Assessing and teaching a hip hinge is one of the most frequent things I do in my clinic. A hip hinge is a fundamental movement that should be unconscious and natural to ensure lumbar protection, as well as to help generate the most power and force during athletic movements.
Most people associate a hip hinge with a deadlift. Patients will say “But Brooke, I don’t CrossFit and would never deadlift a bar, why do I need to learn this?” Valid question until we dive deeper into where a hip hinge is relevant. Do you sit down in a chair or pick up laundry baskets off the ground? Do you lean over a crib multiple times a day to pick your baby up? Do you want to explode past defenders in your sport of choice? Are you a nurse and need to be able to bend over patients beds to help move them or sit them up? I can go on and on. If you move around during the day, then you need to hip hinge.
A hip hinge is a coordinated movement that allows you to lower yourself to the floor and be in the most efficient position to pick something up off of the ground or handle anything weighted. The hip hinge is the beginning movement to many athletic movements (deadlift, KB swing etc). More often then not, people feel like they hinge correctly but when we look closer, they could use a little help. A hip hinge allows us to bend forward, stabilizing our spines and gaining movement through our pelvis and hips. Technically, a hip hinge is maximally loading the hips while there maintaining little to no knee bend. As a practitioner, my hip hinge checklist is as follows:
Rounding the spine
Excessive knee bend (shins moving forward – or “squatting your hinge”)
Poor coordination (stuttering through the movement)
Practicing and perfecting – strengthening your hip hinge is not just for this rehabilitating after an injury, but for every human on this planet who wants to move optimally and protect their joints.
Below are some of my go-to hip hinge drills with some thoughts on when to prescribe each one. I fully believe each drill needs to be mastered fully before progressing to any loaded drill.
The PVC/Broomstick hinge:
When to use: I believe this is a great exercise for people who have difficulty maintaining a straight spine. This normally means they cannot disassociate their pelvis from their low back. I also tend to give this drill first to people who have never practiced hip hinging before.
Anytime the pipe loses a point of contact, the exercise needs to be addressed – somewhere along the way, your spine is bending
Butt taps:
When to use: This is most effective for people who do not/cannot shift their weight backward.
Stool in front:
When to use: I prescribe this exercise for those who tend to want to “squat” their hinge (have too much knee flexion) I like to use a stool with the cue of “do not let the stool roll forward” as opposed to a heavy bench or box where they can jam their knees into it and ride it down.
Lastly, slowly begin to add resistance or load. You can use a band, kettlebell or dumb bell. I change these up depending on the faults that I see as my patients or athletes practice.
So give these a go! Then, more importantly, incorporate this into your everyday life to make sure you are nailing down technique and forever showing your joints some love!