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Exercises

Hips warm up exercises: forward, back, out, in and around

Published October 24, 2026

Warm up your hips by moving them in every direction they go: walk briskly for 3 minutes, then do 10 forward-and-back leg swings per leg, 6 cossack squats per side, 12 banded knee push-outs, 10 standing cable hip flexions per leg, 15 seated band hip abductions and a 15-second Copenhagen plank per side. That covers flexion, extension, side-to-side, rotation and the inner thigh in about 8 minutes. Finish with 2 lighter sets of your first lift.

  1. Brisk Walk Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
  2. Leg Swings Hamstrings, Glutes
  3. Cossack Squat Quads, Adductors
  4. Band Standing Hip Abduction Abductors
  5. Standing Cable Hip Flexion Abs
  6. Band Seated Hip Abduction Glutes, Abductors
  7. Copenhagen Plank Adductors, Abs

Walk briskly for 3 minutes

Fast walking swings the hips forward and back at a steady rhythm, which is all you need to start. Use a treadmill, a hallway or the parking lot.

Rhythm for the hips

Brisk Walk

Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves

A fast walk moves the hips through a steady range and raises your temperature with no setup.

How to do it

  1. Walk at a pace that feels quick but lets you talk.
  2. Swing your arms and take full strides.
  3. Keep going for 3 minutes.

Cues

  • Long strides
  • Arms swing

Common mistakes

  • Shuffling with short steps: lengthen the stride.

Swap for: Treadmill Walk, Elliptical

Build a session with Brisk Walk

Forward and back

Leg swings take the hip from a deep bend to behind your body and back. Cable hip flexion then loads the front of the hip, which gets stiff from sitting and works hard in sprints and high knee drives.

Flexion and extension

Leg Swings

Hamstrings, Glutes

Swinging the leg from front to back moves the hip through its biggest range in seconds.

How to do it

  1. Hold a wall or rack and stand on one leg.
  2. Swing the other leg forward and back with a relaxed knee.
  3. Grow the swing over 10 reps, then switch.

Cues

  • Hip does the swinging
  • Upright torso

Common mistakes

  • Twisting the pelvis to reach further: keep the hips facing forward.

Swap for: Standing Side Leg Raise, Walkout

Build a session with Leg Swings

Front of the hip

Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Abs

Driving the knee up against a light cable works the hip flexors through a full range, an active way to loosen hips that sit all day.

How to do it

  1. Attach an ankle strap to a low cable and stand facing away from the stack.
  2. Drive the strapped knee up to hip height, keeping your torso tall.
  3. Lower slowly. Do 10 per leg with a light weight.

Cues

  • Knee to hip height
  • Stand tall

Common mistakes

  • Leaning back to lift the knee higher: keep the shoulders stacked over the hips.

Swap for: High Knees, Hanging Knee Raise

Build a session with Standing Cable Hip Flexion

Out to the side and around

Cossack squats open the inner thighs in a deep side lunge, and banded knee push-outs turn the thighs out against a band. Most training moves the hip forward and back, so these two cover what gets missed.

Inner thigh and side lunge

Cossack Squat

Quads, Adductors

Moving from side to side into a deep bent knee opens the inner thighs and the hip of the bent leg.

How to do it

  1. Stand wide with your toes turned out a little.
  2. Bend one knee and sink toward that side, keeping the other leg long.
  3. Return through the middle to the other side, 6 per side.

Cues

  • Long leg stays straight
  • Sit back into the bent hip

Common mistakes

  • Leaning the chest over the knee: keep it tall.

Swap for: Dumbbell Lateral Lunge, Gorilla Walk

Build a session with Cossack Squat

Outer hip: banded knee push-outs

Band Standing Hip Abduction

Abductors

Pressing the knees out against a band in a shallow squat works the outside of the hip, the muscles that stop your knees caving in squats and lunges.

How to do it

  1. Loop a mini band just above your knees and sit into a shallow squat, hands together at your chest.
  2. Press both knees out against the band, then let them come back in under control.
  3. Keep the feet planted and repeat for the set.

Cues

  • Knees push out
  • Feet stay flat

Common mistakes

  • Letting the knees snap back in: control the return.

Swap for: Clamshell, Standing Side Leg Raise

Build a session with Band Standing Hip Abduction

Outer and inner thighs

Seated band abductions switch on the outer hip in a few seconds, and the Copenhagen plank works the inner thigh, the hip muscle that warm-ups forget most often.

Outer hip

Band Seated Hip Abduction

Glutes, Abductors

Pushing your knees apart against a band while seated switches on the outer glutes quickly, with no balance needed.

How to do it

  1. Take a seat on a bench, a mini band just above your knees and your feet flat.
  2. Push your knees apart against the band as far as you can.
  3. Return slowly and do 15.

Cues

  • Push the knees apart
  • Feet stay planted

Common mistakes

  • Letting the band snap back: control the return.

Swap for: Hip Abduction Machine, Clamshell

Build a session with Band Seated Hip Abduction

Inner thigh

Copenhagen Plank

Adductors, Abs

Holding a side plank with your top leg on a bench works the inner thigh hard, a part of the hip most warm-ups skip.

How to do it

  1. Lie on your side with your forearm down and your top leg resting on a bench.
  2. Lift your hips so your body is straight, supported by your forearm and top leg.
  3. Hold for 15 seconds, then switch. Bend the top knee onto the bench to make it easier.

Cues

  • Straight body
  • Squeeze the top leg into the bench

Common mistakes

  • Holding too long before training: 15 seconds is plenty for a warm-up.

Swap for: Side Plank, Band Hip Adduction

Build a session with Copenhagen Plank

Lighter sets of your first hip lift

A banded hip thrust primes the lockout, then your first lift gets 2 or 3 sets that climb in weight. The plans cover a hip thrust day, a sumo deadlift day and a quick routine for when you have been sitting all day.

Hip lockout with a band

Band Hip Thrust

Glutes

A band across your hips gives you light tension where the thrust finishes, where the glutes work hardest.

How to do it

  1. Sit with your upper back on a bench and a band across your hips, anchored at both sides.
  2. Plant your feet and drive your hips up against the band until your body is level from knees to shoulders.
  3. Hold one second at the top. Do 12.

Cues

  • Tuck the chin
  • Hold the top

Common mistakes

  • Overarching the lower back at the top: stop when your hips are level.

Swap for: Glute Bridge, Hip Thrust

Build a session with Band Hip Thrust

First lift: glutes

Hip Thrust

Glutes

The barbell hip thrust loads the hip in full extension. Two lighter sets get the bench height and pad position right.

How to do it

  1. Set your upper back on a bench edge, roll a padded bar over your hips, and plant your feet.
  2. Drive up until your body is level from knees to shoulders.
  3. Lower until the hips nearly touch the floor. Build up in 2 lighter sets.

Cues

  • Shins vertical at the top
  • Ribs down

Common mistakes

  • Pushing through the toes: keep the weight in your heels.

Swap for: Smith Machine Hip Thrust, Band Hip Thrust

Build a session with Hip Thrust

First lift: wide stance

Sumo Deadlift

Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads

Sumo pulling needs open hips, which is why it suits a hip-focused warm-up. Three lighter pulls let your hips settle into the stance.

How to do it

  1. Stand wide with toes turned out and shins against the bar.
  2. Grip inside your knees, push the knees out, and lift your chest.
  3. Push the floor apart to stand up, then lower the bar back down.

Cues

  • Knees over the toes
  • Chest up

Common mistakes

  • A stance so wide your knees cave: narrow it until the knees track the toes.

Swap for: Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift, Trap Bar Deadlift

Build a session with 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

Hip thrust day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts2× a week
  • Working sets22 a week
  • Per workout~20 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Barbells, Flat Bench

Your session starts with hip thrusts.

All the hip directions get one set, then the banded thrust rehearses the lockout before the bar. Work sets stop at 1 to 2 reps in reserve, close to failure without grinding.

Hip thrust day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Band Standing Hip AbductionPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Band Seated Hip Abduction 1 × 15 4 15 s
Band Hip Thrust 1 × 12 4 30 s
Hip Thrust2 warm-up sets first 4 × 8–12 2 2 min
How to run it
Walk, then do the warm-up blocks in order, then the band thrust and the barbell thrust.
How to progress
Add weight when every set hits 12 reps.
Open in the session builder

Session 2

Sumo deadlift day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts1× a week
  • Working sets11 a week
  • Per workout~25 min
  • EquipmentResistance Bands, Barbells

You pull sumo and your hips feel stiff in the wide stance.

The side-to-side and inner thigh work gets two sets, because a sumo stance depends on them. Three lighter pulls follow, and the work sets stay at 2 reps in reserve.

Sumo day
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 2 × 6 4 0 s
Copenhagen PlankSeconds per side. 2 × 15 4 15 s
Band Standing Hip AbductionPer leg. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Sumo Deadlift3 warm-up sets first 3 × 3–5 2 3 min
How to run it
Walk, then two rounds of cossack squats and Copenhagen planks, then the hydrants, then pull.
How to progress
Cut to one round when the stance feels open.
Open in the session builder

Session 3

After sitting all day

Open in the session builder
  • Workouts3× a week
  • Working sets24 a week
  • Per workout~10 min
  • EquipmentAdjustable Cable, Resistance Bands

You come to the gym straight from a desk and your hips feel locked up.

The front of the hip gets the most work here, with leg swings and cable hip flexion, plus cossack squats for the inner thigh. No barbell lift is attached, so use it before any lower body session.

After the desk
ExerciseSets × repsRIRRest
Brisk WalkSeconds. 3 × 60 4 0 s
Leg SwingsPer leg. 2 × 10 4 0 s
Standing Cable Hip FlexionPer leg. Light. 1 × 10 4 0 s
Cossack SquatPer side. 1 × 6 4 0 s
Band Seated Hip Abduction 1 × 15 4 0 s
How to run it
Do it as one round, rest a minute, then start your usual first lift with its warm-up sets.
How to progress
Add a second round of leg swings and hip flexion on long desk days.
Open in the session builder

Make it fit you

Questions

What are good warm-up exercises for the hips?

Leg swings, cossack squats, banded knee push-outs, cable hip flexion, band hip abductions and Copenhagen planks. Together they move the hip forward, back, out, in and around.

How do you do hip circles?

Stand on one leg holding a wall, lift the other knee to hip height, and draw big circles with the knee, out to the side and back down. Banded knee push-outs turn both thighs out against resistance.

How long should a hip warm-up take?

About 8 minutes, plus lighter sets of your first lift.

What are four types of warm-up exercises?

Easy cardio, moving stretches, activation exercises, and lighter sets or drills of the activity you are about to do.

Do I need to warm up my hips before upper body days?

Only lightly. A brisk walk and a set of leg swings are enough unless you are deadlifting or squatting.