Legs · Bodyweight
Standing Bent Knee Figure 8
How to do the standing bent knee figure 8, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Flexion
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand on one leg with the other knee bent and lifted in front of you. Trace a figure-8 pattern in the air with the raised knee while balancing on the standing leg. Keep your torso upright and your core braced to stay steady.
- 1Hip flexors and core guiding the knee through the figure-8
- 2Standing-leg glute and foot working to keep balance
- 3An upright, braced torso holding you stable
Common mistakes
- Leaning or twisting your torso to move the knee
- Losing balance and rushing the pattern
- Letting the standing knee cave inward
Muscles worked
The standing bent knee figure 8 mainly works the hip flexors, with the lower abs, obliques, glutes, quads, and calves assisting.
- Hip FlexorsPrimary
- Lower AbsSupport
- ObliquesSupport
- GlutesSupport
- QuadsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
- HamstringsMinor
- External RotatorsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
- Tibialis AnteriorMinor
Kovo programs the standing bent knee figure 8 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.