hip thrusts and glute bridges are very similar. The biggest difference is that glute bridges are performed lying on the floor, while hip thrusts are performed sitting upright with your back against a bench.

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Hip thrusts use a larger range of motion and stretch your glutes more than glute bridges. This means hip thrusts are harder and offer more potential gains than glute bridges. (Read more about glute bridges versus hip thrusts here!)

Common mistakes people make when doing hip thrusts

1. Incorrect foot position

Selecting the wrong foot position can compromise your hip thrust glute gains.

Putting your feet too close to your body turns hip thrusts into a quad dominant exercise. If you place your feet too far away from you, your hamstrings take over.

Instead, place your feet so your knees form a 90-degree angle when you’re at the top of your hip thrust. Your feet should also be slightly outside your hips.

Everyone’s body is different. Experiment to find the foot position that lets you feel your glutes the most.

2. Sitting too low

Sitting too low, with the bar pushed into your upper back or traps, makes it harder to effectively use your glutes. It’s also uncomfortable and can cause you to slide down the bench during your set.

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Instead, sit as high as possible. The bench should rest against the bottom of your shoulder blades toward the middle of your back.

If you’re using a bench that’s really tall, you might need to compromise and sit so that your butt doesn’t fully hit the ground in the middle of each rep.

3. Not locking out your hips at the top of the move

It’s crucial to fully lock out your hips the top of the exercise. That’s where your glutes are most engaged, so you’re leaving gains on the table if you fall short.

If you’re struggling with lock out, try adding a 2-second pause at the top of each rep. You may also need to lower the weight.

4. Hyperextending your lower back

The hip thrust is not a lower back exercise, and you don’t want to excessively arch your back at the top.

Two things help with this. First, stop driving the bar up once your hips are extended. Second, look straight ahead of you for the entire set. There should be a straight line running from the bottom of your ribs through your hips and knees.

5. Choosing the wrong weight

If you’re struggling to lock out, you might be going too heavy. Lower the weight for now and you’ll actually get more out of the exercise.

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On the flip side, some people are scared to add weight. Your glutes are the biggest, strongest muscles in your body, and they need to be challenged with heavy loads in order to grow. Don’t be afraid to load up your hip thrusts once you’ve got your form down.

FAQ

1. How many sets and reps of hip thrusts should you do?

Hip thrusts are a versatile exercise, and you can use many different sets and rep schemes.

Here are a few that work well:

  • 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 reps with a moderate load.
  • 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 reps with a heavy load.
  • 4 sets of 15, 10, 5, and 20+ reps. Add weight on each of the first 3 sets. Lower the weight on the final set and do as many reps as you can.

2. What weight should a beginner use for hip thrusts?

At first, you can start with an unloaded barbell to get your form down. If that feels too easy, load your barbell with 10-pound or 25-pound bumper plates on each side (65 or 95 pounds total). Bumper plates are round, rubber plates that usually come in 10-, 25-, and 45-pound increments. Add weight once you can easily do 12 reps with good form.

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If your gym doesn’t have bumper plates, you’ll have to use regular metal plates. It’s best to wait until you’re strong enough to use the 45-pound metal plates because it’s awkward to set up hip thrusts using small plates.

3. How many days per week should you do hip thrusts?

You can make great progress doing hip thrusts once per week, so long as you also perform other lower body exercises like squats, deadlifts, and lunges.

If you want to perform hip thrusts more than once a week, it’s important to mix up your training methods and loads. You could do one day with low reps and heavy weight and then one day with moderate reps and moderate weight.

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FitnessFitness Tips

The 5 Best Pilates Exercises to Improve Flexibility

Stretch your limits with these gentle movements.

Unrecognizable woman stretches arms to legs while stretching on yoga mat on wooden floor of an outdoor terrace.
Photo Credit: Stocksy / Alexander Grabchilev
Published Feb 10, 2025

Written by 

Annita Katee

Maybe you used to be bendier than Gumby–or maybe you dreaded the sit-and-reach test every year in school. Whatever your current flexibility (or lack thereof), it’s all too easy to believe your body's stretch potential can’t be fixed.

Experts in This Article

Emma Stallworthy

Pilates instructor and founder of Your Reformer

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As someone who always struggled to touch her toes, I certainly felt that way. Fast-forward to when I discovered Pilates. Within a few months, I saw a noticeable improvement in my flexibility. It taught me an important lesson: Flexibility isn’t an all-or-nothing trait. 

While things like genetics can influence flexibility, you can find meaningful progress from consistent stretching and mindful movement. In this article, we’ll dive into the impact flexibility has on our bodies, how Pilates can help boost it, plus a few go-to moves to add to your arsenal.

Why Does Flexibility Matter? 

Flexibility refers to the ability of our joints to move with ease. “Good flexibility allows us to perform everyday movements like bending, squatting, or walking without discomfort,” says Emma Stallworthy, Pilates instructor and founder of Your Reformer. “It also helps maintain proper alignment in our spine, hips, shoulders, and neck, resulting in reduced strain and discomfort from prolonged sitting or standing.” 

Beyond simply feeling amazing, increasing your flexibility can reduce your injury risk. “When our muscles can stretch and contract properly (aka are flexible), they absorb shock and impact better, meaning a reduced risk of overstretching, tearing, sprains, strains, and other injuries,” says Stallworthy. 

Then there’s the boost in circulation we also receive, she adds. “This helps improve overall muscle function and decreases feelings of fatigue as the body can deliver nutrients more efficiently.” 

Flexibility Myths and Facts 

1. Poor flexibility means you are unfit.

FALSE

Being flexible and being fit are two completely different things. “Fitness is a multifaceted concept that encompasses various physical attributes including strength, endurance, cardiovascular health, and flexibility,” explains Stallworthy. “While flexibility is an important component of overall fitness, it is just one aspect of it.” With that said, when our flexibility is lacking, it can increase our chances of injury–which can land you on the sideline (leading to decreased fitness). 

2. Your entire body is either flexible–or not. 

FALSE

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Our body is a complicated, interconnected system. “It’s entirely possible to be flexible in some areas of the body and not in others,” says Stallworthy. A lot of this comes down to our daily habits and movements. “For example, people who sit a lot during the day may develop tight hip flexors, hamstrings, and lower back muscles,” she says. “On the contrary, sports that involve repetitive movements like swimming might have excellent flexibility in the shoulders but less in the legs.” 

3. Genetics play a part in flexibility. 

TRUE

While they aren’t the sole determinant for your limberness (or lack thereof), they do play a role. “Our genetic makeup can influence factors like joint structure, tendon length, and muscle fiber type,” says Stallworthy. “However, it’s lifestyle factors that can significantly change and improve our flexibility over time. So while there may be some natural limitations, consistent deliberate stretching will improve flexibility beyond genetic predisposition.”

How Does Pilates Help Boost Flexibility? 

The practice of Pilates is a match made in flexibility heaven. “Pilates is an excellent method for improving flexibility as it focuses on controlled, dynamic movements that stretch muscles while promoting strength, alignment, and coordination,” explains Stallworthy. 

For example, movements that articulate the spine–such as rolling down and rolling up–help improve spinal mobility as they gently stretch the muscles that support the back and surrounding areas, Stallworthy says.

“Flexibility requires the development of stretch, particularly in stabilizing muscles,” says Stallworthy. “The power of Pilates is that it’s able to promote both strength and flexibility during each session.” 

How Long Does it Take to Improve Flexibility? 

If you can’t touch your toes on Monday, don’t expect you to be able to by Friday. “Improving flexibility takes consistent effort and is a gradual process,” says Stallworthy. “On average, you can start seeing noticeable improvements in flexibility within three to six weeks of consistent practice (ideally every day). However, significant changes might take three to six months, and maintaining flexibility requires long-term commitment.” 

5 Pilates Moves to Increase Flexibility

These flex-friendly moves from Stallworthy are made to fit your specific needs: Complete the series as a cohesive routine to boost your total-body range of motion; or, pick and choose the moves you need the most and add them to your regular workout. These can also be a great way to cool down after a workout, or a wonderful way to start your day with some gentle movement.

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Hip Flexor Stretch

Targets: hip flexors and quads  

  1. 1.
    Start in a half-kneeling position with your left foot out in front.
  2. 2.
    Place your hands on your hips. 
  3. 3.
    Lean back slightly so you feel a stretch in your right quadriceps and hip flexors.
  4. 4.
    Hold for five seconds, return to start; complete five reps, then switch sides and repeat. 

Mermaid

Targets: side of the body, ribs, hips, and middle back

  1. 1.
    Sit on the floor in a “z-sit” position–right leg bent in front of you, left bent behind you. 
  2. 2.
    Keeping your torso lifted, place your left hand on the floor beside your hip; inhale, and reach your right arm overhead. 
  3. 3.
    Exhale as you bend gently to your left, feeling a stretch along the right side of your body. 
  4. 4.
    Slowly return to the starting position. Repeat five times, then switch sides and repeat. 

Swan

Targets: back, chest, and spine

  1. 1.
    Lie facedown with your legs extended straight behind you hip-width apart; bring your elbows out to the side in line with your shoulders, placing your palms and forearms flat on the floor so your hands are next to your head. 
  2. 2.
    Brace your core to support your lower back. 
  3. 3.
    Press into your palms to lift your chest, straightening your arms without locking your elbows. 
  4. 4.
    Pause for one deep breath, then lower back down slowly, one vertebra at a time.
  5. 5.
    Repeat five to eight times.

Roll down 

Targets: back and spine

  1. 1.
    Stand with your feet hip-width apart, arms relaxed by your sides. 
  2. 2.
    Gently tuck your chin toward your chest, then round your upper back and slowly roll your upper body down in front of your legs. 
  3. 3.
    Pause at the bottom, letting your arms dangle and your head relax; inhale deeply. 
  4. 4.
    Exhale, then slowly roll back up to the starting position. 
  5. 5.
    Repeat three to five times, focusing on smooth, deliberate movement. 
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Foot in Strap 

Targets: hamstrings, inner thighs, ITB

  1. 1.
    You’ll need a resistance band, yoga strap, or towel for this exercise.
  2. 2.
    Lie faceup with your left leg straight; loop the band around your right instep, holding both ends of the band in your right hand. 
  3. 3.
    Keeping your tailbone firmly on the ground, straighten your right leg to extend your right heel over your right hip. 
  4. 4.
    With your hips even on the floor, slowly extend your right leg as far as you can out to the side of your body, stretching your inner thigh. Hold for two to five breaths. 
  5. 5.
    Use the band to gently raise your leg back to the starting position, before moving it across your body to stretch the outer hip and thigh. Hold for 2-5 breaths. 
  6. 6.
    Repeat two more times in each position, then switch legs.

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FitnessFitness Tips

If Your Fitness-Focused New Year’s Resolution Isn’t Working, Try These 5 Expert-Backed Tactics

New Year's resolution not working out for you? Don't stress. Try these five New Year's resolution alternatives backed by experts.

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Photo: Stocksy/ZQZ Studio
Published Feb 2, 2025

Written by 

Jenessa Connor

First of all, this isn’t a New Year’s resolution takedown. To say they’re all silly or ultimately ill-fated is simply false. In fact, around 60 percent of the people who made New Year’s resolutions are still going strong one month in, per the Pew Research Center. So if you’re locked into a goal you set on January 1, keep your foot on the gas pedal and leave all the resolution cynicism and “quitter’s day” rhetoric in the dust.

Experts in This Article

Gretchen Rubin

happiness expert and New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project 

Vanessa Scaringi

licensed psychologist and co-owner of Calm Counseling

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However, if you find yourself on the other side of those hopeful statistics—your resolution fizzled out, or you didn’t bother setting one because you figured you’d abandon it anyway—don’t despair. Maybe a traditional New Year’s resolution is not the best vehicle for you and your goals, and what you need is an entirely different approach.

For ideas on resolution alternatives, we spoke with experts in psychology, happiness, productivity, and life planning. They offered insights on why resolutions as we know them don’t work for everyone, and how different (and, sometimes, unusual) tactics can inspire feelings of excitement rather than drudgery and obligation.

But first, why you lose interest in your resolutions to begin with

If you’ve ever become ambivalent about a resolution, chances are you never felt a strong personal connection to it. Maybe it seemed like a good idea, but your why wasn’t clear.

Vanessa Scaringi, PhD, licensed psychologist and co-owner of Calm Counseling, helps clients set more meaningful goals by first helping them understand what’s important to them. “You need to sort of take a step back and try to understand what’s underlying the motivation for these goals. What are your values? That can be really helpful in getting people focused on why they want to reach certain goals,” she says.

For example, someone who struggles to hit a daily step count of 7,500 steps (an objectively “good” goal, based on research1) may find it easier to stay on track if they can connect the health benefits of walking more to what they value, like improved mood or better sleep.

Resolutions that don’t align with your personality and preferences are also more likely to fizzle. Gretchen Rubin, best-selling author and host of the podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin, found that this was the case with meditation.

Rubin, who studies and writes about happiness and productivity, made several months-long attempts at establishing a regular meditation practice, going so far as to attend a silent meditation retreat. However, at no point did she feel the benefits of meditation. “I was like, ‘Whatever you’re supposed to be getting from this, I’m just not getting,’” she says. “It’s not a tool that works for me.”

Preferences are also an important factor in how you attempt to keep a resolution. For example, a solo exerciser who likes spontaneity and independence may feel trapped by a running group. But, someone who thrives on accountability and camaraderie may benefit from having group runs on their calendar. Similarly, getting your workout done and over with first thing in the morning is great advice for a naturally early riser, but it’s useless to someone who is most energetic in the evening and struggles to wake up before 9 a.m.

Ultimately, whether you’re setting a traditional resolution or using one of the alternatives below, a clear sense of self is critical. Before you set any goals, ask yourself, What do I value? What do I enjoy? What do I dislike? Under what circumstances have I succeeded in the past? The answer to those questions can give you clues about how to go about setting and achieving your goals.

5 goal-setting alternatives that may work better than a traditional resolution

There’s no reason to white-knuckle your way through a resolution that isn’t working for you, especially when you may find other goal-setting tactics more effective and enjoyable. If you’re ready to pivot, here are some expert-endorsed ideas for resolution alternatives.

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1. Choose a “word of the year”

Instead of nailing down a specific and measurable goal, this tactic, popularized by Rubin’s podcast, involves picking a one-word “theme” for the year and finding creative ways to infuse it into your everyday life.

For example, if you’ve been in a bit of an exercise slump, you might choose the word “play” to help shift your attitude toward working out. With “play” top of mind, you might seek out more playful group exercise classes or hit up the local playground for a bodyweight workout. You could learn to play a new sport or use a set of dice or a deck of cards to choose your workout.

Because the word of the year is loose and open-ended, there’s room for ongoing interpretation and evolution. You may find room for more “play” at work, in your family interactions, and in your social life, and seeking out those opportunities is what keeps you engaged. “You’re building a whole world of associations and activities around this core idea, and that just feels more imaginative,” Rubin says.

2. Draft an annual plan

Grace Clarke, marketing consultant and founder of GraceAI, doesn’t mince words: Her annual planning template that’s more than 30 pages long is “not for everyone,” she says. Aside from the length and level of detail, some find the initial processes of reflection and visualization a bit over the top. But for those who are looking to better understand themselves, these features are what’s missing from similar planners.

Other tools skip introspection and get right to goal setting, Clarke says. “They force you to start thinking about goals without thinking about anchoring it in the sense of who you want to be,” she says. “When our motivation is lagging, we need something to latch onto. We need a vision for the future.”

With a psychologist’s input, Clarke drew upon her background in marketing to create a visually appealing workbook that facilitates holistic self-discovery and strategic planning in all areas of life, from physical health and fitness to career to romantic relationships. At the end of the four-day drafting period, users have a blueprint for the year, complete with quarterly check-ins.

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According to Clarke, her method works well for busy, driven people who “have all these good ideas but are disorganized.”

“If you make this plan, all you have to do is show up. Your plan is created for you. And that’s so relieving for adults who have a lot of executive functioning fatigue,” Clarke says.

3. Focus on collaboration

So many resolutions are individualized, and the process of pursuing them is often solitary. Think of the marathoner in training who forgoes social events so that they can log miles after work. Or the over-scheduled mom who gets up before dawn so she can have time alone to do her strength training.

For anyone feeling disconnected from their goals, Scaringi encourages prioritizing connection. “Make it more of a collaboration versus an act of isolation,” she says. Rather than emphasizing the completion of a goal, focus on building a community that can offer encouragement, support, and accountability.

It may be helpful to have a standing, face-to-face meeting with a friend or colleague with whom you feel comfortable discussing your goals. Or, you can go deeper and build a personal “board of directors” comprised of peers and mentors who are willing to offer advice and guidance within their area of expertise.

4. Make a “25 for 25” list

Another one of Rubin’s go-to goal-setting tactics, the “25 for 25” list provides a framework for accomplishing tasks by playing on the numerical year. The idea is to generate a list of 25 things you wish to achieve in 2025. (In 2024, participants drafted 24 items, and in 2023, 23 items.)

This can work for people who have a lot of smaller, unrelated things they want to accomplish over the course of the year. Or, it can help people with big, amorphous goals organize their efforts into specific, manageable tasks.

For example, if someone wants to be better about stretching and mobility, they can create to-do items like “buy a foam roller,” “find a 5-minute stretching routine on YouTube,” or “sign up for three different yoga classes.” Together, these actions support a regular mobility practice, but they’re also finite tasks you can cross off the list. Being “done” with something provides a sense of satisfaction that can generate momentum and motivate you to tackle the next thing on your list.

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“Sometimes people make resolutions like, ‘Learn Italian.’ You’re not going to cross that off a list. You’re not going to get that done in 2025,” Rubin says. “This is a way to have that feeling of, ‘Oh, I did it.’”

5. Keep a streak

It sounds counterintuitive, but if you’re having trouble doing something, the answer may be to do it more—like every day.

This works for Rubin, a self-proclaimed “all-or-nothing person.” “It’s much easier for me to do something every day than for me to do it sometimes,” she says, specifically referencing eating sugar, which she chooses to avoid altogether rather than allowing for occasional indulgences.

Doing (or not doing) something every day establishes clear boundaries and expectations. The everyday behavior eventually becomes a habit that doesn’t require extra thought or management; it just is. Plus, keeping a streak gamifies the challenge. “People love streaks. Some people get very engaged and excited by the idea of really trying to do something every day.” When motivation lags, a desire to protect a long-running streak can keep you on track.

That said, a streak is only meant to help you. If you happen to miss a day, don’t be too hard on yourself, as that can make it more difficult to re-engage in the habit you’re trying to build. “It’s better to be like, ‘What I do most days matters more than what I do once in a while. So that’s okay,” Rubin says. “But you don’t want it to happen all the time, or it’s going to undermine the behavior you’re trying to shape.”

  1. Paluch AE, Bajpai S, Bassett DR, Carnethon MR, Ekelund U, Evenson KR, Galuska DA, Jefferis BJ, Kraus WE, Lee IM, Matthews CE, Omura JD, Patel AV, Pieper CF, Rees-Punia E, Dallmeier D, Klenk J, Whincup PH, Dooley EE, Pettee Gabriel K, Palta P, Pompeii LA, Chernofsky A, Larson MG, Vasan RS, Spartano N, Ballin M, Nordström P, Nordström A, Anderssen SA, Hansen BH, Cochrane JA, Dwyer T, Wang J, Ferrucci L, Liu F, Schrack J, Urbanek J, Saint-Maurice PF, Yamamoto N, Yoshitake Y, Newton RL Jr, Yang S, Shiroma EJ, Fulton JE; Steps for Health Collaborative. Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts. Lancet Public Health. 2022 Mar;7(3):e219-e228. doi: 10.1016/S2468-2667(21)00302-9. PMID: 35247352; PMCID: PMC9289978.

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