The Hip-Lift or Hip-Thrust exercise is one of those exercises that is performed with far too much load and not enough technique.
I personally recommend performing this exercise with technique in mind and far less emphasis on load. People are far too quick to jump onboard the bandwagon with latest trend, however this exercise is not as new as it has been made out to have been but what is new is the amount of loading being used.
Safety & injury prevention should be the most important consideration with prescribing this exercise but this should not prevent people from prescribing the Hip-Lift as it certainly has its place and can be a very beneficial exercise. I like to cycle it with other deadlift variations such as barbell deadlifts, trapbar deadlifts, or Romanian deadlifts.
Start with bodyweight and work on proper technique before even considering loading the exercise. When you are ready for loading you can start with lighter loads using sandbags, etc.
Once you progress to a barbell be sure you use a good padding on the bar and one that does not slip. I use one like shown below and find it very effective.
