← EXERCISE LIBRARYMobility
Hip Airplane
Single-leg hinge with a slow pelvic rotation over the standing hip. Loads the glute medius and deep rotators through internal and external rotation while the foot holds the ground.
- 01Stand on one leg with a soft knee and hinge forward until the torso and the free leg form a straight line.
- 02Hold a wall or rail with one hand until the position is steady, then let go if you can.
- 03Rotate the pelvis open toward the free-leg side as far as the standing hip allows without the torso pitching.
- 04Rotate the pelvis back the other way, closing over the standing hip until you feel the outer hip load.
- 05Complete five to eight slow rotations, then set the free foot down and change sides.
- 01Screw the standing foot into the floor and keep the arch alive.
- 02Turn the belt line, not the shoulders.
- 03Move at the speed you can stop at.
- 01Rotating from the shoulders — the standing hip never gets loaded and the drill becomes a torso twist.
- 02Letting the standing knee collapse inward — the medial knee absorbs force the hip should be controlling.
- 03Hinging too shallow — the lever is short and the outer hip barely has to work.
Note: Reference material, not a prescription. Load, volume and whether this movement suits you at all depends on your assessment — if something hurts, stop and get it looked at.