Lesson 5: “Hip Hingeing”

In this lesson we now start learning how to isolate moving about the hips, in standing. We are keeping a stable spine - not arching or rounding the back. Basic spinal stabilization drills and pelvic control are the prerequisites to doing this well.

There are 3 basic drills for learning to hip hinge:

This hinge pattern is analgous to a standing broad jump - a fundamental athletic ability, and can be seen in numerous sporting and athletic movements. Standing with a slight hinge in the hips is referred to as the “universal athletic position”

In the world of strength training, the hip hinge pattern is found in a number of excellent exercises, most notably variations of the deadlift, the kettlebell swing, and the olympic lifts. Once you have perfected the pattern of hinge-ing from the hips with the basic drills, we can load this pattern, and get stronger!

The cable-pull through is an excellent exercise that makes it easier to find correct technique, emphasising glute activation and development, while being very “spine friendly” due to the low compressive load on the back.

*The above video obviously needs re-filming…

The cable-pull through can be seen as taking our earlier glute activation work, and performing it on our feet, which is closer to how we generally move in everyday life. It’s both an excellent accessory exercise used by many of the strongest power-lifters in the world, and the foundation for learning the deadlift, broad jump, olympic lifts, kettlebell swings.