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Have you recently suffered a hip or back injury?
Yes
No
Does it hurt at the bottom of your hinge, or throughout?
Bottom
Throughout

Pain at the bottom of a squat

  • More often than not, this can be resolved by adopting a stance that has your toes out slightly (slightly!) - play around with different stance widths, and see if there's one which feels friendlier; this is especially relevant when both hips pinch.

  • Test your hip internal rotation - the bottom of a squat demands your femur (thighbone) to internally rotate in its socket, so if you are missing this movement quality at one or both hips, give these drills a go:

  • Try a squat that's front-loaded - you may potentially be entering a little too much hip flexion at the bottom of your squat, and this can mess with the movement. Zercher and goblet squats will encourage you to keep your trunk tall.

Pain at the bottom of a hinge

  • I would strongly recommend double-checking your hinging form or having somebody look over it - this can often happen if you are rounding your spine, or not initiating the movement by moving your hips back.

  • Test your hip internal rotation - the bottom of a squat demands your femur (thighbone) to internally rotate in its socket, so if you are missing this movement quality at one or both hips, give these drills a go:

  • Are you going a bit too low? Ideally when performing most hinge-based movements (Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, etc.), you only want to go until your pelvis runs out of movement range, or until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and maybe glutes. Remember, the goal is not to hit the floor!

Pain throughout your squat

  • Chances are, you may be initiating the squat in a little too much hip flexion. Try a front-loaded squat such as a Zercher or a goblet squat, see if beginning the movement in a more upright position helps.

  • Hip flexors and quad tightness - if these two are too shortened, they will be pulling your hips into slight flexion before you've even started the movement. Hit this move:

  • This could be especially true if the hip pain is only on one side - test the strength of your hip abductors.

Pain throughout your hinge

  • Almost for sure something to do with your form - have somebody look over it, and make sure you are rounding your spine, or not initiating the movement by moving your hips back.

  • Hip flexors and quad tightness - if these two are too shortened, they will be pulling your hips into slight flexion before you've even started the movement. Hit this move:

  • Deload the hinge - I know it's fun to throw weight around, but we'll never get to the bottom of this unless you can do a perfect, pain-free hinge with just the bar.

  • Try a single-leg variation - this kickstand hinge is my go-to for most hinge-related problems.

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