The hip hinge is T1 in the hinge progression — the foundational posterior chain loading pattern. It’s the movement behind every deadlift, RDL, good morning, and kettlebell swing. Most people who’ve been exercising for years can’t perform a clean hip hinge because no one ever taught them the pattern itself.
The Wall Drill
Stand with your back to a wall, heels about arm’s length away. Push your hips back to touch the wall. Key constraints: don’t bend your knees more than slightly, keep your spine neutral (not rounded), let your chest angle toward the floor as your hips go back. If your spine rounds or your knees bend into a squat, you’ve lost the hinge. The wall gives you immediate feedback — when your hips touch, the hinge is right.
Hinge vs. Squat
The squat is a knee-dominant movement: hips go down between your feet. The hinge is a hip-dominant movement: hips go back behind your feet. In a hinge, the shin stays close to vertical — minimal knee travel forward. In a squat, the shin travels significantly forward.
Both patterns are essential. Neither replaces the other. The hinge specifically loads the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back) under a hip-extension demand that the squat doesn’t access.
Progression Standards
Clean hinge to 90-degree hip flexion with neutral spine, consistent → Good Morning →
Move. Groove. Repeat. Smooth.
Next: Good Morning →
Move. Groove. Repeat. Smooth.
You're on your way. And we're here with you.