HOW: Get set-up standing with a band around and above the knee with the band anchored in front of you. To perform the exercise, put tension on the band so that it wants to pull your knee forward, let your knee bend and your foot go onto the toes followed by squeezing your quad, pushing your heel into the ground, and pushing your knee back until it is fully straight.

 

FEEL: You will feel your quads working with this exercise and maybe even your glutes. You may also feel a stretch behind your knee in the calf and hamstring region when your knee is straight.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your hip extended (pushed forward) and stand tall as you perform this exercise, don’t let your butt go back and your hip bend when you straighten your knee.

HOW: Start by lying on your back. Bend your opposite knee. The first step is let your foot turn out, this will put your hip in the desired position. Next, you must perform a very strong quadricep set by squeezing your thigh as hard as you can. Keeping this constant squeeze, tighten your core muscles and then lift your leg up into the air. Try to trace an invisible “J” in the air, keeping your toes pointing outwards the entire time. Think of making your leg as long and as straight as you can while lifting it. Then slowly lower back down to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel an entire contraction of the front thigh muscles and your leg working hard, especially the inside part of your thigh.

 

COMPENSATION: You should not be feeling these exercises exclusively in the front of your hip. If you only feel the muscles in the front of your hip working, it means you are not squeezing your thigh hard enough or you’re are not squeezing the quads when you are lifting your leg. Maintaining the thigh squeeze is the most important part of this exercise!

HOW: Begin in a seated position with a band wrapped around your shin bone. Straighten out your knee by pulling into the band. Hold the desired position.

 

FEEL: You will feel the thigh muscles working with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Please avoid moving at the entire trunk while performing this exercise, isolate the motion to the knee joint.

HOW: Begin in a staggered stance position with a majority of your weight on the front leg. Next focus on hinging primarily at the hips. This is achieved by bringing your torso forward and pushing your butt back. Lower yourself as far as you feel comfortable, then pull yourself upright by using the muscles in the back of the leg. Squeeze your butt once you are upright to ensure that you stand fully erect. The leg in the back is there to give you some stability, make sure the front leg is doing most of the work here.

 

FEEL: You will the muscles in the back of the leg work with this exercise. As you hinge over you will feel a pull in the hamstrings.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoiding rounding the back as you lean your torso forward. Movement should primarily be at the hips. Don’t allow the knee to go forward past your toes with this exercise.

HOW: Begin on your side with your leg on top straightened out. Follow the video for instructions with the arms to create more core work. Place a band just slightly above your knees for additional resistance. Elevate the top leg towards the ceiling and back wall simultaneously. Avoid crunching at your low back or rotating your body open towards the ceiling.

 

FEEL: You should feel the outer hip, particularly the glute muscles with this exercise. You can place your top hand on your pelvis to assure the motion is coming from the hip and not the lower back.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid rotating your entire trunk or performing a side crunch with this exercise. Make sure the shoulder that is facing the ceiling stays in front of the shoulder that is against the floor. 

While weakness of the hip abductors is often times the culprit for medial knee collapse, a lack of motor control can also be the source. This is especially prevalent among higher end athletes who demonstrate medial knee collapse with functional activities.

In this case, the athlete more times than not has more than adequate strength, yet they fail to utilize and demonstrate the neuromuscular control necessary to engage the hip abductors during tasks. Too see if this is the case, give the athlete visual, verbal, or manual cues to facilitate hip abductor.

Here, we demonstrate a resistance cue with a theraband. The theraband provides tension to drive the knee inward, into hip addiction. This slight resistance is enough to facilitate the hip abductors to fire during the single leg squat.

*NOTE: This can also be used as a strengthening exercise once the athlete demonstrates good neuromuscular control.

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 step. Shift all of your weight to one leg. With the foot in the air, you will reach forward and lightly tap the ground with your heel, and then come back up to your starting position.

 

FEEL:  You should feel all the thigh muscles and the butt muscles working in the leg you’re standing on, but primarily in the thigh muscles.

 

COMPENSATION:  Avoid putting too much weight (if any weight at all) on the foot you are reaching down with. Don’t let your knee cave in, and avoid rounding your back or side bending.

HOW: Begin in a squat position, with a majority of your weight in the balls of your feet. Take a step out to your side (in a W formation) and allow your opposite leg to slowly meet with the leg that stepped out. Make sure to keep tension on the band for the entirety of this exercise, avoid allowing the knees to get close together.  I only go forward and backward with a very small distance for filming purposes, feel free to cover a much larger distance.

 

FEEL: You will feel the entire leg with this exercise, majority of the burn will likely be in the glute and quad muscles.

 

COMPENSATION: Avoid allowing the knees to cave in during this exercise, make sure to keep the knees spread into the band. Also avoid allowing the knee from going forward past your toes.