HOW: While standing on an elevated surface, keep your feet together and hold the kettlebell in front of you with your arms relaxed.  Slowly, lower the kettlebell down your legs without bending your knees. Roll yourself from the top down and try to bend your back as much as you can. Once the weight is as far as you can with your knees straight, return back up moving from the bottom up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your muscles working in your mid back, low back, hamstrings, and glutes. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid over-arching the low back when standing back up.  Don’t lower the weight fast and out of control. Don’t bend the knees as your back bends forward.

HOW: First get into the hollow position by drawing your ribcage down and towards your hips. Slowly lift your legs and upper back off the floor to form a shallow “C” position. This is your hallow position. Once here, rock back and forth while maintain your hallow position like a see-saw.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your core working to not only maintain the position, but while you are moving as well.

 

COMPENSATION: Try not to bend at your shoulders and hips to create momentum. Once you are rocking back and forth, pretend you are a rigid C without any excessive movement of your hips or shoulders.

HOW: Start by lying face down on a stable surface. Slide your hips off of the table or bench. The front of your hips should be on the edge of the surface. Stabilize your upper body with your arms. Put your legs together and squeeze your glutes to bring your legs up and back down in a slow and controlled motion. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your glute muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t use your back too much, do not arch it as you bring your legs up.

HOW: Start in a standing position with a dumbbell on the floor at your side. Center yourself, bend down and reach for the dumbbell, trying to maintain a neutral spine. Bring it up and then back down.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your legs working as well as your glutes and core. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep good squat form as you go down to pick up the dumbbell. Don’t slouch your back.

HOW: Pick up one foot and balance on the leg that is in contact with the ground. Hinge forward through your hips while holding onto a kettlebell. Once the balance is maintained in this position, slowly shift the kettlebell from one hand to the other and repeat in this position. It is ok for your knee to remain slightly bent.

 

FEEL:  You should feel like your balance is being challenged. You will also feel your foot muscles, hamstrings, and low back being challenged here.

 

COMPENSATION:  Try not to losing your posture and excessively leaning forward/backward or side to side. If you lose your balance it is ok, take a step and get back to starting position. Do not allow yourself to fall or take the risk of injuring yourself.

HOW: Start by lying on your back with your feet elevated on a bench. Loop a band around the middle of both feet. Place your arms down and out at your side with your palms down for support. From here, push into the elevated surface lifting your hips off of the ground. Maintain that height as you drive one knee towards your chest against the resistance of the band. Alternate back and forth for the prescribed amount of reps. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hip muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hips off of the ground while marching.

HOW: Get set-up with one foot behind you supported on a wall, have enough space between your foot on the ground and the wall so that your knee is not beyond your toes on the side you’re standing on. With a band on above and around your knees, performing a standing clam motion by driving your knee out to the side as far as you can on the side that is supported on the wall. Make sure the knee you’re standing on does not cave in.

 

FEEL: You should feel both hip muscles, especially on the outside of your hips working with this exercise. You will also be feeling more muscles working on the side that you’re standing on throughout the entire leg.

 

COMPENSATION: Maintain good trunk control, do not lean side to side, do not let the knee on the side you’re standing on cave in. Maintain a neutral low back position.

HOW: Begin by standing while holding a kettlebell in one hand down at your side. Maintain a tall position and walk forward holding the kettlebell at your side for the prescribed amount of time or distance. 

 

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

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t lean to the opposite side of the weight, maintain good posture while walking.

HOW: Start in the split stance position with the leg closest to the wall/anchor in front of you. Your back heel should be up. Grab the band with your close arm palm down, and your far arm palm up. Keeping your core and hips engaged and strong the whole time, slowly lift the band up in a diagonal pattern using a combination of both of your shoulders, your hips, and your core.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your core, hips, shoulders and legs working.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lean into the band. If someone were to cut the band randomly when performing the exercise, you should not fall over!