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Hip Hinge 101: The secret to building strength and preventing injury

The hip hinge is one of the most essential movement patterns in both everyday life and at the gym.

From picking up groceries to performing deadlifts, the hip hinge is a foundational movement that enhances your overall strength, flexibility, and functional fitness.

It involves bending your hips backward while keeping your spine neutral and knees slightly bent, as if trying to touch an imaginary wall behind you with your butt, engaging glutes, hamstrings, and core.

Many people overlook or perform hip hinges incorrectly, which can lead to ineffective training and injury.


Hip hinge magic at the gym
  • Builds core and lower body strength: Targeting the posterior chain, including hamstrings, glutes and lower back, hip hinges build a solid strength foundation for the lower body
  • Protects the lower back: By moving from the hips rather than the spine, a proper hip hinge reduces the risk of lower back injuries
  • Enhances athletic performance: From sprinting to jumping, mastering the hip hinge is key for explosive power and performance in many sports
  • Boosts functional movement: Learning correct form can make these movements safer and more efficient
  • Increases flexibility: A strong and well-executed hip hinge improves hamstring and hip flexibility, leading to better overall movement mechanics
  • Longevity: Hip hinges strengthen muscles that deteriorate with age, particularly in the lower back and hips, which helps maintain mobility and independence as you get older
  • Posture and stability: A proper hip hinge builds core strength and promotes better posture, essential for balance and overall stability.

How we hinge about 50-100 times daily
  • Picking up objects from the floor: Whether lifting laundry or moving furniture, you often need to hinge at the hips
  • Sitting down and standing up: The motion of sitting involves a hip hinge, and standing up requires you to reverse the movement
  • Bending over to tie shoes: Even simple tasks like tying your shoes involve hinging from the hips
  • Vacuuming or cleaning: Reaching forward while maintaining balance often requires a slight hip hinge.

Typical exercises that have you hinging at the hips
  • Deadlifts (conventional, sumo, and Romanian): The king of the hip hinge, these target the posterior chain and build immense strength
  • Kettlebell swings: This explosive exercise involves a powerful hip hinge to generate momentum and build endurance, power and core stability
  • Hip thrusts: While focused on the glutes, this movement requires a strong hip hinge to properly engage the posterior chain
  • Bent-over rows: Although primarily an upper body exercise, bent-over rows start with a hip hinge to maintain proper posture and back alignment
  • Reformer Pilates exercises: Such as tippy bird, scooter and elephant to name a few
  • Good mornings: Either bodyweight or loaded, these are excellent for developing lower back and hamstring strength.

Common mistakes 
  • Rounding the lower back: This is one of the most dangerous mistakes, putting excessive pressure on the spine which can lead to injury
  • Over-bending the knees: While the knees should have a slight bend, over-bending can result in more of a squat than a hinge, taking the emphasis off the hips and hamstrings
  • Not engaging the core: Without proper core engagement, your lower back takes the strain, which can lead to discomfort or injury
  • Pushing the hips forward too early: At the top of the movement, some people thrust their hips forward excessively, which can strain the lower back and diminish the benefits of the exercise
  • Looking up or down excessively: Keeping a neutral neck is key to maintaining spinal alignment. Looking too far up or down can disrupt this and lead to poor form.

Hip hinge technique – 5 top tips 
  1. Push hips back, not down which helps engage your glutes and hamstrings without turning the movement into a squat
  2. Keep a neutral spine from your head to your lower back. Avoid rounding or excessively arching your back
  3. Engage your core to protect your lower back and maintain stability. This will also help you generate more power from your hips
  4. Don’t over-bend your knees keeping them soft and slightly bent, but not doing the work of the hinge. Focus on moving through your hips while maintaining a slight bend in the knees
  5. Use a mirror and your coach to check form particularly ensuring your spine stays neutral and your hips and hamstrings are doing the work.


Hinge perfection at Movement HQ 
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