HOW: Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground spread slightly apart. Drive your heels into the ground lifting your hips up as high as you can go. Use your glutes and hip muscles to hold that position for as long as prescribed. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hamstrings, glutes, and core muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let your hips drop while you hold the bridge position.

HOW: Start on your back with your knees bend and slightly spread apart. Tighten up your stomach first, then your glutes. Next, drive your heels into the ground and lift your hips up towards the ceiling. At the end position your knee, hip, and shoulder should be in one straight line. Hold the end position and squeeze the glutes, then slowly return to starting position.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes work to control this motion. At no point should you feel your low back muscles doing the lifting motion. If you feel it only in your hamstrings, try bending your knees a bit more and repeat.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching at the low back as you perform this. 

HOW: Lay flat on the ground or table. Bend your knees and put your feet flat. Contract your core muscles and slowly push into the ground with your feet. Raise your hips first, then lower back, and finally your mid to upper back. Focus on slowly peeling the spine off of the ground. You should reverse that movement and slowly lower your back down to the ground.

 

FEEL: You should feel a combination of your core, low back, hip/glutes, and hamstring muscles working together.

 

COMPENSATION: At the top of the bridge, keep your spine in line with knees, do not arch too much. Make sure your feet aren’t too far in front of you or too far underneath you.

HOW: Get set-up laying on your back with your knees bent. Place a band above your knees. Perform this exercise by beginning with a bridge by driving your hips towards the ceiling, while simultaneously spreading your knees out as far as you can.

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscles on the back and outside of your hips and thighs with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t allow your back to arch, your hips should be the area that is working to elevate your body off the floor. Avoid allowing your feet to roll out as you perform the clam, make sure your feet stay flat on the floor. 

HOW: Get set-up laying on your back with your knees bent. Place a band above your knees. Perform the exercise by beginning with a bridge, focusing on driving the hips towards the ceiling, think about tucking your tailbone when you are at the top. Next focus on separating your knees by pushing out against the band as hard as you can, return, and repeat while keeping your hips elevated for the entirety of this exercise.

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscles on the back and outside of your hips and thighs with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t allow your back to arch, your hips should be the area that is working to elevate your body off the floor. Avoid allowing your feet to roll out as you perform the clam, make sure your feet stay flat on the floor. 

HOW: Get set-up on your back with your knees bent and the bottom of both feet touching one another so that the outside of your ankles are on the ground. Flatten your lower back into the ground followed by bridging up and lowering down. Repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes working hard with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch your back, do not let your knees straighten

HOW: Place a firm object like a ball between your legs and squeeze. Maintain this contraction the entire time while performing a bridge.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles on the insides of your thighs and glutes working.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch the back. Use your hips to lift you up, not your back.

HOW: Start on your back with your legs spread and both knees bent, bend the knee in which you want to bias more – meaning that heel is closer to your butt. Tighten up your stomach first, then your glutes. Next, drive your heels into the ground and lift your hips up towards the ceiling. At the end position your knee, hip, and shoulder should be in one straight line. Hold the end position and squeeze the glutes, then slowly return to starting position. The leg of the knee bent more should be working harder here.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes work to control this motion, particularly of the leg you are biasing. At no point should you feel your low back muscles doing the lifting motion.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching at the low back as you perform this. 

HOW: Start on your back with your knees bent and slightly spread apart. Tighten up your stomach first, then your glutes. Next, drive your heels into the ground and lift your hips up towards the ceiling. At the end position your knees, hips, and shoulder should be in one straight line. Shift your weight onto one leg, then slowly march from side to side. Make sure you move with control here.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes working to control this motion. At no point should you feel your low back muscles doing the lifting motion. If you feel it only in your hamstrings, try bending your knees a bit more and repeat.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching at the low back as you perform this. 

HOW: Begin in a seated position with your knees bent up and your arms behind your with your palms on the ground. Shift all of your weight onto one shoulder as you lift your hips up as high as you can. As your hips are rising, rotate the other side of your body towards the arm that is pushing up. Alternate sides for the prescribed amount of reps.

 

FEEL: You should feel your core and shoulder muscles working.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hips up as you rotate to the one side, don’t let them drop

HOW: Start in a bear position with your knees a half inch off the ground. In this position, your shoulders should be engaged and driving into the ground. Bring one knee under your body and through to the other side. Drive both heels into the ground and use your glutes to lift your hips high into the air. Go back to the bear position and repeat on the opposite side.

 

FEEL: You should feel your core, hips, and shoulders working.

 

COMPENSATION: Stay strong and active through your shoulder when you are transitioning between stances. Keep pushing the ground away from you the entire time.

HOW: Start laying flat on your back with your knees bent to at least 90 degrees. With weights or objects supported in each hand, bridge up by lifting your hips off the ground. While holding the top of the bridge position, perform a bench press motion with your arms, lower your arms all the way down until they touch the ground and repeat. Your arms can be angled 45 degrees from your torso, or however you prefer.

 

FEEL: This should feel like a full body workout, your glutes will be working to keep your hips off the ground, your core will be working to keep your torso still and tight, and your arms will be working with the floor press.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lose the top of the bridge position, do not let your hips sag, do not let your back excessively arch or bend. All of the same rules apply with a regular floor press form, at the top of the press the weights/objects should be positioned over your shoulders.

HOW: Begin with your mid-back against a bench or elevated surface with your feet hip width apart. Place a resistance band just above your knees. While keeping your chin tucked, thrust your hips towards the ceiling. Focus on driving into the floor with your heels and tuck your tailbone (AKA posteriorly tilt your pelvis) at the top of the thrust.  Slowly return back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel the gluteal and hamstring muscles working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching with the lower back, allow a majority of this movement to come from the hips and pelvis. Avoid rolling on the outside of the foot as you spread the band, make sure the big toe is driving into the floor for the entirety of this exercise.

HOW: Begin with your mid back against an elevated surface. This variation has a band strapped around your hips to add resistance. With your feet hip width apart, drive into your heels to thrust your hips up towards the ceiling. Slowly lower yourself back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscles of the hip, specifically the gluteals/buttock working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching the lower back as you thrust yourself up, the motion is designed to be primarily at the hips.

HOW: Begin with your mid-back against a bench in a staggered stance position. While keeping your chin tucked, thrust your hips towards the ceiling. Focus on driving into the floor with your heels and tuck your tailbone (AKA posteriorly tilt your pelvis) at the top of the thrust.  Slowly return back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel the gluteal and hamstring muscles working with this exercise particularly of the leg the is bent in closer to you.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid arching with the lower back, allow a majority of this movement to come from the hips and pelvis.

HOW:  Begin with your mid-back against a bench or a couch with you feet about hip width apart. Place a weight or object in your lap at your pubic bone. While keeping your chin tucked, thrust your hips towards the ceiling. Focus on driving into the floor with your heels and tuck your tailbone (AKA posteriorly tilt your pelvis) at the top of the thrust.  Slowly return back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL:  You will feel the gluteal and hamstring muscles working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION:  Avoid arching with the lower back, allow a majority of this movement to come from the hips and pelvis. Keep the weight still

HOW: Start by leaning back with the bottom on your shoulder blade on the edge of a bench or step. Pad the barbell over your groin region. Bring your feet flat on the ground bending your knees to around 90 degrees of flexion. Draw your core in, tuck your chin down, push into the ground with your feet driving your hips up against the resistance of the barbell. Squeeze your glutes at the top position and repeat. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your core, glutes, and hamstrings working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t bend your knees to close too much or not enough, keep a 90 degree bend in them. Keep your chin tucked down, don’t look up and back as you thrust up. Don’t let the barbell move, keep it positioned over your groin region.