All about the hip-hinge and how to perform it correctly.
What is a hip-hinge?
I define the hip-hinge as the forward and backward movement of your torso with minimal lower body movement while also maintaining a neutral spine.
When it comes to picking something up you essentially have two options. You can either pick something up using the hip-hinge definition above or you could pick something up by rounding your lower back (which would straighten out as you stand back up). In the first example the spine is undergoing zero movement, while in the second example the spine is undergoing movement.
The hip-hinge movement occurs in many daily tasks such as bending over to pick something up off the floor (whether that is with one foot or two) or sitting down in a chair. If you are a regular gym goer the hip-hinge occurs in many exercises such as the squat, deadlift, single leg deadlift, hip thrust and kettlebell swing. To perform any of these movements correctly you will have to master the hip-hinge as it is an essential part of each movement. How often do you hear “lift with the knees” when it should actually be “lift with a proper hip-hinge!”
How should you perform a hip-hinge?
Below is a video tutorial of myself explaining and demonstrating how to perform the hip-hinge correctly. When watching the video notice how I maintain a neutral spine at all times, this is key for a proper hip-hinge! Please don’t just watch the video but actually practice this all-important movement and master it. Whether you lift weights, are a new parent or have an occupation that requires a lot of bending over and lifting, if your goal is to never have a lower back injury then you should master this essential movement! Scroll down for a more in-depth explanation about why you should learn the all-important hip-hinge.
Why is it important to learn how to hip-hinge?
The most important reason is injury prevention! Did you know that one of the best ways to cause a lower back injury is to flex and extend (bend over and stand up) your lumbar spine (lower back) under load. There is substantial evidence to support this. In addition, it has been shown that everyone has a certain number of flexion and extension cycles in their spine before a disc herniation occurs (keep in mind that no one knows the exact number and since every spine is different some spines are more prone to herniations than others, for example, thicker spines versus thinner spines).
While you may never hurt your back by lifting improperly, is the risk worth it? Just ask anyone that has suffered a lower back injury due to poor lifting technique and they will likely tell you that it wasn’t.
Did you know there are actually world-class powerlifters that have come back to break new records after having lower back injuries? It’s true! What do you suppose they did when they came back to training? They cleaned up their technique in order to overcome their injuries and improve their performance!
Knowing that the hip-hinge is so important for safe lifting, everyone should be doing it right?! The unfortunate part is this, many individuals are simply misinformed and not aware of what proper lifting technique is. Even more unfortunate is those that are aware, yet they continue to lift with poor technique because for them, feeding their ego takes precedence over the risk of injury.
For more information about spine myths, truths and issues please read THIS document by Dr. Stuart McGill who is the world’s foremost authority on spine biomechanics.
In summary, the keys to performing a good hip-hinge are:
maintain a neutral spine at all times
pivot about the hips
squeeze your glutes together to initiate bringing your hips forward and continue squeezing them until your hips are all the way forward
Conclusion
Well I hope this helped you not only understand the importance of the hip-hinge but also how to perform it correctly. Please let me know if this helped you by commenting below and please share this with someone that may benefit. Thanks!