Standing hip circle
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
Lift one knee and make small circles with it while you hold a counter. It moves the hip and quietly asks your standing leg to balance.
- Main focus
- Balance
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
- Balance type
- Static balance, Dynamic balance
Keep something steady within reach: a counter, wall or sturdy chair.
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
A sturdy counter.
How to do it
- Stand facing the counter with both hands holding it.
- Shift your weight onto one leg, with a soft knee.
- Lift the other knee to a comfortable height and make small slow circles with it, then reverse.
- Lower the foot and switch legs.
How much
To start: Not a starting exercise. Begin with weight shifts.
As it gets easier: 3 small circles each way on each leg.
How it should feel: Slow and small. Keep your hands on the counter.
Make it easier
- Lift the knee only a little.
- Use both hands.
Make it harder
- Make the circles slightly bigger, still slow.
Safety
- Always hold the counter with at least one full hand.
- Keep your standing knee soft and your hips level.
- Do not twist your back to make the circle bigger.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
- You feel pain in your hip, groin or knee.
- You feel unsteady and holding on does not settle you.
Connected exercises
- One-leg stand at the counter · An easier way
Other ways to do this movement
Sign in and we will show other ways to do this, with other equipment or at a different level, chosen from your own answers. Sign in
Where this comes from
NHS and NIA: balance work with a stable support within reach, hips level, slight bend in the standing knee. Name and movement from the screened catalog entry; the text, counts and the choice to keep it small are Fitafter50's own.
- Balance exercises, NHS (England) (Last reviewed 7 Nov 2023).
- Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability, National Institute on Aging, NIH (Content reviewed Jan. 14, 2025).
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.