Pendulum Leg Swings

Flexopedia > Hip Internal Rotation, Hip External Rotation

Pendulum Leg Swings

Muscle Group Strengthened: Hip Internal Rotators, Hip External Rotators

Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic

Difficulty: All Levels

Suggested Prerequisites: none

This is one of my favorite (gentle) active flexibility drills to warm up our hip rotation. I include this as part of my regular hip warm up for any leg flexibility practice.

How To

Step 1

Start standing. Lift one leg up, bending the knee, bringing the knee to hip height right in front of the hip (so the hip should be flexed 90 degrees, and the knee flexed 90 degrees, knee in line with the hip).

Step 2

Keeping the knee in the same spot (don’t let it droop or flop around), rotate your thigh to the outside, swinging your foot across your midline.

Then rotate your thigh towards the inside, swinging your foot towards the outside. Don’t worry if this is a smaller range of motion (most people find thigh-to-the-outside, or external rotation a bit easier, but not all!).

Continue “pendulum swinging” your foot side to side, keeping your knee right in front of the hip, and hip bones level (don’t let them lift or tilt as you rotate your thigh).

Repeat for 5-10 swings in each direction.

Modifications

Need to make it easier?

Sit in a chair and rotate your thigh inside/outside while seated (this allows your hip flexors to relax instead of squeezing to keep your knee lifted).

Want to make it harder?

Add a resistance band. Flex both feet and loop a light resistance band between the outside of each foot so that swinging the working leg foot side to side is more challenging.

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