8 Stretches You Should be Doing Every Day

Standing Hip Circles

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Standing Hip Circles

This stretch affects the hip abductors and adductors—the muscles on the inner thighs and the outside of your hips. Because these muscles are rare stretched or exercised, this is a great place to start your stretching routine, and also doubles as an excellent warm-up. This very overlooked set of muscles can be very prone to injury—especially the inner thighs, so make sure to perform this stretch.

As with most stretches, be sure to move slowly, and never jerk or bounce as you stretch. Take your time; you'll gain a greater range of motion slowly over the next few weeks.

To Perform Standing Hip Circles.

1. Stand on one leg.

2. Raise the unsupported knee to the front, as close to a 90 degree angle as you can get.

3. Make a large circle with your knee, moving it toward the outside of your body, and then back to its original position. Perform 5-10 repetitions.

4. Repeat with the opposite leg.

To get more information, detailed pictures, and to view a video of this stretch in action, visit Bodybuilding.com's page on the standing hip circles stretch.