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Exercises

Hip mobility warm-up: 8 minutes for stiff hips before squats and pulls

Published October 24, 2026

For a hip mobility warm-up, skip in place for 2 minutes, do 10 ankle circles each way, then 6 cossack squats per side, 6 spider plank reps per side, 20 seconds of gorilla walks, 6 goblet squats with a 3-second pause at the bottom and 6 reverse lunges per leg. It takes about 8 minutes. Before squats or deadlifts, add 2 to 3 lighter sets of that lift.

  1. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  2. Spider Plank Abs
  3. Gorilla Walk Glutes, Quads, Shoulders
  4. Goblet Squat Quads, Glutes
  5. Reverse Lunge Quads, Glutes
  6. Standing Cable Hip Flexion Abs

Step 1: warm up (2 minutes)

Skipping in place gets the legs warm and the heart rate up with no equipment.

Raise: no equipment

Skipping in Place

Calves, Quads, Hamstrings

Light hops raise your temperature and heart rate in two minutes, with no rope and no space needed.

How to do it

  1. Stand tall with your fists beside your hips as if holding rope handles.
  2. Circle your hands and bounce lightly from one foot to the other, as if skipping over a turning rope.
  3. Keep the bounces low and springy for the whole interval.

Cues

  • Bounce off the balls of your feet
  • Hands circle, elbows close
  • Relaxed shoulders

Common mistakes

  • Stomping on the heels: stay on the front of your feet.
  • Hopping high: a small bounce clears an imaginary rope.

Swap for: Jump Rope, High Knees

Build a session with Skipping in Place

Step 2: ankles

Stiff ankles make your hips work harder in a squat. Ten circles each way.

Mobility: ankles

Ankle Circles

Calves

Ankle range helps the hips sit lower in a squat.

How to do it

  1. Stand on one leg next to a wall, or sit, and lift the other foot.
  2. Draw slow, big circles with your toes, ten in each direction.
  3. Switch feet.

Cues

  • Big, slow circles
  • Move only at the ankle

Common mistakes

  • Tiny, fast circles: use the full range.

Swap for: Leg Swings, Skipping in Place

Build a session with Ankle Circles

Step 3: hip range

These drills move the hips sideways, forward and into deep bending.

Mobility: side to side

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Moves one hip deep while the other leg stretches, a good drill for wide stances.

How to do it

  1. Stand with your feet very wide and toes turned slightly out.
  2. Shift your weight to one side and sit down into that hip while the other leg stays straight with the toes lifted.
  3. Push back to the middle and go to the other side.

Cues

  • Sit into the bent hip
  • Heel down on the bent leg

Common mistakes

  • Lifting the heel of the bent leg: go only as low as you can with it flat.

Swap for: Kettlebell Lateral Lunge, Goblet Squat

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Mobility: hip flexion

Spider Plank

Abs

Brings the knee to the elbow from a plank, opening the hip while the core holds.

How to do it

  1. Start in a forearm plank.
  2. Bring one knee out to the side toward the elbow on the same side.
  3. Return the foot and repeat on the other side.

Cues

  • Knee to elbow
  • Hips stay low

Common mistakes

  • Hiking the hips to reach the knee: move the knee as far as your hip allows.

Swap for: Plank Jack, Plank Shoulder Tap

Build a session with Spider Plank

Mobility: deep squat and move

Gorilla Walk

Glutes, Quads, Shoulders

Stays in a deep squat while you move.

How to do it

  1. Stand with feet wide and squat until you can plant your palms on the floor in front of you.
  2. Shift your weight onto your hands and hop your feet forward between them.
  3. Reach the hands forward again and keep moving in short steps.

Cues

  • Low hips
  • Weight shifts into hands

Common mistakes

  • Rounding hard through the lower back: sit deeper into the squat.

Swap for: Bear Crawl, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Gorilla Walk

Mobility: weighted deep squat

Goblet Squat

Quads, Glutes

Holding a weight in front lets you sit deeper and stay upright, and the 3-second pause gives the hips time to settle at the bottom.

How to do it

  1. Hold one end of a dumbbell at your chest, the dumbbell upright.
  2. Squat down between your knees and use your elbows to push the knees out at the bottom.
  3. Pause for a breath at the bottom, then stand up.

Cues

  • Elbows inside knees
  • Chest proud

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the bottom: the pause is where the hips loosen.

Swap for: Bodyweight Squat, Cossack Squat

Build a session with Goblet Squat

Mobility: front of hip

Reverse Lunge

Quads, Glutes

Stepping back opens the front of the back hip.

How to do it

  1. Hold a kettlebell in each hand at your sides.
  2. Step one foot back and lower until the back knee nearly touches the floor.
  3. Push through the front foot to stand and switch legs.

Cues

  • Long step back
  • Front shin near vertical

Common mistakes

  • Short steps: reach back far enough to feel the front of the back hip open.

Swap for: Dumbbell Reverse Lunge, Band Reverse Lunge

Build a session with Reverse Lunge

Activation: hip flexors

Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Abs

Lifts the knee against a cable, waking the hip flexors.

How to do it

  1. Attach an ankle strap to a low cable and face away from the stack.
  2. Drive the strapped knee up in front of you to hip height.
  3. Lower slowly until the leg is just behind you, then repeat.

Cues

  • Tall standing leg
  • Knee drives up

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the knee: stay upright and use less weight.

Swap for: High Knees, Hanging Knee Raise

Build a session with Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Step 4: ramp-up sets

Ramp up your first lift.

First main lift

Front Squat

Quads, Glutes, Adductors

Front squats need the hips to bend deeply with an upright torso, so they benefit most from this routine. Ramp up in three sets.

How to do it

  1. Rest the bar on the front of your shoulders with elbows high.
  2. Squat straight down, keeping the elbows up and the torso tall.
  3. Drive up and lead with the elbows.

Cues

  • Elbows up
  • Torso tall

Common mistakes

  • Elbows dropping: the bar rolls forward and so do you.

Swap for: Goblet Squat, Barbell Back Squat

Build a session with Front Squat

First main lift

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

Glutes, Hamstrings

A wide stance needs the hips to open sideways, which is what the cossack squats prepare.

How to do it

  1. Stand wide with toes turned out and a kettlebell between your feet.
  2. Push your knees out and sit your hips down to grip the handle with a flat back.
  3. Stand up by pushing the floor apart.

Cues

  • Knees out
  • Chest up

Common mistakes

  • Knees caving as you stand: push them out over the toes.

Swap for: Sumo Squat, Trap Bar Deadlift

Build a session with Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

Put them together: example sessions

Each session below picks from the exercises above for one situation, with the sets, reps, rest and RIR filled in. Open one in the session builder to change a pick, price it from a recent set, and add it to RIRLift.

Session 1

Front squat day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentDumbbells, Barbells

You squat and your hips feel stiff in the bottom.

Front squats punish stiff hips and ankles, so this version spends its time on ankle circles, cossack squats and a paused goblet squat, then three ramp-up sets. Drills stop with 4 reps in reserve; working sets at 2.

Squat day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 60 5 0 s
Ankle CirclesEach way, per ankle. 1 × 10 5 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Goblet Squat3 s pause at the bottom. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Front Squat3 warm-up sets first 3 × 4–6 2 2:30 min
How to run it
Warm-up, then the squat.
How to progress
Add weight when all sets reach 6 reps at 2 reps in reserve.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Sumo deadlift day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets16 a week
  • Per workout~15 min
  • EquipmentKettlebells

You pull with a wide stance.

A sumo pull needs the hips to open wide, so the cossack squat and gorilla walk lead in, then two lighter sets of the kettlebell sumo deadlift. Working sets end at 2 reps in reserve.

Sumo day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Skipping in PlaceSeconds. 2 × 45 5 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Gorilla WalkSeconds. 1 × 20 4 0 s
Reverse LungePer leg. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift2 warm-up sets first 3 × 8–12 2 90 s
How to run it
Warm-up, then the deadlift.
How to progress
Add reps up to 10, then a heavier bell.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

Stiff hips in the morning

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts5× a week
  • Working sets35 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable

You want a short routine without a main lift.

On days without a lift, two rounds of floor and standing drills move the hips in every direction in about 6 minutes, light enough to do most mornings.

Morning
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Spider PlankPer side. 2 × 6 4 15 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 2 × 5 4 15 s
Standing Cable Hip FlexionPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Gorilla WalkSeconds. 2 × 20 4 30 s
How to run it
Two rounds, 30 seconds rest.
How to progress
Add a rep per drill each week.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

How to gain more hip mobility?

Move your hips through their full range often and under control: cossack squats, deep goblet squats and lunges a few times a week. Strength through that range is what makes the range stick.

What does mobility mean in a warm-up?

Moving your joints through the range today's training needs, with control, so the first heavy set doesn't have to find it for you.

How do you do hip circles?

Stand tall holding a wall, lift one knee to hip height, and draw a slow, big circle with it, five each way per leg. On this page, cossack squats and spider planks cover the same directions with more control.

How long should a hip mobility warm-up take?

Six to ten minutes. Two minutes of easy cardio, three or four drills, then ramp-up sets.

Should I stretch my hips before squats?

Use moving drills before you squat. Long static holds fit better after training.