HOW: Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Keep the both feet entirely on the ground throughout the movement. Place your hands in front of you about shoulder height to help counterbalance your weight. Sink your hips down and backwards, and then stand back up.

 

FEEL: You should feel all of the thigh muscles and butt muscles working.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting the knees cave in or bow out. Keep equal weight distribution in both feet, and try not to let your hips shift left or right. Keep a neutral spine by keeping your core engaged to avoid having a over-arched or rounded back.

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: Set up a step on the ground. Step up onto the step with one leg as you bring the other leg up into a runners position with the knee and hip at 90 degrees.Touch the toe of the drive leg back to the ground without placing weight through it. Swing your arms in a running related pattern Continuously perform this motion for the prescribed amount of reps. 

 

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

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your upper half upright, don’t slouch forwards as you step up and back. Simply touch the toe back instead of placing weight through it. Swing your arms.

HOW: Place a folded towel on the ground in front of you. Position both of your big toes on the towel with the balls of your feet still on the ground. Use a wall for balance support as you keep your knees straight and raise your heels off of the ground with your toes pushing into the towel. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the bottom of your big toe and underneath your foot. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your big toe on the towel, not all of your foot. Keep your knee straight when raising your heel.

HOW: In a seated position, cross the involved leg and foot over the other leg’s knee with your ankle hanging unsupported. Gently pull your big toe up stretching the bottom of your foot for the prescribed amount of reps. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the bottom of your foot. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t move your ankle, focus the movement only in your big toe and the stretch in the bottom of the foot.

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: Start in a tall kneeling position and then place one leg straight out in front of you. With your hips square and your toe pointing up, send your hips back by hinging at the hips. Pause for the given amount of time, then return to the starting position.

 

FEEL: You should feel a comfortable stretch in the back of the leg. 

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid letting your hips rotate out as you perform this exercise. Also be sure to keep your torso upright with focus on hinging at your hips and not rounding your back.

HOW: Start first by squeezing your entire thigh, trying to fully straighten your knee, hold this position. Then either start on your back and lift your leg up in the air; lie on the opposite side of the leg and lift your leg up in the air; lie on your stomach and lift your leg up in the air; lie on your affected side and lift your leg up in the air. The 4-way hip is done by performing all four movements! Watch the video for other tips and tricks regarding positioning.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your thigh and hip working to perform this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Try to isolate movement coming from the hips, not your low back or other parts of your body. Follow along with the video for other tips and cues.

HOW:  Begin the exercise by laying on your side. Place your top foot in front of your bottom foot. Push both feet into the ground to lift your body up into a full side plank. Keep your body in one straight line from your heels to your hips to your shoulders.

 

FEEL:  You will feel your shoulder, hip, and core working – specifically the side facing the floor. You will also feel the inner groin region of your top leg as long as you push that side’s foot down into the ground as you should.

 

COMPENSATION:  Avoid allowing your shoulder blade to sag back. Avoid allowing your hips to dip towards the floor when holding at the top.

HOW: Start by holding onto a medball with both hands in a standing position with your knees slightly bent and hinged forward at the waist. From here, rotate the upper half of your body quickly to one side and the other while keeping the rest of your body still. Repeat for the prescribed amount of reps. 

 

FEEL: .You should feel your core and mid back muscles working to rotate the upper half of your body from side to side. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t move your lower body as you rotate the ball from side to side.