The hip hinge is one of the fundamental movement patterns we teach at Movement Lab. Unlike a squat, where your knees and hips bend together, a hinge emphasizes pushing your hips backward while maintaining control through your trunk. Think about closing a car door with your butt while keeping your feet planted. When performed correctly, you should feel your glutes and hamstrings doing much of the work.
One of the most common mistakes is turning the hinge into a squat by bending the knees too much. Another is rounding the lower back instead of creating movement through the hips. Start with soft knees, push your hips backward, and keep your torso controlled as you lower. You don’t need to reach the floor. Your available range should be determined by how far you can hinge while maintaining good positioning.
Learning the hinge creates the foundation for exercises like Romanian deadlifts, Trapbar Deadlift, Kettlebell swings, and many other strength movements. It also teaches you how to use your hips effectively when picking things up in everyday life. Before worrying about how much weight you can lift, build a hinge that you can control and repeat consistently.
At Movement Lab, we assess how you move before simply adding more weight. If you’re unsure whether you’re hinging correctly or constantly feel deadlifts in your lower back instead of your hips and hamstrings, a few changes to your setup and movement can make a significant difference.