How many reps of the single leg circle should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Five circles in each direction per leg is the classical dose, and that is already plenty when the circles are done slowly and the pelvis stays still. Progress by enlarging the circle only as far as stillness allows, rather than by adding more repetitions.

How do you make the single leg circle easier or harder?

To make it easier, bend the working knee slightly and shrink the circle until the pelvis can stay glued to the mat. To make it harder, straighten the grounded leg fully and lengthen the circle's reach, or slow the tempo so each circle takes longer to complete.

What is the single leg circle for, and when is it not a good fit?

It trains the core to resist rotation while the hip moves freely, building stabilization that carries into walking, running, and single-leg strength. It is a poor choice with a current hip impingement or groin strain, since the crossing phase loads the front of the hip joint directly.

Intermediate

Single Leg Circle

Single Leg Circle trains the core to resist rotation while the hip moves freely, a true stabilization drill. The circling leg is driven by the hip flexors, but the real work is keeping the pelvis quiet against that motion. It builds control that carries directly into walking, running, and single-leg strength.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Abs
Type: Functional, Pilates, Strength
Browse by muscle: Lower Rectus Abdominals, Abdominal External Oblique
Browse by movement: Anti-Rotation

How to do it

1
Lie supine with one leg extended along the mat and the other reaching straight to the ceiling.
2
Anchor the arms by your sides and press the shoulders and pelvis into the mat.
3
Cross the raised leg across the body, circle it down, around, and back to the start.
4
Keep the circle small at first and driven entirely by the hip, not by rocking the torso.
5
Complete five circles in one direction, then reverse for five, exhaling as the leg crosses.
6
Lower the leg, switch sides, and keep the pelvis absolutely still throughout.

Tips

Imagine your hip bones as a bowl of water that must not spill as the leg circles.
Make the circle only as big as you can control without the opposite hip lifting.
Keep the grounded leg long and active to help stabilize the pelvis.

Variations

Common mistakes

The circle drifts into a wide oval that swings across the body instead of staying a true circle, letting momentum steer instead of the hip.
Once the grounded leg goes soft and turns out on the mat, the pelvis loses the base it needs while the other leg moves.
Holding the breath through the crossing phase tenses the trunk right when it needs to stay relaxed but stable.
The circle gets bigger in one direction than the other, so the two directions stop giving the hip the same challenge.
The shoulders lift off the mat to help swing the leg across the body, adding upper-body momentum to a movement meant to isolate the hip.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the single leg circle should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Five circles in each direction per leg is the classical dose, and that is already plenty when the circles are done slowly and the pelvis stays still. Progress by enlarging the circle only as far as stillness allows, rather than by adding more repetitions.
How do you make the single leg circle easier or harder?: To make it easier, bend the working knee slightly and shrink the circle until the pelvis can stay glued to the mat. To make it harder, straighten the grounded leg fully and lengthen the circle's reach, or slow the tempo so each circle takes longer to complete.
What is the single leg circle for, and when is it not a good fit?: It trains the core to resist rotation while the hip moves freely, building stabilization that carries into walking, running, and single-leg strength. It is a poor choice with a current hip impingement or groin strain, since the crossing phase loads the front of the hip joint directly.

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