Why Does My Deadlift Feel Like A Lower Back Exercise
How Glute Inhibition Turns The Hip Hinge Into A Back And Hamstring Movement
The hip hinge is taught as a posterior chain movement. Load the hamstrings, push the hips back, drive forward. Most people believe the hip hinge is about the hamstrings. It is not. The hip hinge is a glute exercise that the hamstrings assist. When the glutes are inhibited, the entire pattern inverts.
The Hip Hinge Hierarchy: Glute, Hamstring, Erector
The glute max is the primary hip extensor, producing significantly more force than the hamstrings at full extension. The hamstrings are synergists contributing in the mid-range. The erectors are stabilizers maintaining spinal position. This hierarchy is how the hip hinge is designed to work.
How Pelvic Position Inverts The Hierarchy
In the Left AIC pattern, the glute is neurologically inhibited by pelvic position. The hamstrings become the primary hip extensor. The erectors become both stabilizer and extensor through lumbar extension. The movement looks like a hip hinge but is mechanically a lower back and hamstring exercise.
Why More Glute Exercises Do Not Fix A Hip Hinge Problem
Cueing harder glute squeeze at the top does not fix this. By lockout, the movement has already been executed by compensators. The glute squeeze is a conscious override of a pattern set at the bottom. Adding banded hip thrusts and kickbacks loads the compensation pattern further.
The Sensation Difference After Correction
After pelvic repositioning and MAT-based glute activation, the pull feels like it comes from the hips instead of the lower back. The lockout is effortless because the glute produces force at its strongest range. The hamstrings assist without being overloaded. The lower back stabilizes without becoming the primary driver.
How To Restore The Glute As Primary Hip Extensor
MOVECHECK assesses hip extension function through Pelvic Position and Hip Mobility stages. When glute inhibition is detected, the corrective protocol establishes activation before returning to hinging. The hip hinge transforms from a back exercise to the powerful glute-dominant pattern it was designed to be.
See This In Your Own Body
Every concept in this article is tested in the MOVECHECK assessment. Find out which patterns apply to you.
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