HOW: Sit on a box/bench/object of the desired height. The taller, the easier. Stand up from the box using both of your legs. Once standing, shift all your weight to one leg and lift the opposite leg in the air. Slowly lower yourself down to the box with only the one leg. Repeat

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes, quads, and core working to slowly lower yourself down to the box.

 

COMPENSATION: Try not to lean over to one side with your shoulders. Use your core to stay as centered as possible. Do not let your knee dive inward or outward excessively.

HOW:  Stand on the edge of a box/step and balance with all of your weight on the leg you want to exercise. The other leg will be hovering off the edge of the step. Slowly lower your hips, lightly tap the ground with your leg that is in the air, and then come back up.

 

FEEL:  You should feel all of the thigh muscles and butt muscles working in the leg that you are standing on.

 

COMPENSATION:  Don’t let the knees cave in or bow out. Be sure to maintain equal weight distribution throughout the entire foot of the standing leg.

HOW: Stand on top of an elevated surface. Shift your weight to one leg and bend the other knee up. Begin to bend the knee you are standing on and hinge forward at the hips as you straighten your other leg down to the side of the surface. Once you have reached a point that is as low as you can comfortably go, push back into the surface and return to the single leg balance position. 

 

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

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t twist your body as you squat down on the one leg.

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: Lie on your back and put both of your feet on the swissball. With your knees straight, perform a bridge by diffing your heels into the swissball to lift your hips up. Once up, slowly roll the swissball towards you by bending your knees. Once the swissball has rolled towards use, slowly roll it back out. Rolling it back out with control is the hardest and most important part! You can use your hands at your side if needed.

 

FEEL: You should feel your hamstrings working very hard to control the swissball movement.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not let the swissball move from side to side. It should only be rolling forward and backwards. Make sure to only extend at the hips, and not the lower back!

HOW: Get set-up in a tall kneeling position with something under your knees for comfort and with a partner or weight holding your ankles down. While keeping your core tight and trunk straight, perform the exercise by leaning forward as far as you can that you can control, then quickly lower yourself down, catch yourself with your hands, and push yourself away from the ground to return to starting position.

 

FEEL: You will feel your hamstring muscles working very hard with this exercise. You will also feel your core muscles working to keep your trunk in a good position.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not round or bend your back. You should be able to draw a straight line from your knees to your forehead.