We have a fun one for you today! This is called:
The Stick Hinge
Now if you’re not a regular at the gym this might look like a really funny movement to you.
Once you give it a try it’ll start to feel natural pretty quickly because it’s a movement you do every single day. But now we’re just going to learn how to do it properly so that you don’t tweak your back from picking something up off the ground. Because who wants that??
Like I said, this is a very simple movement pattern to bending over to pick something up off the ground.
You’re going to need a PVC pipe or something similar like a Swiffer mop or broomstick. This is the basic breakdown:
Put the stick along your spine, straight through the top of your head, and extend past the glutes.
The stick needs to maintain this contact through the ENTIRE movement. If it doesn’t at first that is totally fine, but that is what you are working towards.
Tighten your tummy, think i’m trying to connect the bottom of my ribs to my hip bones.
This is not a hard contraction of the core, but just get it to engage. This is not a full posterior tilt, but it is a neutral spine.
Relax your knees just a bit so they aren’t locked out and HINGE from the hips, not the back.
Think about sending your hips or butt to whatever wall is behind you. Keep the stick on your back and try and be really neutral in your spine. You will go as low as your hamstrings ( back of the thighs) will let you. Don’t try to bend any deeper, you’ll be going to spinal flexion
Squeeze your cheeks to stand back up.
Using glute engagement to create the movement is key. That’s how you protect your back. There are bigger stronger muscles in your glutes than along your spine. Let’s use them!
Keep your body weight in the middle of your feet!
Most people will want to put the weight waaayyy back in their heels, or forward in their toes. You should be able to lift up your toes in this move, but you not so far back that it’s all the way onto your heels. Try to keep the weight in the middle of your foot. If you are having trouble with it, put a ball or something small next to the arch of your foot. It will give you some tactile feedback.
It's best to do this in front of a mirror so you can see your back. You’d want a side view so you can watch to see if you’re going into flexion, rounding of the spine. If your back is rounding and the stick is flying off your back or even just going upwards at the bottom - that is now what you’re working on! This way you can easily identify your problem area.
Learning to properly execute this movement will be so helpful in your daily life. If you have back pain, it is super important to learn this and will help to start to alleviate that and if you DON’T have back pain, learning this will help prevent you from developing it in the future.
Once you see how it works, you can practice it throughout the day! You hinge when you empty the dishwasher, pick up clothes off the ground, empty and fill the washing machine, pick up children, lean over the sink to wash your face, grab something on the bottom shelf at the grocery store, the list goes on! So imagine that stick along your spine and get hinging people!
As always, if you have questions or are ready to take the step to work with a movement specialist just book yourself a consultation by clicking the BOOK NOW button on our website.
See you soon!
Your movement specialists
“Anytime you bend at your hips, you are doing a hinge. Mindful practice now means muscle memory later.”