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Direction-of-travel diagram for the hip isolation pattern. Photography for the Quadruped Hip Circle is not shot yet.
CalisthenicsIn review

Quadruped Hip Circle

A controlled hip exercise on all fours that draws a large circle with one bent knee.

This page is a working draft. A coach has not reviewed it, so read it as a starting point, not as checked instruction.

Pattern
Hip isolation
Modality
Calisthenics
Difficulty
Beginner
Mechanic
Unknown
Force
Unknown
Laterality
Unilateral
Impact
Low
Trains where
Gym, Home
At home
Yes

How to do it

Set up

  1. Kneel on all fours with the hands under the shoulders and the knees under the hips.
  2. Lift one knee a little off the floor.

Do the rep

  1. Bring the knee forward toward the chest.
  2. Move the knee out to the side and then back behind you.
  3. Return the knee under the hip to finish the circle.

What counts as a rep

A rep counts when the knee draws one full circle and the body stays still and level.

One rep draws one full circle with the knee: forward, out to the side, back, and down to the start; count each side.

Breathing

Breathe steadily; do not hold the breath.

Cues

  • Keep the body still; only the leg moves.
  • Make the circle as large as you can control.
  • Move more slowly when the reps get easy.

Common mistakes

  • Moving the body

    What you seeThe body shifts and tilts with the leg.

    FixMake the circle smaller and brace the trunk.

    A still body keeps the work in the hip.

  • Rushing the circle

    What you seeThe leg swings fast through the circle.

    FixMove the knee slowly at a steady speed.

    Control keeps the tension on the hip muscles.

Stop the set if

  • Stop if you feel sharp pain.
  • Stop if you feel a pinch in the front of the hip.
  • End the set when you cannot keep the body still.

General educational content, not individual coaching or medical advice.

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