How many reps of standing hip CARs should you do when you are new to the exercise?

3 to 5 slow circles in each direction per hip, done before squatting or as standalone hip maintenance, is a solid start. Add a second set only once the standing leg holds still without any wobble through the whole circle.

How do you make standing hip CARs easier or harder?

Make it easier by keeping a hand on a wall or rack for balance and shrinking the circle. Make it harder by doing it away from any support, closing the eyes briefly at the top of the circle, or adding a light ankle weight to the working leg.

What are standing hip CARs good for, and when is it a poor choice?

They build usable hip range and joint control while also challenging balance, which suits lifters and athletes wanting durable hip health. They are a poor choice as a first hip mobility drill for someone whose balance is unreliable on one leg, since the quadruped or supine versions remove that variable and let the hip work get learned first.

Intermediate

Standing Hip CARs

Standing hip CARs, short for controlled articular rotations, guide one hip slowly through flexion, abduction, extension, and back with as much control as you can muster. Because you own every degree of the circle actively, the drill builds usable range and joint awareness rather than passive flexibility. It doubles as a balance challenge, since the standing leg must stay steady while the moving hip works.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Thighs
Type: Functional, Stretching
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius

How to do it

1
Stand tall and rest one hand on a wall or rack if you need balance.
2
Lift one knee up in front of you to about hip height.
3
Keeping the knee high, sweep it out to the side as far as control allows.
4
Rotate the hip so the knee travels back and the thigh reaches behind you.
5
Extend the leg back, then reverse the path smoothly to the start.
6
Move slowly through the whole circle, then reverse direction and switch legs.

Tips

Keep the pelvis level and the rest of the body still so the hip does the work.
Go only as far as you can control without shifting or twisting the trunk.
Slower is better; rushing turns a mobility drill into a leg swing.

Variations

Common mistakes

The standing leg's knee locks and the hips sway side to side to fake extra range, instead of the working hip doing all the work.
Weight rolls onto the outside edge of the standing foot as the hip works, instead of staying planted through the whole foot for a stable base.
The breath gets held through the hardest part of the circle, adding upper-body tension that has nothing to do with hip control.
The knee drops low crossing the midline, cutting the flexion phase short before the abduction and extension phases even start.

Frequently asked

How many reps of standing hip CARs should you do when you are new to the exercise?: 3 to 5 slow circles in each direction per hip, done before squatting or as standalone hip maintenance, is a solid start. Add a second set only once the standing leg holds still without any wobble through the whole circle.
How do you make standing hip CARs easier or harder?: Make it easier by keeping a hand on a wall or rack for balance and shrinking the circle. Make it harder by doing it away from any support, closing the eyes briefly at the top of the circle, or adding a light ankle weight to the working leg.
What are standing hip CARs good for, and when is it a poor choice?: They build usable hip range and joint control while also challenging balance, which suits lifters and athletes wanting durable hip health. They are a poor choice as a first hip mobility drill for someone whose balance is unreliable on one leg, since the quadruped or supine versions remove that variable and let the hip work get learned first.

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