This has to be one of the most underlooked aspects to training for just about anyone. Learning the hip hinge can solve a whole heck of a lot of low back or lower body injury pathologies. Most people, as Dr. Stuart McGill as well as many other world renown strength coaches discuss, use their backs far too often for everyday simple tasks. These repeated flexion/extension movements of the spine are one way to injure your back. By grooving the hip hinge pattern you enhance your posterior chain strength via proper movement patterns. Most people are quad dominant, just look at most people’s butts. The term “gluteal amnesia” is a term that describes the lack of glute contribution, almost as if the glutes are “shutting off” due to sitting far too often. However, learning how to disassociate the lumbar spine from the hips can be one sure-fire way to stay healthy and move correctly. One of the very first things to do to make sure someone can hinge at their hips by using a stick or PVC pipe.
- Keep the knees “locked” bent
- The stick should keep contact at all times with back of head, upper back, and butt
- Once someone can do this efficiently, move on to just the barbell,
- Add weight once the barbell hinge is perfected
From here, after the barbell is learned as in a typical straight-leg deadlift, we can use more resistance to start adding strength with proper movement.
These are the 2-leg versions of a hip hinge that we can certainly progress to 1-leg 1-Arm SLDL, 2-arm 1-leg SLDL, & deadlifts. Whether it is a knee, back, or other lower extremity injury, learning this vital movement should be in everyone’s arsenal of tools.
Categories: Injury Prevention, Strength Training
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