Legs · Bodyweight
Side Lying Leg Circle
How to do the side lying leg circle, 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
Lie on your side with your legs stacked and straight and your head resting on your bottom arm. Brace your core and keep your hips stacked. Lift your top leg to about hip height and trace small, controlled circles in the air, then reverse direction. Finish your reps and switch sides.
- 1Feel the outer hip and glute working to draw each circle
- 2Keep your core braced and hips stacked so only the leg moves
- 3Keep the circles slow and controlled, not loose swings
Common mistakes
- Don't roll your hips forward or back to make the circle bigger
- Avoid bending the knee to cheat the movement
- Don't let the leg drop below hip height between circles
Muscles worked
The side lying leg circle mainly works the glutes, with the lower abs and hip flexors assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- ObliquesMinor
- QuadsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the side lying leg circle 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 glutes exercises
- How to do the agility ladder drill
- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.