The 90/90 Hip Lift: Restoring Alignment, Enhancing Core, and Improving Breathing

What is the purpose of the 90 90 hip lift?

The 90/90 hip lift is a foundational exercise designed to restore optimal pelvic and spinal alignment, specifically promoting a posterior pelvic tilt and rib cage depression, which are crucial for enhancing core stability, improving breathing mechanics, and resolving common postural dysfunctions.

Introduction to the 90/90 Hip Lift

The 90/90 hip lift, often utilized in rehabilitative and performance training, is far more than a simple abdominal exercise. It's a precise positional breathing drill aimed at re-educating the body on how to properly align the pelvis and rib cage. Its name derives from the body's position during the exercise: lying on your back with hips and knees bent at approximately 90-degree angles, typically with the feet resting on a wall or chair. While seemingly subtle, its impact on neuromuscular control, posture, and breathing can be profound.

Core Purpose: Restoring Optimal Pelvic and Spinal Alignment

The primary purpose of the 90/90 hip lift is to counteract common postural imbalances prevalent in modern lifestyles, particularly anterior pelvic tilt (APT) and lumbar hyperlordosis (excessive lower back arch). These imbalances often lead to an overactive lower back, inhibited glutes, and compromised diaphragmatic breathing. By facilitating a posterior pelvic tilt and encouraging rib cage depression, the exercise aims to:

• Realign the Pelvis and Spine: Bring the pelvis into a more neutral or slightly posterior tilted position, reducing excessive lumbar lordosis.
• Synchronize Diaphragm and Pelvic Floor: Optimize the relationship between the respiratory diaphragm and pelvic floor, which is essential for effective intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) regulation and core stability.
• Improve Breathing Mechanics: Encourage full exhalation and proper diaphragmatic breathing, shifting away from shallow, accessory muscle-driven breathing patterns.

Key Mechanisms and Benefits

The effectiveness of the 90/90 hip lift stems from several interconnected biomechanical and physiological mechanisms:

• Posterior Pelvic Tilt & Rib Cage Depression: The act of gently lifting the hips off the floor, combined with a full exhalation, encourages the pelvis to tilt posteriorly and the rib cage to depress. This action lengthens the lumbar extensors, activates the hamstrings, and brings the diaphragm into a more optimal position for respiration. The goal is to achieve a stacked alignment where the diaphragm and pelvic floor are parallel, allowing for efficient generation and management of IAP.
• Hamstring Engagement: The hamstrings play a crucial role as pelvic stabilizers and hip extensors. In the 90/90 hip lift, they are actively engaged to pull the pelvis into a posterior tilt, effectively counteracting the pull of tight hip flexors and lumbar extensors. This re-establishes a proper force couple around the pelvis.
• Diaphragmatic Breathing: The exercise inherently promotes deep, diaphragmatic breathing. The supine position, combined with the posterior pelvic tilt and rib cage depression, makes it easier to feel and control the expansion and contraction of the diaphragm. Proper diaphragmatic breathing is not only vital for oxygenation but also for regulating the nervous system (promoting parasympathetic activity) and enhancing core function.
• Core Stability & Intra-Abdominal Pressure (IAP): By achieving optimal alignment and facilitating proper breathing, the 90/90 hip lift enhances the function of the deep core musculature, including the transversus abdominis, internal obliques, pelvic floor, and diaphragm. This integrated activation improves the body's ability to generate and manage IAP, which is fundamental for spinal stability during all movements, from lifting weights to simply walking.
• Hip Flexor Inhibition: Chronic anterior pelvic tilt often leads to overactive and shortened hip flexors. By promoting a posterior pelvic tilt, the 90/90 hip lift helps to lengthen and inhibit these overactive muscles, allowing for better hip extension and a more balanced muscular environment around the pelvis.

Who Can Benefit from the 90/90 Hip Lift?

Due to its fundamental nature, the 90/90 hip lift is beneficial for a wide range of individuals:

• Individuals with Lower Back Pain: Often, lower back pain is associated with excessive lumbar lordosis and poor core stability. The exercise helps decompress the lumbar spine and strengthen stabilizing muscles.
• Those with Anterior Pelvic Tilt or Flared Ribs: It directly addresses these postural deviations.
• Athletes: Improves hip extension, core transfer, and breathing efficiency, which are critical for performance in sports requiring powerful movements (e.g., running, jumping, throwing).
• People with Poor Breathing Patterns: Helps re-establish proper diaphragmatic breathing, reducing reliance on accessory breathing muscles in the neck and shoulders.
• Post-Rehabilitation Clients: Excellent for re-establishing foundational stability and movement patterns after injury.
• Anyone Seeking Improved Posture and Movement Efficiency: Serves as a great warm-up or corrective exercise to "reset" the body.

How to Properly Perform the 90/90 Hip Lift

1. Setup: Lie on your back with your feet flat on a wall or chair, ensuring your hips and knees are bent at approximately 90 degrees. Your lower back should be slightly off the floor, maintaining a natural curve.
2. Initiate the Lift: Gently lift your tailbone/hips 1-2 inches off the floor, just enough to flatten your lower back against the ground. You should feel your hamstrings engage.
3. Exhale Fully: As you hold this lifted position, exhale completely through your mouth, imagining you're trying to fog up a mirror. Focus on fully depressing your rib cage towards your pelvis. You should feel your abdominal muscles (especially the obliques) engage.
4. Inhale Through Nose: Inhale slowly and quietly through your nose, trying to maintain the posterior pelvic tilt and rib cage depression. You should feel your belly expand slightly, but avoid letting your lower back arch or your ribs flare.
5. Repetitions: Perform 5-10 slow, controlled breaths, focusing on the quality of the movement and the breath.

Integrating the 90/90 Hip Lift into Your Routine

The 90/90 hip lift is versatile. It can be integrated:

• As a Warm-up: To prepare the core and hips for more dynamic movements.
• As a Corrective Exercise: To address specific postural dysfunctions.
• During a Cool-down: To promote relaxation and reinforce good breathing patterns.
• As a "Reset" Throughout the Day: If you spend a lot of time sitting, a few minutes of this exercise can help restore proper alignment.

Conclusion

The 90/90 hip lift is a cornerstone exercise for anyone looking to improve foundational movement, alleviate pain, and enhance athletic performance. Its purpose extends beyond simple muscle activation; it's about re-establishing the fundamental biomechanical relationships between the pelvis, spine, and rib cage, thereby unlocking more efficient breathing, robust core stability, and overall body control. By mastering this seemingly simple drill, individuals can lay a solid groundwork for healthier movement patterns and a more resilient body.