Hip hinge technique

The hip hinge is such an important movement to master, as it’s the cornerstone of most functional movement outside of the gym. Every time you bend over to pick up something off the floor, pick up heavy moving boxes, move stuff around your house, etc you are initiating that movement by hinging at the hips.

When we watch our clients’ squat or deadlift videos, we are often looking at their ability to send the hips back before breaking at the knees. Sounds simple enough, but here’s how you can test whether or not you’re hinging correctly.

The top picture is a KB swing, which is a classic hip hinge movement. It’s almost identical to cable pullthroughs, and all deadlift variations. Too often, people try to squat this movement instead of using a proper hip hinge.

The picture on the bottom shows you how you can test your own hinging patterns. You should remain in contact with 3 points on the PVC pipe or broomstick: the back of your head, your mid-back/t-spine, and your sacrum. Do you pass the test?