The hip hinge is the single movement skill most likely to determine whether your lower back survives the next 30 years

Stuart McGill's decades of spinal biomechanics research have quantified the compressive forces produced by lumbar flexion under load: it dramatically increases disc nuclear pressure and annular stress, accelerating the disc degeneration that drives the chronic lower back pain affecting 80% of adults at some point in their lives.

Learning and Loading the Hip Hinge

• Dowel rod drill: place a rod along your spine during bending to give real-time feedback on spinal position
• Romanian deadlift: the most accessible progressive hip hinge load available
• Kettlebell swing: the ballistic hip hinge, once mechanics are established
• Single-leg deadlift: adds proprioceptive challenge and addresses asymmetries
• Box hinge drill: standing 15 cm from a wall and driving the hips back to tap the wall