Quadruped Hip Circle

oec:quadruped-hip-circle

A bodyweight mobility exercise performed on all fours that takes the hip through a full circular range of motion to improve joint health and activate the glutes.

Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.

Also called: Fire Hydrant Circle, Fire Hydrant Hip Circle, Quadruped Hip CAR, Fire Hydrant Circles

How to do it

Setup

Start on all fours with hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees positioned under your hips.
Flatten your back, brace your midsection to lock the spine in neutral, and fix your gaze between your hands.

Movement

Keeping your knee bent at ninety degrees, drive one knee forward toward your chest.
Abduct the hip by lifting the knee out to the side as high as possible without shifting your pelvis.
Sweep the thigh backward into hip extension, driving the sole of your foot toward the ceiling.
Return the knee smoothly down next to the supporting leg to complete one circle, then repeat for the desired reps before reversing the rotation direction.

Breathing

Breathe continuously and evenly throughout the circle without holding your breath during peak abduction.

Cues

Draw the biggest circle possible with your knee cap.
Keep your lower back flat and quiet.
Press the floor away through both hands.

Common faults

Twisting the torso and leaning heavily onto the non-working side to gain false range of motion.: Distribute weight evenly across both hands and only rotate the hip as far as your pelvis remains level.
Arching the lumbar spine when driving the leg into extension.: Brace the abdominals firmly to maintain a neutral spine and isolate movement strictly to the hip joint.

Safety

Perform smoothly and avoid jerky, uncontrolled swinging of the leg.

Muscles

Gluteus medius prime mover
Gluteus maximus prime mover
Gluteus minimus prime mover
Tensor fasciae latae synergist
Piriformis synergist
Iliopsoas synergist
Transversus abdominis stabilizer
Erector spinae stabilizer

Joints

Hip: Circumduction
Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
Shoulder: Isometric stabilization

Details

Movement: Mobility drill, Hip abduction isolation
Modality: Mobility, Calisthenics, Rehabilitation
Mechanics: isolation
Force: not applicable
Laterality: unilateral
Kinetic chain: open
Level: beginner
Equipment: None
Record: Repetitions
Load: bodyweight

progression of Fire Hydrant
regression of Standing Hip Circle
substitute for Standing Hip Circle

Sources

wger: Fire Hydrant Circles, by Pete-E automation (CC-BY-SA-4.0)

This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.

Data

quadruped-hip-circle.json