HOW: Maintain a flat back, hinge forward at the hips reaching for your toes while you kick one leg straight back and slightly bend the knee you are standing on. Do this walking forwards and alternating each leg. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your hamstrings, core, and glute muscles working. 

COMPENSATION: Don’t rotate to either side as you hinge forward. Stay strong in your hip and don’t let it push out to the side.

HOW: Begin in a full side plank with one foot in front of the other, keeping your body in one straight line from your heels to your hips to your shoulders. With the top arm reach down and across towards the arm on the floor, followed by rotate this arm open towards the ceiling. Move controlled with this exercise, maximize the range of motion you go through.

 

REGRESSION: If too difficult perform this exercise on an elevated surface or with your knees on the floor. Both of these variations will decrease the demand of this exercise.

 

FEEL: You will feel your core working, specifically the core facing the floor (Obliques). The shoulder of the forearm on the ground will be working during this exercise.

 

COMPENSATIONS: Avoid allowing your shoulder blade to sag back.

HOW: Begin in a squat position with a band above your knees. As you walk, first put all your weight onto one leg and lift the opposite leg off the floor. The leg that is elevated off the floor will now take a step forward/backward and out to the side. Focus on staying balanced on the leg that is on the floor, make sure this transition is slow and controlled while keeping tension on the band. Use video to help guide you.

 

FEEL: You will feel all of the muscles in the entire leg working with this exercise, majority of the burn will likely be in the hip (glute) muscles.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid allowing the knees to cave in during this exercise, make sure to keep the knees spread into the band.

HOW: Get set-up standing. On the side you want to perform the exercise, balance on that leg and lift the other foot off the ground. With the arm on the same side as the leg on the ground, reach across your body away from the leg on the ground as far as you can as you perform a hip-hinge, return to starting position followed by reaching forward, then return to starting position followed by reaching out towards the same side of your leg on the ground. That counts as 1 rep, repeat.

 

FEEL: You will feel your hamstrings, glutes, and even your calf and arch of your foot muscles working with this exercise. Your core muscles will be working a little bit as well.

 

COMPENSATION: Perform a strict hip hinge, do not arch or round your back. Follow the video for tips and details

HOW: Anchor a band about knee height. Loop it around the outside knee just about the knee cap. The band should feel like it’s trying to pull your leg inwards. Your goal is to resist the band and push out against the band at all times. Bring the other leg back into a lunge position. From here, bend your knee with the band around it while keeping your back straight up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your thigh and glute working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t let the band pull your knee in as you lower down. Keep your back straight.

HOW: Place a slider under the leg you do NOT want to work. The working leg is the leg that does not move. Slowly lower your body into a partial squat. Then slide the slider in front of you and make a complete circle without losing your partial squat position.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles, especially your quadriceps and glutes, in your stationary leg working to maintain your balance.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not put too much weight through the slider! Pretend there is an eggshell under your foot.

HOW: Stand in front of a wall or an object to use for balance. Stand on the leg you want to train. While keeping your glutes and quads tight to keep your knee straight, lift your heel up in a slow and controlled manner, then slowly lower your heel back down to the ground. Repeat

 

FEEL:  You should feel your calf getting a workout, but also your glutes and quads working as well to help keep your leg straight.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not let your knee bend as that is a different exercise. 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 calf!

HOW: Place one leg on an elevated surface and bring the other leg back. Lower yourself down keeping most of your weight on the elevated leg. Comfortably, drop the back knee towards the floor. Then, push yourself back up primarily with the front elevated leg. Keep your torso mostly upright and engage your core.

 

FEEL: The elevated leg will feel the glute, quadriceps, and calf muscle primarily working. The back leg will feel a stretch in the front hip flexor and quadriceps.

 

COMPENSATION: As you squat down, keep an upright position while you squat down. Naturally, your body will want to slump down as you squat onto the elevated leg.

HOW: Start this exercise on your back in a 90/90 position, with your knees over your hips and your arms in front of your shoulders. Keep the small of your back pushed into the floor by activating your core. While maintaining core activation drop one leg and the opposite arm towards the floor. The closer you drop the arms and legs towards the floor the more challenging this exercise will be. Return to starting position and repeat on the opposite side.

 

FEEL: You should feel the abdominal muscles engaging while you perform this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let your low back arch