Muscles worked
In leg circles your hip flexors carry both legs through the whole circle, while your abs keep your pelvis and lower back still against the floor. As your legs swing out to the side they try to drag your pelvis along, so the obliques have more to do than in movements that only go up and down. Your inner thighs keep your legs together. The heaviest point is the bottom of the circle, where your legs are furthest from vertical and the lever is longest.
Common mistakes
- Your legs drift apart. Once your knees and feet separate, the circle gets ragged and hard to steer. Press your inner thighs and feet together as if holding a sheet of paper between them.
- You only draw in one direction. If every circle goes clockwise, one side gets more work. Switch direction after each circle, or do half the set each way.
- Your knees bend at the bottom. In the heavy part of the circle it is tempting to bend your knees to shorten the lever. Keep your legs straight, and raise the whole circle higher if you cannot.
Variations and alternatives
- The lying leg raise trains your hip flexors and abs in a straight up and down movement, without your legs pulling sideways.
- Windshield wipers shift the emphasis to rotation and give the obliques even more work.
- The reverse crunch gives your abs more to do and your hip flexors less, as your pelvis rolls up off the floor.
Sets and reps
Five to eight circles each way, over two to three sets, are enough for most people. Keep a calm pace where each circle takes a few seconds, and rest for a minute between sets. The guide to sets and reps has more thoughts on dosage.
The size and height of the circle are your controls for progressive overload. Make the circles bigger once your back stays down for the whole set, then let the bottom of the circle come closer to the floor, and finally slow the tempo. If your lower back or groin hurts, and it is more than tiredness, stop the exercise and have a doctor or physiotherapist examine it.