Hip Hinge Drill
What you'll gain
Teaches a hip-dominant pattern that loaded deadlifts and swings depend on.
Builds posterior-chain awareness with no equipment and little space.
Gives coaches a clear screen for spine position before they add load.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Stand tall with the feet about hip width and both hands resting on the hips.
- 2
Soften the knees and brace the trunk so the spine stays long.
- 3
Push the hips straight back and let the torso tip forward as one piece.
- 4
Stop when the torso is about halfway to the floor or the hamstrings pull.
- 5
Drive the hips forward and stand tall by squeezing the glutes.
- 6
Repeat slow hinges without rounding the low back or turning the move into a squat.
Common Mistakes
Bending through the low back instead of sending the hips back.
Squatting the knees forward so the shins travel and the hinge is lost.
Letting the chest collapse or the neck poke as the torso tips.
Rushing the stand-up without squeezing the glutes to finish tall.
About This Exercise
The hip hinge drill teaches the posterior-chain pattern used in deadlifts, swings, and everyday lifting: hips travel back, the torso tips as a unit, and the spine stays long. In this clip the mannequin stands in side profile with both hands on the hips and nothing in the hands. That is the unloaded coaching version used to feel hip travel before a dowel or bar is added. The glutes drive the return to standing; the hamstrings lengthen on the way down and the spinal erectors hold the torso quiet. For a catalog this is a teaching clip, not a loaded lift. App builders can drop it into warm-up blocks, deadlift progressions, and mobility libraries that need a clear hinge before they show an RDL or kettlebell swing.
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A standing pattern drill that sends the hips back with a long spine, shown here with hands on the hips and no load.
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Specifications
Built for
- Warm-up hinge blocks before deadlift or kettlebell swing sessions.
- Beginner pattern libraries that need an unloaded teaching clip.
- Corrective sequences for lifters who squat when they should hinge.
- Mobility and low-back prep pages in coaching apps.
Muscles Worked
Details
License Includes
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