Movement Pattern: The Hinge - Power, Posture & Protection

If the squat teaches you how to lower yourself, the hinge teaches you how to lift without breaking your back.

Seated Good Morning requires meticulous posture and core stability.

Most people discover the hinge the hard way, usually while picking up something small and embarassingly light, followed by that universal sentence: "Oh no... my back."

Learning the hinge means learning to bend from the hips, and surprisingly, that’s a challenge for most adults. Especially for anyone who works a desk-bound job. Hours of sitting shorten the hip flexors, stiffen the hamstrings, and teach the body to fold from the spine instead of the hips. When the hamstrings don’t have enough mobility or control, the body compensates by rounding the back, and that’s usually when trouble begins.

The most misunderstood movement

I hear it all the time:

• "I can't hinge, my hamstrings are too tight."

• "I feel it in my back."

• "Isn't this just a squat."

No. A hinge is NOT a squat.

A squat sends you down.

A hinge sends your hips back.

It's the pattern where:

• you push your hips behind you

• your torso tilts forward as a single unit

• your spine stays long and neutral

• your hamstrings load like stretched elastic

• your glutes become the engine

• your core holds everything together

Once someone understands that difference, a whole world opens up:

• picking up a suitcase

• lifting groceries

• carrying kids

• running more efficiently

• climbing with power

• deadlifting safely

• moving without fear

The hinge isn't about touching your toes, it's about teaching your body how to lift with strategy instead of panic.

What the hinge really works

A hinge is a coordinated chain, not a single muscle move.

Here's what fires together:

Hamstrings: control the descent and power the return

Glutes: extend the hips, producing strength and stability

Lower back: maintains spinal neutrality

Core: stabilises the trunk

Upper back and lats: guide the torso and control

The hinge strengthens the posterior chain, the system that powers lifting and protects your spine.

Form Follows Function

The hinge teaches:

• hip mobility and control

• spinal stability

• breath-movement coordination

• glute and hamstring strength

• efficient load transfer

Kelly & Juliet Starett in Built to Move, describe hip extension, the foundation of the hinge, as a vital sign of longevity.

Your ability to hinge well reflects how safely and effectively your body interacts with gravity. Most back pain comes not from "lifting heavy", but from lifting without hinging. The hinge gives your spine a strategy.

Relearning the art of the hinge

In Rebound, the hinge is often a moment of revelation, especially for people who've lived with chronic pain or fear of movement.

The first clean hinge says:

"I'm not fragile." "I can load again." "I can trust my body again."

It's not just about picking something up. It's about reclaiming ownership of your movement.

Try This

A simple hinge check:

1. Wall Hip Hinge

• Stand 20-30cm from a wall

• Soft knees

• Push hips back, feeling the stretch in the hamstrings

• Until your glutes touch the wall

• Keep your spine long

• Return to stand by driving through your feet

• Squeezing glutes at hip extension, repeat.

2. Broomstick Hinge Drill

• Stick along your spine: head, mid-back, tailbone touching

• Hinge with all three points staying connected

• If one lifts, that's information, not a failure.

3. Hamstring Reset

• Staggered stance

• Push hips back over the rear heel

• Keep both feet grounded

• Hold 20-30 seconds

This isn't stretching, it's teaching your hamstrings how to lengthen under control.

Why It Matters

The hinge isn’t about gym performance. It’s about real life, the unglamorous, everyday moments where your body has to cooperate: lifting something off the floor without summoning the gods, carrying bags without bargaining with your spine, climbing a staircase without emotional damage, or running without feeling like your legs filed a complaint. A good hinge gives you the kind of strength that actually matters: the strength that keeps your back calm, your hips powerful, and your daily life a lot less dramatic.

Your Free Hinge Progression Program

The hinge is one of those quiet movements that changes how you feel in your body every single day. When you learn to move from your hips instead of your back, lifting feels safer, walking feels lighter, and strength starts to feel like something you can trust again.

If you’d like a simple, structured way to practise this pattern, I created a free Hinge Progression Program you can download here. It takes you from the basics to confident, loaded hinges — in the same clear, warm Rebound style as the squat program.

Move slowly, stay aware, and let your body rediscover the power it’s always had.