Hip extension is one of the most fundamental movement patterns we use at AIM Athletic, whether you're an athlete, a recreational lifter, or just someone moving through daily life. It shows up when you sprint down the ice, jump for a rebound, hinge into a Romanian deadlift, or even push a heavy wheelbarrow through the yard. Done well, hip extension makes you stronger, faster, and more resilient. But when the muscles involved don’t fire in the right order, it can lead to discomfort, chronic tightness, and increased risk of injury.
The three primary muscles involved in hip extension are the glutes, hamstrings, and quadratus lumborum, or QL. Ideally, the glutes initiate the movement, followed by the hamstrings, and then the QLs provide stability and support. This order matters more than most people think. The muscles that fire first take the lion’s share of the load, and if the wrong ones are kicking in early, your body will rely on them to do the heavy lifting, even when they’re not built for it.
We see two primary dysfunctions when it comes to hip extension. The first is low back, hamstrings, glutes. This person usually feels their low back during deadlifts, skating, or running. They might be strong, but they’re loading their spine more than they should, and that often leads to nagging back pain or more serious injury over time. The second is hamstrings, glutes, low back. This pattern shows up a lot in our active rehab members and hockey players, and it tends to come with chronically tight hamstrings that never seem to loosen up. When someone like this jumps into a sprint or a stride, they’re at a higher risk for a hamstring strain because those muscles are doing too much, too early.
In our 1:1 sessions, small group personal training, and active rehab programs, we spend a lot of time re-teaching this pattern. Getting the glutes to fire first is key. One simple cue I like to give during exercises like the RDL is to “dig your big toe into the floor” as you come up from the bottom of the lift. That subtle shift encourages better ground connection, recruits the glutes earlier, and puts the body in a more optimal position to extend the hips the way they were meant to.
Fixing faulty movement patterns doesn’t require fancy equipment, just good coaching and a bit of consistency. Whether you're rehabbing an injury, chasing a personal best, or getting ready for the next season, proper hip extension is a non-negotiable piece of the puzzle.
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