Low Back Pain With Deadlifts or Daily Bending Tasks? Why Mastering the Hip Hinge Matters.
Updated: Oct 15
If you get low back pain during or after deadlifts, you're not alone! Deadlifts are a hard movement pattern to execute, even with light weights during a home workout and no heavy barbell in sight.
The fix usually starts by improving your HIP HINGE → the ability to bend forward by sending your hips back and maintaining a neutral spine, instead of rounding through your low back. Your glutes and hamstrings lengthen under control, then you stand back up by driving through your feet and extending your hips.
It's the foundation of Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) and other weighted deadlift variations, as well as everyday tasks like picking up a toddler, doing laundry, loading the dishwasher and yardwork. Learning this movement helps you load your glutes and hamstrings instead of overworking your lumbar spine, which supports strength, independence and fewer aches as you age.
Mastering the hip hinge takes coordination, lots of practice & the following movement capabilities.
7 requirements for a pain-free hip hinge deadlift:
NEUTRAL PELVIS POSITION. Starting in an anterior pelvic tilt makes your quads, TFL and spinal extensors overwork. A neutral pelvis lets your glutes do their job.
HINGING from the HIPS while maintaining a NEUTRAL SPINE. Send the hips back rather than folding through your low back.
CORE BRACING coordinated with BREATHING. This manages load and intra-abdominal pressure when you lift.
HIP INTERNAL ROTATION and eccentric GLUTE and HAMSTRING control. You need enough hip joint mobility & soft tissue extensibility in the posterior hips to load the glutes & lower with control.
SOFT KNEES. Avoid hyperextending your knees as you stand up; keep a slight bend throughout.
Foot awareness and TRIPOD FOOT stability. Keeping your big toe pressed into the ground improves glute max activation, and good mid-foot control (moving through pronation and supination) helps you distribute load and push back up to standing.
LAT ACTIVATION. Gently drawing your shoulder blades down engages your lats and helps you manage load more effectively.
My Story: Why I'm Passionate About This
Beyond being a mainstay of what I teach my clients every week, I've had to work hard on restoring this movement pattern myself. Scoliosis has always made it difficult for me to keep a straight spine during forward bending, and then I had to improve hip mobility & rebuild my core strength after a twin pregnancy so I could perform daily household tasks and strength workouts without flaring up my low back.
I've come a long way with my hip hinge over the last few years, but definitely still have room for improvement!
In my 17+ years as an orthopedic PT, I've also seen way too many older adults give up activities they love, like golf, pickleball, gardening and travel, after years of moving mostly through the lumbar spine (and knees) and never learning to use their hips and glutes.
Beyond the Gym: Why the Hip Hinge Matters for Daily Life
Improving your hip hinge isn't just about gym performance. It's about staying functional, strong and pain-free at any age. Moving well through your hips, instead of only bending through your low back, builds glute and hamstring strength and protects your spine during everyday tasks like:
Brushing your teeth
Doing laundry
Gardening and yardwork
Lifting a toddler off the floor
Playing pickleball or golf
Lifting a suitcase when you travel
This isn't about moving "perfectly."
Flexing your spine isn't inherently bad, and you want your body to be able to move in every direction. The concern is relying ONLY on your low back for every bend, or squatting with your heels lifting and your knees doing all the work. Repeating these patterns over the course of many years can contribute to extra wear and tear on the lumbar spine and knees.
Many of the older adults I've worked with got stuck in a cycle of repeated cortisone injections without ever working to improve the efficiency of their daily movement (before they met me ;)
Learning to hinge your hips and load your glutes can help reduce overuse and excess stress on your spine and allows you to keep doing the activities you love as you age.
Where to Start: Find the Hip Hinge Variation that Works For You
There are plenty of options, even without a gym membership. Start at the level that feels controlled and pain-free, and progress from there.
Step 1: Learn the Movement Pattern
Kneeling hip hinge rock-backs
Hip hinge wall taps (to learn sending the hips back) OR dowel rod hip hinge (if you need help keeping a neutral lumbar spine and avoiding anterior pelvic tilt)
Foam roller-supported hinge at the wall (if your knees do all the work to return to standing)
🎦 Want to see these movements in action? Check out my Instagram posts for video demos →
Step 2: Add Load
Short-lever (cross-arm) hip hinge RDL with weight
Weighted RDL with a dumbbell in each hand (or a barbell if you have gym access)
Step 3 (optional): Advanced options
Most adults get plenty of functional benefit from Steps 1 and 2. If you enjoy the gym and have a trusted professional to teach you optimal form, you can progress to
kettlebell deadlifts (or lowering one dumbbell)
trap bar deadlifts
traditional barbell deadlifts from the floor
How heavy should you go? Visualize your future
For me, the goal of increasing weights for lifts is always functional. How much weight do you want to be able to lift when you're older? Do you want to keep doing your own gardening and haul heavy bags of dirt? Bend over and pick up a grandchild? Lift a heavy suitcase on an overseas trip?
Visualize the future you want when you decide how hard to train. And whatever your starting point, give yourself grace and plenty of time to improve this pattern.
Also remember that how hard you should push can change from week to week. When your sleep, eating habits and stress levels are in a good place, it's a great time to add a little more weight or an extra set. During a week of poor sleep, skipped meals or high stress, your body has less capacity to recover, so backing off the load is a smart move, not a setback.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hip hinge? A hip hinge is bending forward by pushing your hips back while keeping your spine neutral, so your glutes and hamstrings do the work instead of your low back.
Why does my low back hurt when I deadlift? Common contributors include an anterior pelvic tilt, rounding through the lumbar spine instead of hinging at the hips, limited hip mobility, poor core bracing, and unstable foot or knee position. A movement assessment can pinpoint which applies to you.
Are deadlifts safe after 40? For most people, yes. Deadlifts with an emphasis on proper hip hinging builds the strength you need for daily life. Start with bodyweight or light variations, focus on form, and progress gradually. If you have pain or a medical condition, check with a physical therapist or licensed medical professional first.
Do I need a gym to learn the hip hinge? No! Wall taps, dowel rod hinges and kneeling rock-backs can all be done at home. Then, when you’re ready, invest in an adjustable dumbbell set to add load to your hinges/deadlifts. An adjustable dumbbell set is a cost-effective & space saving way to progress strength with home work-outs.
How long does it take to improve my hip hinge? It varies, but most people need consistent practice over several weeks to make the pattern feel automatic. Be patient with yourself.
Ready for personalized help?
If deadlifts feel out of reach, or you're not sure which accessory mobility and strengthening exercises would benefit you, reach out! A personalized assessment from a licensed movement professional is one of the best investments you can make in your long-term health.
I offer in-person sessions for those local to the Kansas City area as well as virtual sessions.
Start by booking a FREE VIRTUAL CONSULT to learn more about how I can help you move better & build lasting functional strength.
-Emily
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