In the fitness world of today, the focus on mobility, flexibility, and functional strength is more pronounced than ever. Hip circles are one of the exercises that hit on all these POG issues and have become super popular, so I thought it was a golden example. Hip Circles: Seems simple enough, but hip circles are making a big splash in warm-ups, stretching routines, and mobility drills alike. They will help open up the hips, strengthen your core, and maintain joint health overall. So, why are hip circles one of the moves influencers swear by come 2024, and what can they do for your routine?
What Are Hip Circles?
Hip circles are a moving mobilization that involves rotating the body in a circular shape, which is intended to activate and strengthen the muscles around the hip, lower back, and core. This exercise loosens the hips, and surrounding muscles prone to tightness and increases the range of motion while also contributing to fluid hip movements. If you’ve ever been to a fitness class, you probably have done some hip circles; they are relatively standard as part of the warm-up because they help to loosen your muscles and get more blood flowing, but hey it is also great if you sit down a lot.
Hip Circles (A 2024 Trend)
The mobility of the hips is very important for overall movement and balance, but unfortunately, more and more people are experiencing tightness in the hip area from a sedentary lifestyle. The result is, that some exercises like hip circles, which have the effect of enhancing muscle mobility and flexibility, are becoming more popular. So why are hip circles on the rise this year?
Improves Hip Flexibility
Hip work to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding the hips for added flexibility, movement range, etc. This is especially useful for athletes, dancers, and anyone wanting to upgrade how they move.
Addresses a Weakness Caused by Sitting All Day
In the contemporary world, many spend hours seated, whether at a desk at work or on the couch watching their favorite shows. Compounds: Hip circles, as the name suggests, target releasing tightness over the hips and lower back, making it from continuous sitting.
Core and Stabilizer Strengthening
Hip Circles: Hip are not just about the hips. It also hits the core, lower back, and stabilizer muscles. This is great for adding to your core and overall balance.
Boosts Joint Health
Circles target the hip joints and help mobilize them via light, circular movements that promote synovial fluid that lubricates the joints to keep the risk of injury low, especially in your hips and lower back.
Suitable for All Levels of Fitness
The beauty of hip is that anybody can do it. Hip circles are a great way to improve your hip health and mobility for people of all levels, beginner to intermediate!
Don’ts of Hip
When you do hip circles correctly, they will work your abs more and you are less likely to get injured while doing the exercise. Here’s how to do it:
Have Your Feet Shoulder Width Apart.
To start, stand up straight and position your feet around shoulder-width apart. Do not straighten your knees to prevent locking of the joints and correct movement.
Engage Your Core
Brace your core as you get set to shift. You can do these to foster your body and end the over-rotation which has pressurized around your lower back.
Start with Small Circles
Slowly begin to circle your hips counter-clockwise. The slower movement should allow you to feel the muscles that are responsible for doing things other than providing false stability, which has been my case in some of these exercises.
Make the Circles Larger
Start stroking a little bigger but still EFFICIENT — small circles. Your hip flexors, lower back, and surrounding muscles should be stretched.
Switch Directions
Keep doing this for 8–10 circles in one direction, then change directions and continue. The mobility moves: Do 2-3 sets
Circles are essential to an athletic body.
Including hip circles in your daily or weekly fitness program can offer countless benefits and contribute towards a healthier and freer movement life. Reason 1: Talking to The Right People
Improves Flexibility: Hip help to improve the flexibility in the hip area, lower back, and pelvis, which allows your body to move better while performing daily activities like bending, squatting, or sitting.
Better Posture: The hip release tension in the hips, which can help improve posture. This is essential for people who work behind a desk for long hours because when your hips are tight, it makes you bend or slouch more easily and affects the alignment of your lower back, which can lead to back pain.
Facilitates Preventing Injuries: When you sit on your bum hip joints, the essence of this is that it will be awkward to forget or ignore that injury or stiffness due to overuse. By rotating your hips in a circle, you can increase the synovial fluid in those joints and therefore give your joints a larger area of cushion to fall back on while participating in physical activities.
Decreases Lower Back Pain:The truth is, that tight hip flexors usually reach a lower back-Semitende discharge The movements of hip circlesregularly practiced, can elongate and strengthen the hip muscles right above and below, the lumbar spine resulting in less back pain.
Best Warm Up / Cool Down: When included before a workout, hip circles can prepare your core and hips for movement; when used after a workout, they can help release tightness in the area.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Circles are easy to do (quick form refresher below), but some pitfalls can make them less effective or even hurt. Check out the biggest mistakes holding your hip circles back, and correct them to reach your potential:
Holding Lower Back: Be sure to engage your core during this movement at all times to decrease any overarching of the lower back. This saves your spine and maintains the extension at the hip.
If You Are Hurrying Through These: Hip circles should be slow-paced and deliberate. Performing the exercise too quickly can limit the efficacy of the stretch and cause you to potentially lose control of your form.
How to do a Hip Circle Safely Not Engaging in the Core: You lose balance and hip circles are less effective. Your abs will be working quite hard to keep you stable, so make sure they are tight.
Variations of Hip Circles
From basic hip, you can play with different variations that will challenge your hips and core a bit harder:
Seated Hip Circles: Make hip circles in your seat on a ball or chair. This version works well for folks with limited mobility, as well as those wishing to target balance (Photo: BrennanTRAIN)
Circles to All Fours: Get down on all fours on the hands, move one leg around as if drawing small circles, and rotate your hip from a different plane. This variation works the glutes and hips for added resistance.
Banded Hip Circles: Begin with hip circles before you graduate to banded versions (elastic loop around wakethighbelow back pockets) for more resistance and friction.
How To Add Circles to Your Workout
Since hip circles have multiple uses, you can pretty much use them wherever you want in your workout.
Warm-Up: Begin your workout by using hip circles to warm up your hips and activate core muscles before performing higher-intensity movements.
Mobility Work: Add hip circles to your mobility routine for improved joint health, flexibility, and movement quality.
Active Recovery: At the end of a hard workout or long day of sitting, include hip circles in your cool-down routine to loosen up and relieve tension.
Final Thoughts
They appear to be small and simple, yet they offer many benefits like flexibility, core strength, and good joint health when it comes to a stronger fitness routine. Because, let’s face it, with more and more people caring about mobility and functional movement in their fitness routines, hip circles are undoubtedly bound to become wildly popular by 2024. Whether it is for you to simply feel a little more free with your dancing, or decrease some chronic back pain in addition to restoring movement, making hip circles a daily part of your routine would be the best thing for both.
