Hip Circles

Two common forms:

• Standing leg circles — hold support, lift one knee to hip height, and trace circles with the knee/thigh (open the hip out and around), mobilizing the hip through circumduction (hip-complex); reverse direction and switch legs.
• Pelvic circles — feet planted, hands on hips, and circle the pelvis (like a slow hula-hoop) to mobilize the hips and lumbo-pelvic region.

Keep movements smooth, controlled, and progressively larger — dynamic mobility rather than forced end-range work (see mobility-vs-flexibility). This is a standard dynamic warm-up drill (see dynamic-warmup-overview) that prepares the hips for squatting, hinging, and locomotion. For a slow, maximal-control end-range version of hip circling, see hip CARs (exercise-hip-cars); leg swings (exercise-leg-swings) are the linear companion.

Coaching:

• Brace the trunk; keep the supporting knee soft.
• Typical dose: ~8–10 circles each direction per leg (standing) or ~10 each way (pelvic).

• Standing knee circles (lifted leg) and/or pelvic circles to mobilize the hip in all directions.
• Dynamic hip-mobility warm-up drill; develops active mobility.
• Typical dose: ~8–10 circles each direction per leg.
• Controlled and progressively larger; not forced end-range.

• dynamic-warmup-overview — part of the dynamic warm-up menu.
• hip-complex — joint mobilized.
• exercise-hip-cars — slow, maximal-control version.
• exercise-leg-swings — linear hip-mobility companion.