The Hinge
The easiest way to explain the difference between a squat and a hinge to a brand-new client is with two everyday actions they already know. Sitting down into a chair is a squat — the knees travel forward and the torso stays relatively upright. Picking up a heavy suitcase off the floor is a hinge — the knees barely bend, the hips travel backward, and the torso leans forward like a see-saw pivoting at the hip joint. Almost every client has done both movements thousands of times without thinking about them; coaching the hinge is largely a matter of pointing out which everyday motion they are already doing correctly, and asking them to load it.
Front Squat
- Keep the barbell on the meat of the front shoulder muscles (anterior deltoids), while keeping the elbows as high as possible.
- Take a deep inhale and sit down "between your legs" — imagining a well on the ground between your feet.
- Go only as low as you can without significant butt wink.
- Come up using pursed-lips breathing as practised before.
- You may use a heel plate to help clients who struggle with ankle mobility.
Back Squat
Technique remains the same, except the bar is placed on the meat of the upper back.
- Note the tendency to want to lean forward more. To counter this, actively push through the upper back on the ascent.
What is the use of plates below the toes/heels?
Plates beneath the toes encourage a hip hinge; plates beneath the heels encourage a more upright squat. Neither is better or worse — they are simply different tools for different clients and different goals.
External vs. Internal Coaching Cues
When teaching exercises, it is always more effective to give external points of focus rather than internal ones. Research consistently demonstrates that external cues produce faster skill acquisition and superior movement quality.
Compare these two cues for the exact same Romanian deadlift: "squeeze your glutes and pull your shoulder blades back" (internal — directs attention at specific muscles and joints) versus "push the wall behind you away with your hips" (external — directs attention at an outcome in the environment). Both describe the same physical event, but the external version tends to produce smoother, more automatic movement, because it lets the nervous system organise the many small muscle actions itself rather than asking the conscious mind to micromanage each one individually — a mental bottleneck that consistently slows down skill learning.
The hip hinge is one of the most powerful movements available to a strength coach. Pushing the hips back loads the largest muscles in the body — the hamstrings, glutes, and erectors — and creates the position to express enormous levels of strength.
How to Brace While Hinging
The same bracing skill from Chapter 1 has to be re-taught in the hinge, because the torso is now angled forward rather than vertical — many clients who brace well in a squat lose the brace completely the moment they tip forward at the hips. The three progressions below rebuild it from the easiest to the most demanding.
Reverse Cable Deadlift
- While facing opposite to the machine, hold onto a cable bar set at a high position.
- Hinge while maintaining a stack. After a few reps you will find the need to automatically brace.
Zercher Deadlift
Everything is the same except the weight is in the crook of your elbows. Use the same technique as the reverse cable deadlift.
Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
Everything is the same except the weight is hanging from your hands. Use the same technique and maintain the stack throughout.