HOW: While standing, bring one knee up to your chest as you grab it to pull it up even more of a stretch. Take a step and grab the other leg. Alternate walking forward and grabbing each knee. 

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your hip. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your body and back upright, don’t lean back.

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 your top hand on your top hip for body awareness. While keeping your feet and knees 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, slowly lower down to starting position 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 oblique muscles and right 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

HOW: Get set-up standing near a wall, place one knee and thigh up against the wall with your thigh about parallel to the ground. Try to be standing tall or leaning slightly into the wall, then push your knee into the wall as hard as you can and also push with the leg that is in contact with the ground.

 

FEEL: You will feel your hip and butt muscles working on the leg that is in contact with the ground. You will also feel your hip and butt muscles on the side that is pushing against the ball against the wall.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lose knee position on the wall, do not lean away from the wall or lean back, try to not let your knee excessively bend on the side that is in contact with the ground.

HOW:  Start on your back with one knee bent on the floor, with the opposite leg perform a straight leg raise. Next, drive your heel into the ground and lift your hip up towards the ceiling with the bent knee. At the end position your knee, hip, and shoulder should be in one straight line. Hold the end position and squeeze the glutes, then slowly return to starting position and lower the straight leg back down.

 

FEEL:  You should feel your glutes work 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. The straight leg will be working the front of the hip and thigh muscles.

 

COMPENSATION:  Avoid arching at the low back as you perform this. Don’t let the knee bend with the leg that is elevated.

HOW: Get set up sitting on a surface that is ideally positioned at the bottom of your ideal squat depth. Begin by sitting on the surface supported with your feet positioned in your ideal squat stance and form. To perform the exercise, shift your weight forward and lift your butt off the surface, hold the bottom of the squat position for a moment (take a breath), then lower back down and repeat.

 

FEEL: This should feel like a lower body and core workout to maintain the bottom of the squat position. Your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and even your adductors, calves, and shins may be working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not excessively use momentum to sit up and sit back down. Focus on moving your body as a unit, do not let your chest drop forward or shoot your butt up and back as you make the transitions. Take your time and slowly perform the movement. Focus on good squat form when holding the bottom of the squat – do not excessively round or arch your back.

HOW: Starting in a standing position, take a moderate length step backwards and perform a lunge movement. Pause at the bottom, then return to starting position. Repeat and then perform on the other side.

 

FEEL: You should feel at least 80% of your weight is on the front leg. This is the leg that will be doing most of the work, with your quads and glutes getting a workout.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not take too short or too long of a step, maintain space in between your feet, you don’t have to step back as if your feet are exactly in line with one another. Don’t lose balance or put too much weight on the back leg.

HOW: Place a step in front of a wall or an object to use for balance. Step onto the box with the balls of your feet on the edge of the box, and your heels off the box. While keeping your glutes and quads tight to keep your knees straight, 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 working as well to help keep your legs straight.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not let your knees bend as that is a different exercise. 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: Loop a band just above your knees in a standing position. In this example, the tempo relates to the time it takes to lower into a squat, hold the squat, come back up, and the time in between reps. 5-3-1-0 is used for this squat. Five seconds to bend your knees, hinge slightly forward at the waist, and push out on the band as you lower into a squat. Three seconds to hold that squat at the bottom for an isometric contraction. One second to return to the starting position, and zero seconds in between reps. Perform this type of squat for the tempo that is prescribed to you. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your lower body muscles working during the squat. You should also feel your hip muscles working extra to push the band outward. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t cheat yourself on the times prescribed.

HOW: Assume the plank position on your elbows and toes. Simply hold this position for the desired amount of time.

 

FEEL: You should feel all the muscles in your stomach working to hold this position. You may also feel your shoulder and chest muscles working.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch your low back, let your hips sag to the ground, or stick your hips too high in the air