HOW: Begin in the quadruped position. Your hands on the ground underneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground under your hips. Starting with a flat back, create a hump in your back as much as you can by pretending you have a tail and you’re tucking that tail in between your legs. Continue that hump in your mid and upper back while looking down with your neck. From here, reverse it and pretend like you are sticking your tail out as you arch your low, mid, and upper back while you attempt to look up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your lower, middle, upper back working/stretching as you push away from the ground creating the hump in your back and arching it. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your elbows straight, don’t bend them as you arch your back. Don’t rock back and forth with your hips.

HOW: Start in the quadruped position. Move one leg straight out to the side with your toe facing forward. Lean back, causing a stretch in the inner hip. Take the hand that is on the side of the stretched out leg, and reach it underneath your body to the other side. Hold that stretch for a few seconds, and then rotate back and rock back to the starting position.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your inner groin muscles when you sit back. You should also feel a stretch in your mid back as you rotate.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure you rock back once you extend your leg to the side.

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: Start in the push up position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders and your legs straight back with your toes pushing into the ground. Push the ground away from you and lift your hips into the air. As your hips raise into the air, take one hand and reach for your opposite ankle(if you can’t reach your ankle, touch your lower leg, knee, or thigh). Stay strong with your other arm as you’re pushing back with just that arm. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your back as you twist.  You should also feel your shoulder muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your legs straight as you lift your hips up, don’t bend your knees. Keep your elbow straight as you twist and reach with the other hand.

HOW: Start in a tall kneeling position with both knees down on the ground. The first step is to posteriorly tuck your pelvis by imagining you’re tucking a tail between your legs. Next, keeping this tuck, squeeze your glutes and core very hard and drive your hips forward, into extension. You should feel like you are opening up the front of your hips.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes working very hard as you push your hips forward and even a stretch in the front of your hips.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not overarch at the lower back.

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: 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: While sitting up, place your hands slightly behind you at your side. Bend one knee up and place your foot flat on the ground. Straighten the other leg out. Using your heel, push down into the ground lifting your hips up while keeping your chest back. Squeeze your glutes and engage your core at the end and slowly come back down.

 

FEEL: The hamstrings and glute muscles in the straight leg will have the strongest contraction.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your chest back and torso upright. Don’t slump forward as you push your hips up.

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 a band around your knees. 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, stay strong through your core. Do not let your hips roll back either, keep them stacked and stable.

Follow along to see how to prepare your hips for a big workout!

 

Exercises: Lateral Toe Taps Monster Walks Side Steps In Place W’s Squats

HOW: Shift your weight to one leg with your knee slightly bent and the other leg off of the ground. Slightly bend down and push into the ground, jump to the side landing on the opposite leg. Get your balance, pause, and jump back to the other leg going back into the starting position. 

 

FEEL: You will feel all the muscles in your legs working.

 

COMPENSATION: Landing Position. Make sure your knees are aligned over your toes. They should not dive inwards on the landing. Your goal is to absorb as much of the landing forces as you can and land softly. That means that you want your hips and knees to bend as much as they need to, to absorb the force. If you do not let them bend much, you will land “stiff” and hard. Let your hips go back and while keeping your chest up to help absorb the forces. Your toes should touch the ground first when you land and quickly your heels will follow. You should land in a “ready position” like you would if you were playing sports, with your weight ever so slightly forward on the balls of your feet. You should not fall forward or backwards after landing. 

 

For a detailed video on landing mechanics on one leg, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RCOGM5tZRM

HOW: In a standing position, shift your weight to one leg. Apply pressure through all of your foot and slightly bend that knee. Hinge forward at the waist while keeping your back flat and kick the opposite leg back. Pull yourself back to the starting position by pushing into the ground and using your glute and hip muscles to bring your back up straight again. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hamstring muscles working as you hinge forwards and back up. You should also feel your foot/ankle muscles working to balance your leg while hinging forward. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back flat as you hinge forward at the waist, don’t twist it. Keep your hips level, don’t twist them as you kick your leg back. 

HOW: Begin by placing your upper back on an elevated bench surface. Your shoulder blades should be just above the edge. Have your feet shoulder width apart and flat on the ground. Your knees bent with your feet slightly behind your knees. Push into the ground with one leg creating power pushing your hips up towards the ceiling. As your hips come up, hop up with that foot and land in the same spot. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hamstring and core muscles working as you thrust your hips and hop off of the ground 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back on the bench. Don’t hop up with your foot until your hips are up.

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:  Step backwards and out to the side like you were to perform a curtsey. Keep your weight on your front leg. Drive up and come to standing on one leg on the way back.

 

FEEL:  You should feel a good glute stretch and your hip muscles activated.

 

COMPENSATION:  Don’t put too much of your weight on your back leg as you step back.

HOW: Get set-up flat on your back with one foot supported on an elevated surface with the knee bent, the other leg is unsupported in the air. While maintaining a flat low back, push into the elevated surface to bridge up and lift your hips off the ground. Your body should create a straight line from your shoulder to your knee. Slowly lower down and 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 muscles working too, you shouldn’t feel your back muscles working hard.

 

COMPENSATION: Limit excessive arching of your back, keep your hips level with the ground. Do not let your hips drop or rotate.