Hip Hinge Exercises
Everyone needs to do more hip hinge exercises. In this article, I will explain the benefits of this exercise plus 19 unique hip hinge exercises to try.
What is a Hip Hinge?
What exactly is a hip hinge exercise? A hip hinge exercise is an exercise that uses a hip hinge movement pattern.
During a hip hinge, you keep your back straight while bending at the hips and pushing your butt back.
What are hip hinges good for?
Learning to properly hip hinge will help you prevent back pain and injury.
The hip hinge will help you engage your biggest, most powerful muscles, making you stronger, denser and leaner.
Additionally, the hip hinge allows you to generate power through your hips while sparing your spine.
Learning this movement strategy well will also help you to learn how to generate more power through your hips, making you a better athlete, runner, lifter.
Finally, this movement will also help you reduce the risk of injury, strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, and improve your functional capacity across your lifespan.
How do you train a hip hinge for beginners?
I like to help beginners learn the hip hinge by having them perform this movement pattern in front of a wall, with a dowel rod, and with a plate behind their head..
Hip Hinge Exercise in Front of a Wall
Keep your back straight, focal point forward and feet at hip width. Stand about 1 to 2 feet in front of a wall. Push your hips back until your butt touches the wall, keeping your back straight and
your neck in a neutral position.
Hip Hinge with a Dowel Rod
With this drill, you keep a stick on three points of your body including your sacrum, shoulder blades and back of your head. If you hinge correctly, you will keep those three points of contact. However, if you round your back, you will lose contact with the point on your sacrum or back of the head. Moreover, if you arch your back, you will lose contact on your shoulder blades. The stick provides instant feedback on your hinge position.
While holding your stick with one hand above your head and the other hand at your lower back, push your butt back to the wall behind you.
Hip Hinge with a Plate Behind the Head
Hold a plate behind your head, with elbows open. Keep your spine neutral and feet hip width apart. Then, push your hips back into the hinge while maintaining a neutral spine.
Once you master these basic exercises, you can progress towards some other hip hinge exercises, like the ones listed below.
Cable Pull Through
Position handles of a rope attachment at the bottom of a cable pulley. Add a moderate amount of weight. Next, hinge at your hips, grabbing rope handles with a neutral grip and pulling shoulders back and down into your body. Then, perform a hip hinge to pick up your weight, then step two steps forward, into a slightly wider than hip width position. Next, perform a hinge position, feeding hands back behind you, keeping rope close to your body. Then contract your glutes to stand tall at the top of the position.
Romanian Deadlift
To do a Romanian Deadlift, hold weights close to your body as you push your hips to the wall behind you. You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.
Band Good Morning
To do this move, stand with you mid foot over a band. Loop band over your shoulders. Place hands on the band at rib height. Push hips back into a hinge, before contracting glutes to come back to the start position.
Kettlebell Good Morning
Hold a kettlebell against your chest. Assume a hip width stance. Then, push your hips back into a hinge position before contracting your glutes to stand up tall.
Banded RDL
To do this exercise, loop a band around an immovable object and step through. The band should be anchored at your hips. Next, step forward until you feel tension. With weights in hands and your feet at hip width, push your hips back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. To finish, contract your glutes to return to the start position.
1/2 Kneeling Windmill
Assume a tall half kneeling position, with your back foot turned perpendicular to your front leg. Hold a light kettlebell at shoulder height in front hand. Press the kettlebell overhead, pushing tall towards the ceiling. Keeping spine neutral, push hips into a hinge until your glutes touch your bottom leg. Finally, contract your glutes to return to the start position.
Barbell Good Morning
Position a bar on your upper traps or rear deltoids. Next, perform a hip hinge and contract glutes to return to the start. Make sure to brace properly during this exercise.
Glute Bridge on Floor
Lie on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Keep your spine neutral while using glutes to power up into a table top position. Hold one count and then return to start. You can make this exercise tougher by adding weight on your hips.
Hip Thrust
To do this movement, place your upper back on a box that is approximately mid shin height. Put your feet at hip width, knees bent and feet flat. Next, use your glutes to power into a full table top position. Keep chest and chin tucked down even at the top of the movement.
Barbell Hip Thrust
First, roll a loaded barbell onto your hips in a hip thrust position. Make sure to place a padded mat between your hips and the bar. Then, press down on the bar, take a deep breath in and perform a hip thrust.
Single Leg Hip Thrust
For this exercise, position yourself into a regular hip thrust position. While keeping your hips square, lift one leg. Power into a single leg table top position. Then return to start.
Barbell Romanian Deadlift
To do this move, hold a bar at shoulder width. Stand at hip width. Keeping lats tight and core braced, perform a hip hinge until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings. Then return to start by contracting your glutes.
Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
To try this exercise, hold onto one or two dumbbells and stand on one leg. While keeping your hips square and spine neutral, push your hips back into a hip hinge to feel a stretch in your hamstring. Then stand back into the start position.
Kettlebell Swing
Stand about one foot in front of a kettlebell with feet slightly wider than hip width. Next, hinge through your hips and bend knees slightly. Grab onto the bell and tilt it towards you. Pull the bell near your hips between your legs. Finally, extend your hips and quads, letting the kettlebell float before pulling it back down to the start position.
Split Stance RDL
To try this exercise, stand with feet side by side at hip width. Then lift one heel, putting 80 percent of your weight on your other foot. With lats tight and weights by side, perform a normal RDL. Repeat for reps. Make sure you complete the same number of reps on both sides.
Kneeling Hip Hinge
To complete this exercise, assume a tall kneeling position. With weights in hands or on your back, perform a hip hinge by placing your butt on top of your feet. Then contract your glutes to return back to the start position.
The hip hinge exercises included in this article can really help you improve athleticism, strength and reduce pain. I hope you try out some of these exercises. If you liked any of these moves, please leave me a comment below.
