HOW: Get set-up on your hands and knees, on the side you want to perform the stretch kick your leg out to the side with the knee straight and foot lined up with your other knee. Find a neutral pelvic position with your low back relatively flat. While keeping this position, push yourself back with your hands and shift your butt backwards as far as you feel comfortable with. Return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel a stretch on the inside of your thigh and your groin on the leg that is kicked out.

 

COMPENSATION: Take your time with this exercise and try to keep a relatively flat back. Do not excessively arch or bend your back. Do not move your leg

HOW: Get set-up laying on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder. Have your forearm facing out, and bend your knees so that your thighs are at a 45-degree angle. Place your top hand on your hip for body awareness. While keeping your feet together, push your forearm and knee into the ground to lift your hips up into the air. Push your hips up and forward as high as you can and hold this position. While keeping your feet together, perform a clamshell exercise by lifting the top knee as high as you can to spread it apart from the other knee, slowly bring it back down and repeat. Perform on both sides.

 

FEEL: This should feel like a full-body exercise. Your shoulder and shoulder blade muscles will be working as well as your hip, back, and stomach muscles. You will feel both sides of your hip muscles working, especially your right hip and core muscles working if you’re laying on your right side. Follow the video for other cues and tips.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your hips or shoulder sag

HOW: Place a band around your knees just above your knee cap. In a standing position, bring one leg back rotating your toes to face that side. Don’t let the other leg cave in as you keep your knee bent, over your toes,  and hold that position with your hip muscles. Hold for the prescribed amount of time. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hip and glute muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let your knee cave in towards the leg that is facing out.

HOW: Get set-up laying flat on your back with your heels on a foam roller. Begin the exercise by flexing your knees and bringing your feet back towards your butt. While keeping your feet still, bridge up and lift your hips off the ground, while keeping your hips as high as you can, slowly straighten out your knees. Repeat

 

FEEL: You will feel the muscles behind your thigh, knee, hip, and butt muscles working hard with this exercise. You may also feel your core and back muscles working too, but do not compensate and overuse your back muscles.

 

COMPENSATION: Limit excessive arching of your back, keep your hips level with the ground. Do not let your hips drop very fast during the eccentric curl out as your legs straighten

HOW: In a standing position, hold a kettlebell with both hands in front of your chest with your elbows bent. Perform a squat by bending your knees and hinging forward at the hips. At the bottom of your squat, press the kettlebell forward. While keeping your arms straight, push into the ground with your feet and return to the starting position.

 

FEEL: You should feel your lower body and chest muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Press the kettlebell straight out from your chest, not overhead.

HOW: Begin this exercise by taking a large step to your side. The larger the step, the deeper you will be able to go with this exercise. Once you have stepped, perform a lateral lunge motion by letting your hip and knee bend and lower yourself as far as you feel comfortable then push into the ground forcefully to return to starting position.

 

FEEL: The leg that you are lunging on will be working, from the calves up to the thigh and hips. Most feel a burn in the quad and glute muscles here. You may feel a stretch in the groin on the hip of the leg that is straight.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid landing very stiff on the leg that is lunging, you want to absorb shock with the muscle by landing softly. Avoid allowing the knee to go very far forward past your toes, let your hip bend as well with this exercise. Also, avoid your knee caving inward, make sure to keep your ankle, knee, and hip in alignment.

HOW: Place a step in front of a wall or an object to use for balance. Step onto the box with the balls of your feet on the edge of the box, and your heels off the box. Slightly bend your knees into a quarter squat position. Then lift your heels up in a slow and controlled manner, then slowly lower your heels back down to the ground. Repeat

 

FEEL:  You should feel your calves getting a workout, but also your glutes and quads to maintain the bent knee position.

 

COMPENSATION:  Make sure to keep your knees bent. Do not lift your hips and let them rise up or fall down. Only our knees should be moving up and down as your raise/lower your heels. Do not shift your weight side to side. Make sure you go through your full range of motion at your ankle. This is not a balance exercise, so hold onto something to help with balance as the goal of this exercise is to strengthen your calves!

HOW: Start in a standing position with your feet at least shoulder width apart – pick your ideal foot set set up for squatting. Begin the exercise by squatting as low as you feel comfortable with, then pulse up and down just a small amount to keep constant tension on your leg muscles. Repeat.

 

FEEL: This should feel like a lower body workout and may get your heart rate up. Your quads and glutes will be burning with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lose the bottom of your squat, only pulse up and down a small amount. All of the same rules apply with your general squat form, good alignment and quality over speed!

HOW: Begin the exercise in a forearm plank position with the knees straight. Perform the exercise by moving at the hip joint to lift one leg into the air while keeping the knee straight, hold that position, then return to starting position and repeat on the other side.

 

FEEL: You will feel your glutes and quads working to lift the leg as well as the rest of your body and core muscles working to maintain the forearm plank position.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch your back to drive the leg lift. Focus on lifting each leg while keeping the knee straight and the rest of your body still in the forearm plank position