Video: Hip Hinge vs. Squatting
In my videos and articles I talk a lot about the “hip hinge” and how important it is for us on the bike. Basically your ability to get your hips back and chest down without losing a strong core position, it is the essential movement skill behind both seated pedaling and your standing Attack Position.
When you have a good hip hinge you can produce more power with your legs and put less strain on your lower back, plus you can stand up in the Attack Position longer and be able to manual easier. If you struggle with your hip hinge then you are really making things hard on yourself when you ride.
However, while it is important to work on your hip hinge with exercises like the Deadlift, KB Swing and DB Cheat Curl it is also important to understand the other end of the lower body movement spectrum – squatting.
Squatting is essentially your ability to keep balanced on your feet while dropping your hips down and keeping your chest upright. Squatting is the essential movement skill for standing pedaling and weakness with it usually leads to power and endurance issues when you do need to stand up on the trail.
A good rider will have command of both Hinging and Squatting so they can get into the best position for everything the trail might throw at them. However, this is not the case with most riders and they are usually lacking one of these essential lower body movement skills.
In this new video I show you the differences between Hinging and Squatting and how it applies to your bike. I also explain how we tend to get really good at one type of lower body movement and then try to use it for everything, even when it isn’t optimal.
Hopefully you have a better understanding of these two movement skills and how they complement each other both on the trail and off the bike as well. Ignoring a glaring dysfunction with one or both of these lower body movements will not only rob you of performance but it can set you up for an over-use injury down the road.
If you struggle with one of both of these basic movements then the best thing you can do is focus on improving your mobility. Any time spent ignoring those movement issues and simply trying to train around them will make the problem harder to deal with when you are forced to by an injury or performance plateau.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems is the world leader in integrated performance training programs for the unique demands of mountain biking. As the strength and conditioning coach for World Cup Teams and 3 National Championships, his programs have been proven at the highest levels. James has helped thousands of riders just like you improve their speed, endurance and skills on the trail. Visit www.bikejames.com for more training and riding tips like this and to sign up for the free Trail Rider Fundamentals Video Mini-Course.
When you have a good hip hinge you can produce more power with your legs and put less strain on your lower back, plus you can stand up in the Attack Position longer and be able to manual easier. If you struggle with your hip hinge then you are really making things hard on yourself when you ride.
However, while it is important to work on your hip hinge with exercises like the Deadlift, KB Swing and DB Cheat Curl it is also important to understand the other end of the lower body movement spectrum – squatting.
Squatting is essentially your ability to keep balanced on your feet while dropping your hips down and keeping your chest upright. Squatting is the essential movement skill for standing pedaling and weakness with it usually leads to power and endurance issues when you do need to stand up on the trail.
A good rider will have command of both Hinging and Squatting so they can get into the best position for everything the trail might throw at them. However, this is not the case with most riders and they are usually lacking one of these essential lower body movement skills.
In this new video I show you the differences between Hinging and Squatting and how it applies to your bike. I also explain how we tend to get really good at one type of lower body movement and then try to use it for everything, even when it isn’t optimal.
Hopefully you have a better understanding of these two movement skills and how they complement each other both on the trail and off the bike as well. Ignoring a glaring dysfunction with one or both of these lower body movements will not only rob you of performance but it can set you up for an over-use injury down the road.
If you struggle with one of both of these basic movements then the best thing you can do is focus on improving your mobility. Any time spent ignoring those movement issues and simply trying to train around them will make the problem harder to deal with when you are forced to by an injury or performance plateau.
Until next time…
Ride Strong,
James Wilson
MTB Strength Training Systems is the world leader in integrated performance training programs for the unique demands of mountain biking. As the strength and conditioning coach for World Cup Teams and 3 National Championships, his programs have been proven at the highest levels. James has helped thousands of riders just like you improve their speed, endurance and skills on the trail. Visit www.bikejames.com for more training and riding tips like this and to sign up for the free Trail Rider Fundamentals Video Mini-Course.
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53 Comments
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5WhWu1g080
Bret Contreras profile is full of excellent videos with explanations. It is hard to find something so comprehensive in the world filled with crap like body building or cross fit.
Your views on this are ridiculous.
I competed in Olympic style weightlifting a few years back and was my own coach. My form is pretty damn good and I taught myself. This is a perfectly safe way to enter the sport. Read the numerous books on it, frequent the quality lifting sites (pendelay forum for instance), watch videos of top athletes preforming textbook lifts, preform the motions in a mirror with body weight, then preform the exercise at a safe weight while filming yourself. Watch the film and adjust. All of the information is freely available.
Most trainers don't know half of what you can learn yourself by researching the sport of weightlifting. In fact, many are downright dangerous. I was told by a head trainer at a gym that erging is bad for your health! Most trainers and coaches also spew garbage about over training. This is fairly hard to do once you acclimate to the sport. More often than over training, the individual is undereating and undersleeping.
If your doing something wrong, the results won't come, and your joints WILL hurt. But if you lift with proper form, with a weight you can actually stabilize & handle, you will see the results and your joints will actually be stronger as a result.
I think your next sentence answers your question.
"I tried doing a few sets in the summer when i was riding a lot but my knees were just not havin it, and i wasnt even using that much weight."
Because you're weak. If you were stronger this would not be a problem.
I honestly believe there's no such thing (I mean, there is, but it's minimal) as a SPECIFIC training for enduro or downhill or whatever.
You just focus on gym the muscles you feel fatigue first.
Usually shoulders and legs.