Hip Airplane

3 × 6/side, standing on one leg, rotate the pelvis open and closed slowly.

Difficulty 4 of 54.0 METs · Moderate

Equipment

No equipment needed

Muscle groups worked

Glutes
Core
Adductors

What it buys you

Single-leg control with rotation — the quality that keeps a standing position steady instead of wobbling.

Capacity trained

Mobility. Hip, adductor and thoracic range. Determines which positions are available and comfortable.

Train it · Open Hips Test your limiter

Energy

Modelled kilocalories

Modelled energy cost for Hip Airplane at 10, 20, 30 and 45 minutes for both reference bodies
Reference body	10 min	20 min	30 min	45 min
Male reference · 82 kg	57 kcal	115 kcal	172 kcal	258 kcal
Female reference · 68 kg	48 kcal	95 kcal	143 kcal	214 kcal

Energy figures are modelled from standard activity MET values (Ainsworth Compendium, 2011) and the ACSM equation, not measured on you. They scale linearly with your own body mass, so a body 10% heavier burns about 10% more at the same intensity.

kcal = METs × 3.5 × bodyweight(kg) ÷ 200 × minutes (ACSM)

Load is effort, not pain. If a movement hurts rather than works, stop and see a clinician. Lifting another person is strength training with a person-shaped load — build the pattern unloaded first.

Cross-reference

Positions this workout helps · 33

It serves Standing, Kneeling and Lifted / Carried. Every position in those families is listed below, hardest first.

Honest framing

Training makes a posture available and sustainable. It is capability work, not a treatment for anything, and no single session changes a number. Consistency over eight weeks does.