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  • Gluteus maximus
  • Dowel
  • Beginner

Hip hinge with dowel

The hip hinge with dowel works your hamstrings and glutes, with your lower back helping. Start with 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps, stopping with about 4 to 5 reps in reserve. To build muscle, do 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.

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Video on the way

We film every move with real women. Until then, follow the steps and the 3 tips.

  1. Tip 1Three points on the dowel
  2. Tip 2Hips go back
  3. Tip 3Knees nearly still

Where you should feel it

A stretch in your hamstrings on the way down and your glutes working on the way up. It is a drill to learn the movement, with very little effort.

Main muscles
Semitendinosus and semimembranosus and gluteus maximus
Also working
Biceps femoris and spinal erectors

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dowel along your back, touching at 3 points: the back of your head, mid-back and tailbone.

  2. Soften your knees and push your hips back, as if closing a door behind you with your butt.

  3. Hinge forward as far as all 3 points stay on the dowel, usually with your torso around 45 degrees.

  4. Drive your hips forward to stand back up without losing contact with the dowel.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake

    The dowel lifts off your mid-back or head.

    How to fix it

    That means your spine bent. Come up a little and only hinge as far as all 3 points stay in contact.

  • Mistake

    Bending your knees and sitting down like a squat.

    How to fix it

    Your knees soften at the start and then stay put. Think hips back, not down.

  • Mistake

    Leaning back at the top.

    How to fix it

    Stop when you are standing tall with your glutes squeezed. The dowel stays vertical.

Sets and reps for your goal

GoalSetsRepsReps in reserveRest
Getting started2 to 38 to 124 to 530 to 60 s
Muscle and definition2 to 38 to 124 to 530 to 60 s

This is a drill to learn the movement. The load comes later with the dumbbell RDL.

Reps in reserve: how many more reps you could still do with good form when you end the set.

Variations

Same movement, other equipment

  • Dumbbell RDL

    The same movement with weight, once you can keep all 3 points in contact easily.

  • Kettlebell deadlift

    Lifting a kettlebell from the floor to standing uses the same hinge.

At home or with more support

  • At home: with a broomstick

    A broomstick works as the dowel. Doing it side-on to a mirror makes the 3 points easier to check.

  • Prefer more stability? Wall hip hinge

    Stand with your back to a wall, a hand's length away, push your hips back until your butt touches the wall, then return. The wall sets the path.

Taken? Swap it for one of these

They work the same main muscle.

Keep exploring

Sources

  • Sets and reps

    Currier BS, D'Souza AC, et al. American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Resistance Training Prescription for Muscle Function, Hypertrophy, and Physical Performance in Healthy Adults: An Overview of Reviews. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2026;58(4):851-872.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Martín-Fuentes I, Oliva-Lozano JM, et al. Electromyographic activity in deadlift exercise and its variants. A systematic review. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229507.

    Full textPubMedDOI

  • Muscles worked

    Delgado J, Drinkwater EJ, et al. Comparison Between Back Squat, Romanian Deadlift, and Barbell Hip Thrust for Leg and Hip Muscle Activities During Hip Extension. J Strength Cond Res. 2019;33(10):2595-2601.

    PubMedDOI

Review

Draft. This guide is waiting for review by a certified strength and conditioning professional.

Updated October 31, 2026