If you missed Part 1, you can read it here.
The hip-hinge movement is essential to our daily life, as much as it is essential to our Olympic athletes.
I remember picking up a ghost-turd (little floaty dust ball hiding under my bunk in boot camp), and feeling a shooting pain in my lower back…SERIOUSLY!?!?
I threw my back out because of a GHOST-TURD? They literally weigh nothing!!! I think they might actually be turds from ghosts…I was ashamed so I sucked it up to avoid the ridicule.
But you don’t have to, because we are going over the next level to build our…HIP-HINGE!!
It is the combination of strong-sexy legs, strong-sexy hips (glutes or butt), and a strong-sexy core (meaning both back and front torso), that combines to create MORE HORSEPOWER AND MORE COMPLIMENTS.
As you perform any type of dead lift or pull from the ground:
- Think tall spine out the top of your head (This helps set the stage for a stronger core). Pretend someone is pulling a string that is attached to the top of your spine out the top of your head, without raising your nose in the air. Your eyes should be looking at the tops of your fingertips in the plank, and at the ceiling in the glute bridge.
- Think shoulders wide. Try to bring your shoulders down toward your hip sockets, and then squeeze a golf ball between your shoulder blades. Now you got some wide shoulders!
- Engage (or flex) your leg muscles, butt muscles, and ab muscles. They should be firm to the touch. Lookin good. Feelin good. You shoulda been in Hollywood! This will help you lift the weight with the right body parts…not your back.
- Good linear integrity. In the top position (standing up tall with the weight in your hands), someone should be able to draw a straight line from your ear, through your shoulder, through your hip socket, through your knee, and to your ankle.
- Put an imaginary penny under your heel. Now…think about squeezing the juice out of those pennies with your heel, while you pull the weight up and lower it. And snap! The job’s a game! If your heels lift up, or your hips and torso shift forward, because you have tightness in your ankle or calf—work with your trainer on your dorsi-flexion (fancy word for foot, ankle, and calf mobility).
Now load more weight for strength, add more speed for power, and slow it down with lighter weight for a little cardio. Easy day (at least yesterday was easier), and because of this work tomorrow will be easier to explode into action, as well as be easier on the eyes. Enjoy! If you are ready to level-up, part 3’s swing will provide a new twist on this power-producing-gluteus-growing-magnicent-mammal-maker.
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Joe Yo says
Perfect video and information on how to properly progress clients into achieving the hinge properly and safely as well. Bracing the core and keeping a tall spine is great, along with rolling the pelvis (anterior) to protect the back.