HOW: Follow along with the detailed video tutorial for all movement cues!

 

FEEL: You should feel nice and warm after completing this, ready to tackle the program or workout!

 

COMPENSATION: None.

HOW: Get set-up on your side with your elbow directly under your shoulder and your forearm supported on the ground. Have your knees bent at a 45-degree angle with your knees and feet supported on the ground. At the same time push your hips up and forward as high as you can and hold this position. With your top leg, extend your knee and lift your leg up towards the ceiling while keeping it straight and in line with your body, lower the leg and repeat.

 

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 especially feel your right core and hip 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, do not let your body rotate.

HOW:  Start with your hands against a wall at shoulder height and be leaning into the wall. Push into the wall with your hip, knee, and ankle to assume a triple extension position. This is your starting position. Slowly bend your hip, knee, and ankle to “load” your leg. Then, explosively push away into the wall and assume a triple extension position.

 

FEEL:  You should feel your hips, knee, and ankle working hard.

 

COMPENSATION:  Adjust how far away from the wall you stand to make sure it feels natural. Be sure to attain triple extension

HOW: Place heels on elevated surface. Arms relaxed to the side. Apply pressure through your heels lifting your hips up. Once level, lift one leg straight up while the other stabilizes your body. Alternate legs up and down while maintaining elevated hips.

 

FEEL: Muscles in your core, hamstrings, hip flexors, and glutes should all be working.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let your hips drop down while alternating legs. Don’t twist to one side while one leg is stabilizing on the elevated surface. Keep your arms relaxed.

HOW: Face away from an elevated surface.  Place one foot behind you with your toes on the elevated surface. Squat down on the front leg keeping your weight centered on the front leg.  Push up with the front leg back into the standing position, then lift your heel off the ground. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your glute, thigh, and calf working. You should also feel a stretch in the front of the elevated leg thigh.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t squat down too far forward over your toes.  Keep your chest up as you squat down.

HOW: Take a step out to the right into a lateral lunge position. Then, pull the rest of your body over your right leg through using the muscles on the inside of your thigh. Next, take a step out to the left and repeat that direction.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your legs working, but especially the inner part of your thighs working to pull yourself over.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure you pull yourself over. Do not lean over your foot and stand up doing a single leg squat. 

HOW: Place a step in front of a wall or an object to use for balance. Using only one leg, 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 you 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: Place a step on the ground. While standing on the step, step down with one leg crossing behind the leg on the step in a diagonal motion. Reach in that diagonal plane for as far as you can reach while maintaining the other leg on the step. Take about 3 seconds to step down in a controlled manner, then explode back up balancing on the one leg that was stationed on the step. Hold that position for as long as prescribed. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your glute and hip muscles working on the leg that stays on the step. 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let your leg cave in as the other leg steps behind it, keep it sturdy and strong.

HOW: Start on all fours with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Loop the band around your thighs just above your knees. Push down with your toes and hands lifting your knees slightly above the floor going into the bear crawl position.  While keeping the knee bent, kick out with one leg in a diagonal motion.  Return to the bear crawl position and repeat on the opposite side.  

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes working.  You should also feel your core and shoulders working while in the bear crawl position. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back flat, don’t arch it in the bear crawl position.  Don’t kick your leg straight out, make sure it goes back at an angle.