Mobility and stretches
Standing hip rotation
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- hip flexors · glutes
- Also
- deep hip rotators · inner thighs · core · calves
Standing hip rotation is a slow mobility drill: you stand on one leg, lift the other knee to hip height, and draw the knee out and around in a controlled circle. It opens the hip socket through its full range and asks the standing leg to balance while it happens. It suits the start of a session to prepare the hips for lunges and squats, or the end to unwind them.
Form
How to do standing hip rotation
- 1Stand tall with your feet hip width apart, near a wall or chair if you want a fingertip for balance. Draw your ribs down so your lower back stays long.
- 2Shift your weight onto one leg and lift the other knee to about hip height, keeping the standing knee soft rather than locked.
- 3Slowly carry that knee out to the side as far as it will travel comfortably, then down and back to the start, tracing a wide circle with the knee. Breathe steadily and let the hip, not the torso, do the work.
- 4Send the circle the other way for part of the effort: from behind, out to the side, then forward to the front.
- 5Set the foot down, swap legs and repeat the same slow circles so both hips get equal time.
- 6Keep the pace unhurried throughout. If you wobble, pause at the top of the lift, find your balance, then continue.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Swinging the leg fast so momentum carries it through the circle.
Fix: Slow down until you can stop the knee at any point in the path and hold it there.
Leaning the upper body away from the working leg to gain range.
Fix: Keep your chest stacked over your hips and accept a smaller circle.
Letting the lower back arch as the knee travels behind you.
Fix: Keep the ribs down and gently brace the stomach so the movement stays in the hip.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions