Exercise Comparison
Hip Circles (prone) vs Iliotibial Tract-SMR
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Hip Circles (prone)
Instructions
Hip Circles (prone)
Position yourself on your hands and knees on the ground. Maintaining good posture, raise one bent knee off of the ground. This will be your starting position.
Keeping the knee in a bent position, rotate the femur in an arc, attempting to make a big circle with your knee.
Perform this slowly for a number of repetitions, and repeat on the other side.
Iliotibial Tract-SMR
Lay on your side, with the bottom leg placed onto a foam roller between the hip and the knee. The other leg can be crossed in front of you.
Place as much of your weight as is tolerable onto your bottom leg; there is no need to keep your bottom leg in contact with the ground. Be sure to relax the muscles of the leg you are stretching.
Roll your leg over the foam from you hip to your knee, pausing for 10-30 seconds at points of tension. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Verdict
Both exercises target the abductors. Hip Circles (prone) is a beginner exercise using bodyweight, while Iliotibial Tract-SMR is intermediate and uses foam roll. Choose Hip Circles (prone) if you're looking for a more accessible option, or Iliotibial Tract-SMR for a greater challenge.