Legs · Bodyweight
Hip Swirls
How to do the hip swirls, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand tall on one leg, holding a wall or rail for balance if needed. Lift the other knee to hip height, then circle that knee out, around, and back in, drawing big slow circles with the hip. Keep your standing leg steady and your torso upright. Do a set in each direction, then switch legs.
- 1Draw slow, controlled circles using the hip of your raised leg
- 2Keep your standing leg steady and your core braced for balance
- 3Feel the hip move through its full range in every direction
Common mistakes
- Don't sway your torso to swing the leg around
- Avoid rushing the circles; keep them smooth and controlled
- Don't let the standing knee buckle inward
Muscles worked
The hip swirls mainly works the hip flexors, with the glutes, lower abs, obliques, quads, and adductors assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- GlutesSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- AdductorsSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- CalvesMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
- Internal RotatorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the hip swirls for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More hips & adductors exercises
- How to do the butterfly stretch
- How to do the external rotation
- How to do the cable hip adduction
- How to do the internal rotation
- How to do the cobra pose
- How to do the core scrunch
Last reviewed June 2026.