On all fours, draw circles with a lifted leg.
Keep your core braced and hips level, move only from the hip joint.
Drawing circles with a lifted, bent leg forces the glutes to control the hip through every point of its arc, not just one line of motion, while the hamstrings assist in holding the leg up. On all fours, the challenge is doing it without your torso tipping or your hips twisting, which keeps the trunk quietly working too. It is hip control training disguised as a warm-up.
Waking up the glutes and training the hip through ranges it rarely visits. They are a great warm-up before squats, lunges, or running, and a useful low-load option on recovery days.
Only as big as you can draw without your hips or torso rotating. Small, smooth, controlled circles from the hip beat big sloppy ones that come from your lower back.
Your core is not braced and your weight is drifting. Press the supporting hand and knee into the floor, brace your midsection, and keep both hips level while the moving leg does its work.
