Lower body · movement pattern
Hip Hinge exercises
Hip-dominant; the posterior chain’s primary strength pattern.
What the hip hinge pattern is
Maximal hip flexion and extension with minimal knee travel and a rigid, neutral spine. The hips move back and forward; the bar stays close to the body.
Why it matters
The hinge trains the posterior chain — glutes, hamstrings, and spinal erectors — through hip extension. It is the highest-force pattern most people can load and the backbone of deadlift and pulling strength.
Coaching cues
- Push the hips back, not down — feel the hamstrings load.
- Keep the bar/weight dragging close to the legs.
- Maintain a neutral spine; brace hard before the pull.
- Finish by squeezing the glutes — don’t hyperextend the back.
Common faults
- Squatting the weight up instead of hinging.
- Rounding the lumbar spine under load.
- Letting the bar drift away from the body.
- Over-extending / leaning back at lockout.
- Driving the hip extension with excess lower-back movement or rotation instead of the hips and hamstrings.
- Holding the breath through the whole rep instead of a controlled inhale-brace-exhale pattern (Valsalva risk).
Checking your form on video
Best camera angle: side-on. Side-on is the clearest view for hip position, spine angle, and bar path in a hinge.
Hip Hinge exercises by difficulty
Beginner (8)
Intermediate (8)
Muscles this pattern trains
From the Knowledge Library
- Faults grounded in · SafetyRM-Loading Caution (Hamstring Curl & Stiff-Leg Deadlift)
- Faults grounded in · SafetyBreathing Technique & the Valsalva Effect
- Exercise lesson · ExercisesBack Extensions
- Exercise lesson · ExercisesGood Mornings
- Exercise lesson · ExercisesKettlebell Swing
- Exercise lesson · ExercisesStiff-Legged Deadlift
- Uses these exercises · ProgrammingMovement-Pattern Balance