Which exercise example illustrates circumduction in action?

• A. Push-ups
• B. Squats
• C. Mountain climbers
• D. PVC pass-throughs

Answer: (D)

Circumduction is the circular movement of a limb around a joint, combining flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction in a continuous arc. In PVC pass-throughs, your arms travel in a broad circular path around the shoulder as you move the PVC pipe from in front of you up and over to behind you and back again. This motion requires the shoulder to rotate through multiple planes, clearly demonstrating circumduction.

Push-ups are mainly a hinge action at the elbows with some scapular movement, not a circular shoulder motion. Squats involve hip and knee flexion/extension in a vertical plane. Mountain climbers combine rapid hip and knee movements in the sagittal plane rather than a circular shoulder arc. So the circular, multi-planar shoulder motion seen in PVC pass-throughs makes them the best example of circumduction.