How to Hip Hinge (FIX THIS!) – ATHLEAN-X™

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The hip hinge is the most crucial joint mechanical element of a successfully, and safely performed squat. If you want to squat more weight and keep your knees, low back and ankles injury free in the process, you are going to have to learn how to execute a properly performed hip hinge. In this video I’m going to show you how to hip hinge properly with one simple to execute external cue that you can start doing within minutes from now.

The reason why the hip hinge is so important is that it sets up the rest of the mechanics through the ankles, knees and hips during the squat. If you restrict the range of motion in the hips while attempting to squat too upright, you are going to definitely feel the repercussions of this poor form when it wreaks havoc on your knees. In order to direct the load squarely onto the quads rather than the knees you have to learn to sit back into the hips and turn on the posterior chain from the start.

Some people will tell you that the best cue is to sit back. That is tough to do if you aren’t quite sure where the sit should be initiated from in the first place. As I just pointed out, it is possible to lower your center of gravity towards the floor by initiating the movement from the knees. It won’t look pretty and you will place undo stress on the knees, however it is possible. That doesn’t make it correct however.

To begin the squat, you need to hinge at the hip and the best cue for learning how and where this needs to occur is an external cue. That is where the instant fix cue for learning how to hip hinge comes in. All you need is your hands. You don’t even need weight at this point, as the most important thing you are doing is grooving what it will feel like when properly performed.

Place the pinky side of your hand on the crease of your hips. Your hands should angle downwards following the path of the inguinal lines in your lower abdomen. Your goal should be to try and make the hand disappear in the crease between your lower stomach and upper thigh as you descend into the squat. If you can no longer see your hand and feel it squeezed between the leg and abdomen at the bottom, then you have performed this properly.

Your knees should be either a little in front of or in line with the toes at the bottom of the squat. Most importantly, your chest should be up and out with no kyphotic curving of the spine in either the thoracic or lumbar area. From here, you can do an additional drill if you find that your knees are caving in as you go down. Use a mini band or the elastic of your pants to provide feedback for you to push against to keep your knees pushing out as you descend and focus on the hip hinge.

Both of these techniques are instant external feedback cues that work great for teaching you how to hip hinge properly so that you can start squatting more weight, pain free. If you are looking for a complete program that puts the science back in strength to help you get much more out of every workout that you do, be sure to head to and get the ATHLEAN-X Training System.

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