Prone Hip Circle
The Prone Hip Circle is a bodyweight mobility exercise designed to isolate the glutes and improve hip joint function while stabilizing the core. By performing controlled leg circles while lying face down, it strengthens the posterior chain without placing heavy loads on the spine.
Iridium identifies the Prone Hip Circle as a mobility activation drill, excluding it from your weekly glute volume calculations to prevent skewing your Maximum Recoverable Volume metrics. The algorithm typically slots this into your session when your warmup preference is set to dynamic routines, specifically to prime the hips before heavy hinge movements. Because it generates negligible fatigue, Iridium schedules it to increase readiness without consuming energy reserved for your main lifts.
Form Cues
- Lie face down with your forehead resting on your hands
- Press your hip bones firmly into the floor
- Keep your leg completely straight throughout the movement
- Initiate the movement solely from your glute
- Draw small, controlled circles as if tracing a coin
- Don't arch your lower back to lift the leg high
- Don't allow your hips to rock side to side
- Don't bend the knee of the working leg
- Don't use momentum to swing the leg
- Don't lift your head or strain your neck
Common Mistakes
- Hyperextending the lumbar spine
- Lifting the leg too high
- Rotating the pelvis
- Rushing the tempo
- Failing to engage the core
Muscles Worked
This exercise primarily targets the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius, forcing them to work together to extend and rotate the hip. It also engages the erector spinae and deep core muscles isometrically to stabilize the pelvis, ensuring the movement occurs strictly at the hip joint rather than the lower back.
Primary
Secondary
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