Movement
The hip hinge: how to deadlift without back pain
The deadlift has a reputation for hurting backs. Most of the time the lift is not the problem: a back that bends where the hips should is. Learn the hinge first, and the deadlift becomes one of the most useful lifts you can do.
Jeff Shaverian, fitness trainer and physical therapist · 4 min read · Reviewed October 2026
The short answer
Hips move, spine stays
A hinge bends at the hips while your spine holds its position. Push your hips back, keep your shins nearly vertical and your back long, and stand up by driving your hips forward. Practice it with no weight until it is automatic, then load it.
Hinge or squat?
Both bend your hips and knees, but the balance is different. In a squat, the knees travel forward and the hips go down. In a hinge, the hips go back and the knees bend only a little, so your glutes and hamstrings do most of the work. The deadlift, Romanian deadlift, kettlebell swing and hip thrust are all hinges. So is picking your bag up off the floor.
Where it goes wrong
Fault 1
Rounding
The lower back bends forward as you reach for the bar. The hips stop moving early and the spine makes up the difference.
Fault 2
Leaning back
At the top, the lower back arches and the ribs flare to finish the lift. The hips stop short and the spine does the rest.
Fault 3
Squatting it
The knees push forward and the hips drop, so the bar has to travel around the knees and drifts away from your legs.
These patterns matter because of how I look at back pain. In the movement-based model I use, the Kinesiopathological Model (KPM), a back often hurts when it keeps moving in one direction, bending or arching, that the hips should be handling. The goal is not a stiff back. It is hips that do their share, so the spine is not moving at the end of every rep.
Learn it in four drills
- Wall touch. Stand a foot length from a wall, facing away. Soften your knees and push your hips back until they touch the wall, then stand up by squeezing your glutes. Move a little further away as it gets easy.
- Stick check. Hold a broomstick along your back so it touches your head, upper back and tailbone. Hinge forward. If any of the three points comes off the stick, your spine moved.
- Kettlebell deadlift. Put a kettlebell between your feet, hinge down to it with the stick in mind, grip it, tighten your back and stand up. 3 sets of 8, light.
- Romanian deadlift. Start standing with a light bar or dumbbells. Slide them down your thighs as your hips go back, stop when your hips stop moving, and stand up. This teaches you where your hinge ends.
Setting up your deadlift
- Bar over the middle of your foot, feet about hip width apart.
- Hinge down and grip the bar just outside your legs.
- Bring your shins to the bar without letting it roll.
- Long back, chest proud, and pull your shoulder blades down as if you were squeezing oranges in your armpits. The bar should feel lighter before it leaves the floor.
- Breathe in and brace your stomach as if you were about to be punched. Push the floor away.
- Stand tall and finish with your glutes, not by leaning back.
Film yourself from the side. Most faults are obvious on video and invisible in the mirror.
If your back hurts
Some muscle soreness the day after deadlifts is normal, especially in the first weeks. Sharp pain during the lift, pain that lasts more than a few days or pain that changes how you move is not.
Take load off and go back to the drills. A trap bar, or pulling from blocks so the bar starts higher, often lets you keep training the hinge while your back settles. If the pain keeps coming back, it is worth a proper assessment. I explain the two common patterns in back pain when you sit vs when you stand on Danang Physical Therapy.
Safety first
See a doctor first, or call 115 in an emergency, if back pain comes with:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in a leg
- Numbness around the groin or inner thighs
- Changes in bladder or bowel control
- Fever, unexplained weight loss, or pain after a fall or crash
Quick questions
Is a rounded back always bad in a deadlift?
A little rounding of the upper back is common in heavy pulls. The thing to watch is the lower back changing position as the load goes up. Train with a back position you can hold.
Trap bar or straight bar?
The trap bar keeps the weight closer to your center and lets you stay more upright, so it is a good place to start. The straight bar asks more of your hinge.
Should I wear a lifting belt?
It is optional. A belt helps you brace on heavy sets, but learn to brace without one first, so the belt adds to a skill you already have.
How I coach it
Every new client learns the hinge in the first sessions, before we load it. I watch where your movement starts, at your hips or your back, and adjust the drill until the hips lead without you thinking about it. Once the pattern holds, we add load in small steps.
About the author
Jeff Shaverian
Fitness Trainer and Physical Therapist · Da Nang · Phan Công Bình
I coach strength, muscle and fat loss in Da Nang, and I assess how you move, using the Kinesiopathological Model, before I load it. I have coached clients for seven years and worked in rehab for two, in English and Vietnamese.
Sources
- Sahrmann SA. Diagnosis and Treatment of Movement Impairment Syndromes. St Louis: Mosby; 2002.
- McGill SM. Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation. 3rd ed. Champaign: Human Kinetics; 2016.
- Horschig A, Sonthana K. Rebuilding Milo. Las Vegas: Victory Belt Publishing; 2021. Chapter 1: Back Pain.
This article is general education, not medical advice. Reviewed October 2026.