One of the BIG movements we work on together: the hip hinge (deadlift).

In mom life the hinge is HUGE. I feel like I’m picking up small cars off the floor all the time. Early postpartum we are bending over to pick up a carseat, reaching for baby in the crib, etc. That is a big reason the hinge is one of the very first things I work on with mamas in our personal training sessions. While the movement takes time to master, there are three drills I love to incorporate to help us better sense the position without load/weight.  

What should a hinge feel like?

A massive stretch and lengthening in the back of the hip. I often encourage mamas to place one hand on the back of the butt cheek. As they hinge back, I encourage them to feel the tissues “expand” into their hand. Almost like the butt is blooming like a flower :)

Compensations to look out for in your hinge

1. Extending through the low back: I find this really common with mamas with excessive hamstring length in a more open scissor presentation / anterior tilt. Instead of lengthening through the glutes, they often find the length through the hamstrings, with an accompanied flare through the ribcage. This post from Sarah Duvall gives a fun visual. A few cues that can help in this position:

   • Gaze towards something in front of you on the floor. If the eyes go up the rib cage will often follow.

   • Soften you knees and watch for locking out. Hips extend on the way up versus knees extending.

   • Focus on maintaining a ribs over pelvis connection/stack. I often like to place my hands on my lower ribcage and pelvis, and hinge back with the feedback. If you flare through the ribcage or the pelvis tips forward, you will feel movement at your hands. The video below shows that.

2. Rounding through the low back: Some people will initiate the hinge through rounding through the low back instead of finding that length through the booty. Sometimes this is related to a booty and pelvic floor that is tight. If the tissues on the back of the hip cannot let go, finding length on the backside will feel tough. Another reason can be a sternum/chest that is dropped. If the chest (pump handle) drops, sometimes the tail tucks in response. In the video below I’m holding an isometric hinge position and placing my hands on my butt, focused on breathing into the chest.

4 Prep Drills to Rock your Hip Hinge

1. Quadruped Positions

I love playing with quadruped variations. Not only can we breathe in this all fours position for chest/back body expansion, but the position itself also gives us an opportunity to “sit back.” We can “rock back” in the hips to help find length in the booty. This is a great place for a mama to focus on finding length through the glutes with more ground ground contact. This is not a “lower” level breathing drill for early postpartum only. I love using variations of rockbacks for a pre-deadlift warm up :)

1. Find an all fours position. Inhale and exhale in this position, keeping the gaze forward without dropping the sternum. Exhale the lower ribs back.

Bonus: A supine rockback below is a great place to start. You can use a block or a wedge to help position the pelvis passively into a posterior tilt. As you inhale, envision breathing into your sides, back, and chest. As you exhale, envision melting into the ground below you. This also feels great for bringing the lower back into a bit of flexion. If you’ve been in an anterior tilt, that will feel amazing.

2. Inhale as I rock back, opening up the booty, and moving towards my heels without flaring through the ribcage. Sternum stays lifted throughout, ribs stay back.
3. Play around with your pelvis position and try to find your neutral. Imagine your sit bones lifting, your booty cheeks spreading as you move back. Try to keep the ribs back, sternum lifted as you perform your reps/breath.

2. Bear Tuck/Untuck

Building on an all fours position, I love the bear tuck/untuck. The position teaches us how to maintain the ribs “back,” and leverage the proximal hamstrings to shift pelvis position. We are essentially working on a tiny twerk ;)

• In the all fours position, actively “push” through the hands while keeping the gaze forward and sternum lifted.

• Inhale to tuck the pelvis underneath you into a posterior tilt, pulling the feet up the wall. Watch for clenching on the glutes.

• Exhale and allow the pelvis to tip forward. A LONG exhalation will also help you feel your abdominals engage in a lengthened position.

• Try to isolate this movement to the pelvis without the ribcage moving too, a different experience than a cat / cow.

3. Tall Kneeling Hip Hinge
Think of the booty leading the way through this. Head and tail stay long. Chest stays lifted and ribcage and pelvis stay stacked. Similar to the example above, I love placing my hands on my pelvis and ribcage to focus on maintaining the stacked position and sending the glutes back. This is also a very functional movement, as we practice getting up off the ground.

4. Single Leg Hinge with Foam Roller

Clients have found this variation with a foam roller “constraint” super helpful. In a hinge there are important pieces to ensure we feel the movement in all the right places:

• Chest open

• Length in the glutes/posterior pelvic floor

• Knee forward over the mid-foot

• Heel heavy

The foam roller is keeping the knee over the mid-foot, while I focus on staying heel heavy and hinging back. You can start with this as an isometric to get into a position, then move to bodyweight for reps, and then start adding load.

Hinging is a big part of “mom life,” so it’s a movement we spend a lot of time on. Rockback variations, tall kneeling hip hinges, and isometric variations holding the position and breathing can be helpful for learning more about our bodies, tendencies, and giving our muscles the “oh, this is what it’s supposed to feel like” reminder <3

Ultimately we can progress to the bodyweight kickstand hinge and loaded hinge variations (unilateral / bilateral).

Curious to learn more about hinging and postpartum exercise in San Diego or online? I’d love to chat!

Feel good mama <3

xoxo,

Erica