The hip hinge is not an exercise — it's a fundamental movement pattern. Learning to hinge before deadlifting or swinging a kettlebell is the difference between training the posterior chain safely and injuring your lower back.
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Form Guide
Step-by-step: Hip Hinge
1Stand 6 inches from a wall. Soft bend in the knees.
2Push your hips back until your glutes touch the wall.
3Keep your back flat and spine neutral throughout. Do not round or extend.
4This is the bottom position of an RDL or the hinge in a deadlift — feel the hamstring stretch.
5Drive your hips forward to stand. Squeeze glutes at the top.
Common Mistakes
What most people get wrong
Squatting instead of hinging: your knees are bending too much. Push the hips back, not down.
Rounding the back: build awareness here before loading.
Programming
How to program the Hip Hinge
Use the wall-touch hip hinge as a warm-up drill before any lower body session. 2 sets of 10 controlled reps. Master unloaded before adding a barbell or dumbbell.