How to Do a Hip Hinge: Tips, Technique, Correct Form, Benefits and Common Mistakes

The hip hinge is an exercise that will hugely benefit your back muscles such as glutes, hamstrings, and others. Additionally, the movement works on the core muscles as well.

However, it is important to know exactly how it’s done. Doing it the wrong way can lead to injuries and pain around the lower back area.

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The correct way to do the hip hinge

If you want to perfect your deadlifts, swings, and other exercises, you must incorporate this movement into your routine.

• Stand straight with a dowel behind your back, align it with your torso by holding it with one hand from the neck and the other hand near the small of the back. The dowel should touch your head, upper back, and the sacrum.
• Begin to shift your body weight to your heels and at the same time push your hip backwards towards the wall. At this point, ensure to bend forward from your hips. The dowel should constantly remain in contact with the three areas mentioned above.
• Continue to lower your torso until it’s reached a point slightly before paralleling to the ground. Keep your knees bent throughout the motion.
• Come back to the neutral point by contracting your glutes and pushing forward from your hip.

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Tips to keep in mind while doing the hip hinge

There are a few things to remember when you’re doing the movement. It’s essentially to do it properly, otherwise you are putting yourself at major risk.

Move from the hip

If you do not move from the hip, the weight will be moved by the lower back. If this happens, you will end up with a sore back. Therefore, always push from the hip.

Stand more than shoulder width apart

You want to ensure your feet are providing the essential balance required. Therefore, a movement where you’re shifting your weight towards the ground requires stability that will prevent gravity from pulling you to the ground.

When you stand with a stance slightly wider than your shoulder, you’re providing the balance which helps you do the movement better.

Bend until you feel the stretch

You need to know when it’s time to stop bending. That point is when you feel the stretch on your hamstrings. When you feel that stretch, hold on for sometime before moving back.

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Benefits of the hip hinge movement

Provides proper posture

It’s important to have proper posture to avoid back pain. The hip hinge movement enables you to work the smaller muscles of your back as well. All of this combined helps with better posture.

Helps with strength training

Quite a few strength training movements require you to bend from the hips such as deadlifts, power clean, and other compound movements. To do them properly, you need to have a flexible hip that can support the exercises and weights. The hip hinge allows you to do those exercises with better posture.

Stronger core muscles

Hip hinge is a movement that engages your core muscles. So the more you include it in your routine, the better it is for your abdominal muscles. In fact, having strong core muscles will enable you to do upper body workouts with better posture.

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Common mistakes

Making it a squat

When you bend forward, it should not become a squat. The idea is to bend from the hip towards the front and not go downwards in a squat motion. If you feel your knees and quads are getting worked, you’re most probably doing a squat.

Core muscles not engaged

The core muscles play an important role in this movement. Hence, ensure to keep your abdominal muscles engaged at all times during this movement.

Dowel losing contact

You’re holding the dowel for the move. Therefore, losing contact with your body takes away the ensure usage for it. If it loses contact with any of the points mentioned above, you’re not doing the move correctly. The dowel remaining in contact at all times is a sign of proper posture.

If the dowel does not touch your head, you’re most probably taking your neck too far forward. Next, if the dowel loses contact with your lower back, you’re most probably flexing the spine excessively. Finally, if you feel the dowel coming off your mid-back, it essentially means you’re squatting.

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Bottom line

The hip hinge is a good movement for your back. You must incorporate this into your routine. Keeping in mind the benefits, your performance at the gym will soar when your posture is correct.