The hips are the largest joint in the body and yet most improperly exercised creating imbalances. In addition to improper movement patterns, we sit for long periods of time weakening and tightening the hips. Single Leg Circle is one of my favorite Pilates exercises for strengthening the hips with flexibility. However, many students practice Single Leg Circle in a range of motion that is beyond his/her hips. Students may rock the hips to gain a larger motion, throw the leg up without control, or over tense the shoulders. This can lead to the hips popping or clicking and/or low back, hip, or shoulder pain. The hips continue to stay tight rather than find the freedom to combat the hours of sitting and poor movement patterns. Freeing the hips can help ease low back pain, improve movement patterns for daily activities such as walking, and stretch the hips in a variety of directions. Take the time now to strengthen your hips and legs with flexibility, strengthen your low belly and obliques, and stretch and strengthen your low back to avoid hip problems later in life.

The modified version of Single Leg Circle is typically the first Pilates exercise taught that addresses hip movement. Core or powerhouse is the common terms utilized in conjunction with Pilates. The Pilates breath taught us how to strengthen all the belly muscles, which is usually termed the core. However, in a true Pilates sense the core also incorporates the back, buttocks, hips and shoulder joint. You can basically think of the core as the trunk of the body. Yes, it is important to strengthen the belly; however, it is the incorporation of all the muscles of the trunk that builds true core strength.

There is an intricate webbing of muscles that flow through the hips. There are the muscles known as the deep six or the ones that rotate the leg bone to turn your knee out. As well, Thomas Myers, the author of Anatomy Trains, would argue that these muscles are the primary stabilizers of the hip specifically when the hip is extended. Then we have the abductors or muscles on the outside of the hips and thighs that move your leg away from the body as well as the adductors or inner thigh muscles that move your leg towards the body’s midline. Finally, there are the hip flexors that flex and extend the hip joint. All these need to be balanced with strength and flexibility to help support proper movements with freedom and stability.

It is important to practice your Single Leg Circle at your working level. If you struggle to hold your leg up to 90 degrees or have tight hamstrings, bend the knee. You don’t want to put undue strain on the hips. If your hip pops or clicks, shorten the range of motion. Build the strength and flexibility in a smaller range of motion to create a proper firing pattern of the muscles. The popping or clicking may not hurt today, but down the line this misfiring or tightness may rear its ugly head as pain in a variety of areas including the low back. Retrain the muscles to move at the smaller range of motion and then gradually expand the circle as you gain more strength and flexibility. The goal is to move the hip freely with stability.

Along with your working level be aware of how you are completing your circle. Many students these days complete their circle by tightening and misusing the Psoas muscle. The Psoas muscle is one of the hip flexors that attaches to the spine up under your ribcage and stretches through the front side of the hips. These are typically tight on people and improperly used. This can be a contributing factor to tight hips, rounded forward shoulders, and misalignment of the spine. As well, Pilates can increase this tightness when done improperly. You will know that you are lifting the leg improperly if your tail bone is picking up, your leg on the floor if lifting up, your shoulders are tensing and being pulled forward and down, your belly pushes out, or the bottom of the ribcage moves down toward your hips. These are all signs that you are using the Psoas improperly to lift the leg. Think of your muscles as rubber bands. If the rubber band is too loose, it will not be supportive. If the rubber band is too tight, it will eventually snap. When the rubber band has the right amount of tension, it is supportive while remaining flexible. When practicing Pilates, you want all the muscles to have the right amount of tension.

Analysis
Single Leg Circle is a key to keeping your hips healthy. The best way to master Single Leg Circle is on the Cadillac, one of the main pieces of equipment, using the leg springs. The leg springs help hold the leg for you while the springs create resistance to help strengthen all the hip muscles through a variety of movements. You can focus on how to move freely in the joint with control. However, not everyone has access to the Cadillac. How can you master your Single Leg Circle?

Before mastering Single Leg Circle, you need to tune into your current movement pattern in this motion. Do your hips pop or click? Where are my hips tight or stuck during the movement? Is the tightness in the same place in both directions or on both legs? Where does the hip feel weak or tends to roll out? Can I hold my leg up at 90 degrees with ease? Tune into all the feelings to understand what needs to be improved in your circles.

Now that you have an idea of what your tendencies are, we can master Single Leg Circle to keep your hips moving freely. Below are tips to help you master your Single Leg Circle. In the beginning, determine your range of motion to improve the quality of the movement. Make sure to practice the modifications if needed. Find your working level to find the right engagement to move with freedom. Keep practicing until you master the advance version.

Master Single Leg Circle to strengthen your hips and legs with flexibility, strengthen your low belly and obliques, and stretch and strengthen your low back. Practice at your level to create hips that move freely with stability.