hip dominant

• Hip dominant movements


  Movements which require flexion/extension around the hip joint, with minimal movement around the knee joint
• Hip dominant movements


  • Target the posterior(back) of the upper leg – the hamstring muscle groups
  • Progress from double leg (both feet in contact with the ground) to single leg (one foot in contact with the ground) movements
  • Progressing to single leg exercises, once you have mastered double leg movements, places more demands on your stability and supporting muscle, when performing these you should maintain hip alignment
• Hip Bridge


  1. Start client lying supine (on their back) with the knees bent and toes elevated/pointing upward

  2. Heels should line up under the knees and be placed hip-width distance

  3. Arms are placed without bearing weight alongside the body

  4. Brace the abdominals and engage the glute muscles

  5. Lower the hips back toward the floor and exhale

  6. Drive through the heels to raise the lower back off the floor while inhaling; coming up to the shoulders without crunching into the cervical spine or overextending the lumbar spine

  7. Pause at the top and squeeze your glutes
• Single-Leg Deadlift


  1. Stand on a single leg with the arms hanging on the side

  2. Bend over at the waist and lift the right heel

  3. Simultaneously lift the right arm to create a straight line

  4. Maintain a straight line from the ear through the hip, knee, and ankle

  5. Hold for one to two seconds before going back to the starting position

  6. You may also opt to drop the arms (instead of reaching overhead) and keep the weight under you (see single kettlebell and bar)

  7. Repeat for the prescribed number of repetition

  8. Repeat on the other leg
• Dumbbell Deadlift


  1. Stand squarely with the arms on the side

  2. Hold a pair of dumbbells with pronated grip

  3. Keep the knees soft so they have a slight bend

  4. Maintain this knee position from the start to finish

  5. Push the hip and hamstring back as far as possible

  6. Lower the torso until it is parallel on the floor by bending at the hips

  7. Reverse the movement by pushing the hips forward, squeeze the glutes and return to the starting position
• Dumbbell Deadlift


  • Maintain a neutral spine
  • Do not round the back
  • Keep the hand in prone position throughout the movement and face front
• Rear-Foot Elevated Hip Hinge

  1. Stand tall. Place one foot on top of the bench

  2. Keep the knee slightly flexed

  3. Hold a pair of dumbbells or kettlebells on the side of the body

  4. Maintain this knee position from the start to finish

  5. Perform the abdominal brace

  6. Keeping all the weight on the right foot, push the hip back as far as possible

  7. Lower the torso until it is parallel on the floor by bending at the hips

  8. Reverse the movement by pushing the hips forward to return to the starting position
• Kettlebell Swings (American KBS- Overhead/ Russian KBS – Eye Level)

  1. Straddle a kettle

  2. Squat down by driving the hips downward to grasp the kettlebell

  3. Keep the hips lower than the shoulder

  4. Hold the kettlebell with a closed-pronated grip

  5. Keep the back flat with the kettlebell hanging at arm's length between the thigh

  6. Perform the abdominal brace

  7. Swing the kettlebell backward until the torso is nearly parallel to the floor and the kettlebell is past the vertical line of the body

  8. When the backward swing reaches its end point, reverse the movement by thrusting the hips forward and extending the knees to move the kettlebell in an upward arc

  9. Allow momentum to raise the kettlebell to eye level
• Kettlebell Swings


  • Keep the elbows fully extended
  • Keep the back flat during the swing
  • Maintain the knees in a moderately flexed position