How To Hip Hinge Correctly And Improve Your Athleticism, by Nathane Jackson on YouTube. 7 min 27 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 27 s
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes pointing forward and knees soft but not locked. Hold a broomstick or dowel so it runs along your spine.
Set the stick so it touches the back of your head, your upper back between the shoulder blades, and your tailbone. Keep all three points in contact for the whole drill.
Brace your stomach as if bracing for a light punch, tuck your chin slightly and set your shoulders back. This is your start position.
Push your hips straight back behind you, as if closing a car door with your backside. Let your knees bend a little and keep your shins close to vertical.
Lower until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings or your torso is close to parallel with the floor. Stop before the stick lifts off any of the three contact points.
Drive your hips forward and squeeze your glutes to stand tall again. Do not lean back at the top or arch your lower back.
Practice 3 sets of 8 to 10 slow reps, pausing briefly at the bottom of each one to check the stick has not moved.
Once the pattern feels smooth, add a light dumbbell or kettlebell and use the same hip push to build into deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts and swings.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep your weight over the middle of your foot, not your toes or heels, so you stay balanced.
The most common mistake is rounding the lower back, so stop the rep early rather than chasing depth.
If the stick keeps losing contact at your tailbone, you are bending the spine instead of pushing the hips back.
Think hips back first, not knees forward, so the move stays a hinge and does not turn into a squat.
Questions
How far down should I go?
Lower only as far as you can keep a neutral spine and the stick in contact at all three points. For most beginners that is somewhere between half way and torso parallel to the floor.
How is a hip hinge different from a squat?
In a hinge the hips travel backward with only a small knee bend, and the shins stay close to vertical. In a squat the knees bend much more and the hips drop down between the legs.
How often should I practise it?
Two or three short sessions a week is plenty. Do the drill before deadlifts or kettlebell work as a warm-up once the pattern feels natural.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
