Friday · Lower Body Posterior Chain

Posterior Power — Technique Guide

Friday is all hinge: hamstrings, glutes, lower back, and the upper-back muscles that hold your shoulders where they belong. Master the hip hinge, learn to launch your hips explosively, and finish with a pull that undoes a week of desk slouching. Done right, this is the day that bulletproofs your lower back.

Romanian Deadlifts

Heavy hinge · hamstrings, glutes, lower back

4 sets × 6–8 reps · done on its own, not superset — rest a full 3 minutes between sets, core braced

Setup

Start standing with the bar already deadlifted up (or pulled from a rack at hip height)
Feet hip-width apart, slight bend in the knees that doesn’t change during the lift
Hands grip the bar just outside your legs, arms straight
Brace the core, pull shoulders down and back, neutral spine
Bar stays close to the body the entire lift — touching the thighs/shins

The Movement

Hinge at the hips, pushing your butt back as if reaching for a wall behind you
Slide the bar down the front of your legs to mid-shin or just below the knee
Stop when you feel a strong hamstring stretch — depth is mobility-dependent
Drive the hips forward to stand back up; squeeze glutes hard at the top

Avoid

Rounding your lower back — biggest cause of deadlift injuries
Squatting it down — knees should barely move, hips do the work
Going lower than your hamstring flexibility allows
Letting the bar drift away from your legs
Hyperextending the lower back at the top — stand tall, don’t lean back

Mental Cue

“Push your butt to the wall behind you.” The hinge is a hip movement, not a knee bend. If your butt isn’t moving back, you’re squatting.

Kettlebell Swings

Explosive hinge · glutes, hamstrings, power output

3 sets × 15 reps · superset with Face Pulls: after each set of swings, rest 1 minute, then do a set of face pulls

Setup

Place the kettlebell ~12 inches in front of your feet, feet shoulder-width
Hinge to grab the handle with both hands — don’t squat to it
Tilt the bell toward you, shoulders pulled down and back
Hike the bell back between your legs like a football snap to start
Russian style (chest height) for this program — not American (overhead)

The Movement

Snap the hips forward explosively — that drive launches the bell
Squeeze glutes hard at the top, core braced; bell floats to chest height
Let gravity bring the bell back down; redirect into the hike
Maintain a steady breathing rhythm: exhale on the snap, inhale on the descent

Avoid

Squatting the swing — it’s a hinge, not a squat
Lifting the bell with your arms — they are ropes, not lifters
Hyperextending the lower back at the top (lean back) — stand tall, glutes squeezed
Letting the bell crash down between your legs — control the descent
Going too heavy too soon — power output beats raw weight

Mental Cue

“It’s a hip lift, not an arm lift.” If your shoulders are working harder than your hips, the bell is too light or your hinge is broken.

Face Pulls

Postural pull · rear delts, rotator cuff, upper back

3 sets × 15 reps · after each set of face pulls, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Kettlebell Swings

Setup

Cable set at face / upper chest height with a rope attachment (or use a band)
Grab the rope with a neutral grip — thumbs up, palms facing each other
Step back until there’s tension on the cable with arms extended
Stagger your stance for stability; slight forward lean
Pull shoulders down and back into a packed position before starting

The Movement

Pull the rope toward your face — not your chest
Lead with the elbows; they should travel up and out to the sides
Separate your hands at the end of the pull, ending in a “double biceps” pose
Pause for a beat at the end, then return slowly under control

Avoid

Pulling to the chest — that’s a row, not a face pull
Shrugging your shoulders up to your ears
Going too heavy — this is one to do light and strict
Not separating the hands at the end — that’s where the rear delts engage hardest

Mental Cue

“Show me your biceps.” End every rep in a double-biceps pose with elbows high and hands wide. That’s the position your shoulders need most to undo desk slouch.

Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts

Unilateral hinge · hamstrings, glutes, balance, lower back

4 sets × 6–8 reps per leg · done on its own, not superset — rest a full 3 minutes between sets, core braced

Setup

Stand tall on one leg; other leg can lightly trail behind, toe just brushing the floor
Soft bend in the standing knee that doesn’t change during the lift
Hold a weight in the opposite hand — water jug, loaded backpack, or dumbbell if you have one
Brace the core, pull shoulders down and back, spine neutral
No load yet? Bodyweight is plenty for the first sets while you learn the balance

The Movement

Hinge at the hip, pushing your butt back as if reaching the wall behind you
Back leg extends straight behind you as a counterweight — toes pointed down
Lower until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor or you feel a strong hamstring stretch
Drive the standing hip forward to stand back up; squeeze that glute hard at the top
Hips stay square to the floor — no opening up to the side

Avoid

Rounding your lower back — same injury risk as a barbell RDL
Rotating the hips open as the back leg lifts — keep them square
Bending the standing knee deeper to fake range of motion (turns it into a single-leg squat)
Hopping or jerking to balance — go slower until you can hold each position
Skipping the weaker leg or doing fewer reps on it

Mental Cue

“Push the back foot through the wall behind you.” Driving the heel back keeps the hip square, the hinge honest, and the hamstring loaded the whole rep.

Band Swings / Jump Squats

Explosive hinge · glutes, hamstrings, power output

3 sets × 15 explosive reps · superset with Band Face Pulls: after each set of swings, rest 1 minute, then do a set of face pulls

Setup

Band swing: step on the middle of a resistance band with both feet shoulder-width; hold one handle in each hand in front of your hips
Jump squat (no band): athletic stance, feet shoulder-width, arms relaxed at sides
Hinge to a soft start position — shoulders pulled down and back, core braced
Pick the variation, then commit for the full set — don’t mix mid-set

The Movement

Band swing: hinge the hips back, then snap them forward explosively — band rides up to chest height, arms stay relatively straight
Jump squat: drop into a quarter squat, then explode straight up — arms swing up to add lift
Land soft: knees track over toes, hips sink to absorb the impact
Reset for a beat between reps — this is about power, not metcon volume

Avoid

Squatting the swing — it’s a hinge, not a squat
Pulling the band up with your arms — they’re ropes, not lifters
Hyperextending the lower back at the top — stand tall, glutes squeezed
Loud, heavy landings on jump squats — quiet feet, soft knees
Standing on a thin part of the band — center it under the arches of both feet

Mental Cue

“It’s a hip lift, not an arm lift.” If your shoulders are working harder than your hips, the band is too light or your hinge is broken — on jump squats, picture the floor exploding away beneath you.

Band Face Pulls

Postural pull · rear delts, rotator cuff, upper back

3 sets × 15 reps · after each set of face pulls, rest 1 minute, then head back to the Band Swings / Jump Squats

Setup

Anchor a resistance band at face height — close it in a door (use a door anchor), or loop around a sturdy post or railing
Grip one handle in each hand with a neutral grip — thumbs up, palms facing each other
Step back until there’s tension on the band with arms extended in front of you
Stagger your stance for stability; slight forward lean
Pull shoulders down and back into a packed position before starting

The Movement

Pull the handles toward your face — not your chest
Lead with the elbows; they should travel up and out to the sides
Separate your hands at the end of the pull, ending in a “double biceps” pose
Pause for a beat at the end, then return slowly under control

Avoid

Pulling to the chest — that’s a row, not a face pull
Shrugging your shoulders up to your ears
Going too heavy on the band — this is one to do light and strict
Not separating the hands at the end — that’s where the rear delts engage hardest

Mental Cue

“Show me your biceps.” End every rep in a double-biceps pose with elbows high and hands wide. That’s the position your shoulders need most to undo desk slouch.

Progressive Overload

How to keep getting stronger on this session, week after week

The Lever — Double Progression

Add reps first, then weight. Live inside the 6–8 range on the RDL, counting only reps with a clean hinge (no rounding). When you hit 8 clean reps on all four sets, make the smallest weight jump you can next session and reset to 6. Then climb back to 8 and repeat. On kettlebell swings, add reps or move up one bell size once the current one floats too easily on the last few reps of each set.

In Practice

Session	Load	Set Reps
1	185 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6
2	185 lb	7 · 7 · 6 · 6
3	185 lb	8 · 7 · 7 · 6
4	185 lb	8 · 8 · 8 · 8 ← top of range
5	195 lb	6 · 6 · 6 · 6 ← +10, reset

Example: Romanian deadlift starting at 185 lb. Your numbers will differ — the pattern won’t. Only clean-hinge reps count toward the 8.

No Equipment?

Single-leg RDLs and band swings replace load with balance and band tension — progress by holding a heavier object (a fuller water jug, more books in the backpack), stepping further from the band anchor, or simply adding controlled reps once the current volume feels easy.

When It Stalls

The hip hinge is where most people either build a bulletproof lower back or wreck one — the difference is loading it gradually. If a lift stalls or your back feels off, cut the load about 10% for a week. The hinge is the lift; load follows once the pattern is honest.