Knee Circles
A beginner compound mobility exercise that works the calves, needing no equipment.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Knee Circles
- Stand with your legs together and hands by your waist.
- Now move your knees in a circular motion as you breathe normally.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Knee Circles
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Ankle Circles
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the calves.
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2
Seated Calf Stretch
A beginner mobility exercise that works the calves.
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3
Standing Gastrocnemius Calf Stretch
A beginner mobility exercise that works the calves.
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4
Calf Stretch Elbows Against Wall
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the calves.
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5
Calf Stretch Hands Against Wall
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the calves.
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6
Standing Soleus And Achilles Stretch
A beginner isolation mobility exercise that works the calves.
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7
Anterior Tibialis-SMR
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the calves.
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8
Calves-SMR
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the calves, using a foam roller.
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9
Foot-SMR
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the calves.
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10
Peroneals Stretch
An intermediate mobility exercise that works the calves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do knee circles work?
Knee Circles primarily works the calves. The hamstrings and quads assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for knee circles?
None. Knee Circles is a bodyweight movement you can do anywhere you have floor space.
Knee Circles: is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. Knee Circles is rated beginner. Movements you can learn in a session, with a low skill floor and a forgiving failure mode.
What can I do instead of knee circles?
Ankle Circles, Seated Calf Stretch, Standing Gastrocnemius Calf Stretch train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
How do I log knee circles in Fitnit?
As time held rather than reps. Fitnit records the seconds and credits them to the calves on your body map, so you can see which muscles you train hard and never stretch.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Knee Circles with AI
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