How many hip circles should you do, and in each direction?

Do 8 to 10 slow circles in each direction, matching the count on both sides so the mobility work stays even. This works well at the start of a session or dropped in between sets of heavy hinging.

How do you make hip circles easier or harder?

Make it easier by keeping the circles small and the knees a bit softer while you find the pattern. Make it harder by gradually enlarging the circles as control improves, or by slowing each circle down so it takes several seconds to complete.

What are hip circles good for, and when should you skip them?

They free up the lumbar spine and the muscles ringing the hips with very little effort, making them a gentle way to open up before or between sets. Keep the circles small, or skip them, if hip flexion or extension in that end range already feels pinchy or sharp rather than just tight.

Beginner

Hip Circles

Hip circles work the pelvis through a smooth circular path, much like moving a hula hoop, to free up the lumbar spine and the muscles that ring the hips. The obliques and spinal erectors guide the rotation while the glutes and adductors keep the circle wide. It is a gentle, low-effort drill for the start of a session or between sets of heavy hinging.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs, Glutes
Type: Functional, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Abdominal External Oblique, Erector Spinae

How to do it

1
Stand with feet slightly wider than your hips and hands on your waist.
2
Push the hips forward, then trace them to one side.
3
Continue the circle by pushing the hips back and around to the other side.
4
Keep the ribs stacked over the pelvis so the motion stays in the hips.
5
Complete several smooth circles in one direction.
6
Reverse and circle the same number of times the other way.

Tips

Keep the knees soft so the circle comes from the hips, not the ankles.
Make the circles as large as you can while staying balanced.
Move slowly; this is about mobility, not speed.

Variations

Common mistakes

The upper body sways or tips along with the hips instead of staying still, which spreads the motion into the spine instead of isolating the pelvis.
More circles happen in one direction than the other, leaving one side of the hip mobilized less than the other by the end of the set.
The hands press down hard on the hips, which restricts the pelvis instead of simply resting there to gauge the motion.
Breath gets held through each circle instead of flowing continuously, which adds tension right where the drill is meant to release it.
The circles shrink smaller and smaller as fatigue sets in rather than staying full-sized through the whole set.

Frequently asked

How many hip circles should you do, and in each direction?: Do 8 to 10 slow circles in each direction, matching the count on both sides so the mobility work stays even. This works well at the start of a session or dropped in between sets of heavy hinging.
How do you make hip circles easier or harder?: Make it easier by keeping the circles small and the knees a bit softer while you find the pattern. Make it harder by gradually enlarging the circles as control improves, or by slowing each circle down so it takes several seconds to complete.
What are hip circles good for, and when should you skip them?: They free up the lumbar spine and the muscles ringing the hips with very little effort, making them a gentle way to open up before or between sets. Keep the circles small, or skip them, if hip flexion or extension in that end range already feels pinchy or sharp rather than just tight.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Abs exercises