Hip Hinge

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Stiff-legged hip hinge cover

Exercise Information

The hip hinge is a movement that involves the hip joints. The conventional hip hinge also involves the knees, and the true hip hinge is a stiff-legged hip hinge.

The break at the hip joint and folding forward mimics how a door hinge functions. One part is fixed, which for a door is the wall, and for the exercise are the legs, and the moving part is the torso.

Contrary to what the name might suggest, the hips are not hinge joints. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket type of synovial joint and connects the pelvic girdle to the lower limbs.

There are hip hinge variations that involve a change of stance or a change of bilateral to unilateral.  The bodyweight exercises can be loaded and used in exercises like the deadlift, bent-over row, kettlebell hip hinge swing, snatch, and so on.

Common Mistake(s):

Hip Hinge

  1. Chin to chest/neck flexion

    The chin is close to the chest during any hip hinge movement, for example, a swing, clean, or snatch performed with a hip hinge movement.

  2. Looking at the horizon

    Looking at the horizon in the goal position is a common mistake. It’s only recommended if there are problems with keeping the shoulders back at the bottom position. Strength and flexibility around the scapulae should be developed.

  3. Rounding the back

    A common mistake, especially when trying to create more range than flexibility allows, is to bend/round/arch the back. The shoulders come forward and the upper part of the thoracic spine is crunching.

    This is not a mistake, nor dangerous if done under the right conditions, but in a hip hinge, this is not part of the exercise’s goals.

This is a root exercise upon which exercise variations build.

Also know as: HH

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Exercise Photo Gallery

Hip Hinge

The photos show the conventional and stiff-legged hip hinge.

Photos

This is a collection of photos related to this exercise.

Related Workouts or Warm-ups

Form and Technique

This section explains the form and technique for the Hip Hinge exercise.

As a registered member you will be able to evaluate yourself against the technique and record any issues which you can then work on.

Set-Up

Form

  1. Keep the ankles from moving To keep the ankles form moving, both the anterior and posterior muscles need to work isometrically t…
  2. Keep the feet flat on the ground Keeping the feet flat on the ground means that the whole of the foot is working. The toes are workin…
  3. Keep the shins vertical Keeping the shins vertical means keeping them where they are when you stand upright. No movement sho…
  4. Keep the spine aligned The spine consist of the lumbar, thoracic, and cervical region. Bending at the neck (cervical) or an…

Goal

Move the torso toward a horizontal position
Max ROM is defined by the exercise or goal

Muscles Used:

If no muscles or no prime movers are listed, drill down deeper by selecting an exercise variation..

  1. Agonists and synergists are combined under the umbrella of prime-movers.

    1. Gracilis

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Medial

    2. Iliacus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Medial

    3. Psoas Major

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Hips

    4. Rectus Femoris

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Anterior

      Muscle group: Quadriceps

    5. Sartorius

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Medial/ Anterior

    6. Tensor Fasciae Latae

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Lateral

  2. Agonists and synergists are combined under the umbrella of prime-movers.

    1. Adductor Magnus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Posterior/ Medial

      Muscle group: Adductors

    2. Biceps Femoris Long Head

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Posterior

      Muscle group: Biceps Femoris, Hamstrings

    3. Gluteus Maximus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Hips / Posterior

      Muscle group: Gluteals

    4. Gluteus Medius

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Hips

      Muscle group: Gluteals

    5. Inferior Gemellus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body

    6. Semimembranosus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Posterior

      Muscle group: Hamstrings

    7. Semitendinosus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Upper Legs / Posterior

      Muscle group: Hamstrings

  3. The heavier the weight, the more work fixators will need to do. For example, with a bodyweight squat, the fixators don't have to do much work but add load to the exercise and they will work a lot.

    1. Fibularis Brevis

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs

    2. Fibularis Longus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs

    3. Flexor Digitorum Longus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

    4. Flexor Hallucis Longus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

    5. Gastrocnemius

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

      Muscle group: Calves, Triceps Surae

    6. Plantaris

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

    7. Soleus

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

      Muscle group: Calves, Triceps Surae

    8. Tibialis Posterior

      Body Part(s): Lower Body / Legs / Lower Legs / Posterior

Exercise Variations

Exercise variation(s) that are based upon this exercise:

  • Bodyweight Conventional Hip Hinge View
    • Kettlebell Hip Hinge Deadlift
      Loaded Exercise Variation
    • Kettlebell Hip Hinge Snatch
      Loaded Exercise
      • Double Kettlebell Hip Hinge Half Snatch
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Double Kettlebell Hip Hinge Full Snatch
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Single-Arm Hip Hinge Full Snatch 
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Single-Arm Hip Hinge Half Snatch
        Loaded Exercise Variation
    • Kettlebell Hip Hinge Swing
      Loaded Exercise
      • American Kettlebell Swing
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Double Kettlebell Hip Hinge Swing
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Double-Arm Hip Hinge Swing
        Loaded Exercise Variation
        • Kettlebell Short Lever Swing
          Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Single-Arm Hip Hinge Swing
        Loaded Exercise Variation
        • Kettlebell Single-Arm Hip Hinge High Swing
          Loaded Exercise Variation
    • Kettlebell Swingclean
      Loaded Exercise
      • Kettlebell Alternating Swingclean
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Assisted Dead Start Swingclean
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Double-Arm Swingclean
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Single-Arm Swingclean
        Loaded Exercise Variation
      • Kettlebell Tactical Swingclean
        Loaded Exercise Variation
  • Bodyweight Single-Leg Hip Hinge View
    • Single Kettlebell Single-Leg Deadlift
      Loaded Exercise Variation
  • Bodyweight Single-Leg Stiff-Legged Hip Hinge View
  • Bodyweight Stiff-Legged Hip Hinge View
  • Stiff-Legged Hip Hinge View

Lateral Info:

Bilateral Exercise

Exercise Benefit(s):

Flexibility Hip, Strength Hip

Body Position(s):

Bent-over, Standing

Exercise Speed(s):

Fast, Normal, Slow

Stance(s):

Feet Neutral 0°, Feet Wide Stance 0°, Feet hybrid stance 30°, Feet inline stance, Feet narrow stance 0°, Feet neutral stance 15°, Feet staggered stance, Feet together stance 0°, Feet wide stance 40°

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