Routine 3

Quick Description: On your hands and knees. Knees are under your hips and hands are under your shoulders. Extend your spine and look up towards the ceiling, then round your back and tuck your chin towards your chest, tuck your tailbone as well. Then proceed back into the extension, chin up and tailbone up. Breathing throughout. Repeat 10 repetitions.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like your trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar with your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.

To Perform the Exercise: Slowly alternate between full flexion and full extension of your spine. For the first position, put your spine into full extension by simultaneously raising your head and looking up as high as you can, and pushing your chest and belly toward the floor as far as you can. Keep your elbows straight and don’t move your hands, knees, or feet. Then move into the second position, which is full flexion of the spine, by dropping your chin down toward the floor and then toward your chest, and simultaneously pushing your shoulders and back up toward the ceiling as high as you can. Again, keep the rest of your body in the exact same position. When raising your spine up, try to pull your belly button into your spine for the full contraction. Repeat for 10 repetitions.

Muscles Targeted: This will lengthen and stretch the core abdominal muscles, as well as the spinal muscles such as the erector spinae (the large muscles on either side of your spine), and the small muscles that run between your vertebrae.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake is sitting back on your heels when performing this movement. Stay up in your table top position with your hips over your knees.

Another common mistake is not rolling the hips when arching the spine. As your spine drops down, think about trying to push your tail bone and the back of your head closer together, and when your spine raises up, thing about pushing your chin and your groin closer together, rolling and turning the hips with each movement.

Quick Description: On hands and knees similar to the cat-camel exercise. As you extend and round your spine, you will move through one leg as well. As you tuck your chin and tailbone, also bring your knee towards your chin, rounding through the spine. Then as you extend your chin and tailbone upwards, you will raise the bent knee behind you, extending at the hip, sole of the foot towards the ceiling as well. Repeat the same leg about 10 times and then switch legs.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight, your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, your not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like your trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar, your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine in total, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.

To Perform the Exercise: Slowly alternate between full flexion and full extension of your spine, along with a full extension and flexion of one hip. For the first position, put your spine into full extension by simultaneously raising your head and looking up as high as you can, pushing your chest and belly toward the floor as far as you can, and raising one leg up behind you, keeping your knee bent and pushing the bottom of your foot up toward the ceiling as high as you can. Keep your elbows straight and don’t move your hands or the knee that is still on the ground. Now, move into the second position, which is full flexion of the spine, by dropping your chin down toward the floor and then toward your chest, pushing your shoulders and bac up toward the ceiling as high as you can, and bringing the knee of the leg you lifted in toward your chin as close as you can. Again, keep the rest of your body in the exact same position, and when raising your spine up, try to pull your belly button into your spine for the full contraction. Your leg should remain bent to 90 degrees through the entire sequence. Repeat about 8-10 times for each leg.

Muscles Targeted: This will lengthen and stretch the core abdominal muscles, as well as the spinal muscles such as the erector spinae (the large muscles on either side of your spine), and the small muscles that run between your vertebrae. It will also open up the Psoas (hip flexors and the glutes (buttocks).

Common Mistakes: One common mistake is sitting back on your heels when performing this movement. Stay up in your table top position with your hips over your knees.

Another common mistake is twisting, or rotating, the hips to the side as the leg is lifted and then tucked in. Imagine that there is a glass of water on your lower back, your trying to flex and extend your spine as much as you can, but your trying to avoid tipping to the side. Focus on keeping your belly tight and pointed toward the floor through the entire movement and not toward the wall at your side.

Quick Description: Starting on your hands and knees again in the table-top position. Extend your left leg out behind you as you extend your right arm straight out ahead of you. Keep the back of the neck long as if looking straight down towards the floor. Reach out in opposite directions and balance and hold this position for about 10 secs as you breathe. Return to the start position and repeat on the other side, extending the opposite arm and leg, keeping the spine quite still.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the top of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar with your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.

To perform the exercise: raise one arm and the opposite leg off the floor and extend them out so that your raised arm and leg are straight and level with your hips and shoulders.  Your raised arm should be pointed ahead of you toward 12 o’clock, and the opposite leg and foot, the one you have raised and straightened, should be pointed back toward 6 o’clock.  Return back to your starting position by lowering your arm and leg back down, bending the knee again, and returning back to your quadruped position. Hold each of these positions for about 10 seconds per side, focusing on raising the leg and arm up as much as you can without over arching your lower back.

Muscles Targeted:– Your traps, posterior deltoids, or rhomboids (your upper back), your glute complex (your buttocks), and your hamstrings (the back of your thigh).   

Ways to Increase Intensity: You can make this exercise more challenging by adding wrist and ankle weights to the movement, or by beginning in a push-up plank position instead of the quadruped position, which would challenge your core much more through increased rotational and sagittal tension.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: keeping a slight bend in the knee and elbow will decrease the demand on those muscle groups. Fight for full extension, or straightening of those joints as you improve and become stronger.

Some common mistakes with this exercise: First, moving the spine out of it’s neutral position.  The spine should remain neutral and steady throughout the whole movement, not over arching or rounding.  Imagine that there is a glass of water on your back as you do this exercise, in order to not spill the water, you have to remain very steady in your torso and hips as you move your arm and opposite leg. 

Next, not fully extending the leg and arm: When raising up, be sure to fully lock the elbow and knee of the extremities you are lifting for the full effect. Your arm and leg should raise to the same height as your hips and shoulders, creating a straight line from the finger tips of your raised arm, to the toes of your raised leg.

Another common mistake is allowing your head to drop down so keep your neutral alignment by pointing your nose toward the floor and pushing the back of your head toward the ceiling.

Quick Description: Starting again in the all fours (hands and knees), table-top position. Take one hand behind the head, maintain level hips and spine. Then twist that elbow towards your other elbow, keeping the hips level, twisting through your middle back. Then bring the elbow back and up towards the ceiling. As you move, your head should follow your elbow. Repeat about 10 times on one side and then switch.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight, your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, your not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like your trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar, your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine in total, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock. Now that you have this position, take one hand off the floor and place it on the back of your head/neck, pointing your elbow out to the side laterally.

To Perform the Exercise: Keeping your legs and bottom arm totally steady, raise the elbow of the bent arm up toward the ceiling as high as you can, trying to point your chest toward the wall at your side and looking that same direction. Then rotate that elbow back down and move it toward the elbow of the straight arm, trying to turn your chest and face toward the opposite wall. Repeat 8-10 times, turning your head and chest with your elbow,  and then switch arms.

Muscles Targeted: All the major muscles in the chest and back.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this movement is allowing your hips to change position forward or back. This is a rotational movement, so you should not sit back toward your heels or lean forward, but keep your hips in the same position, maintaining a neutral spine and rotating as far as you can stretch.

Quick Description: From table-top position, take a slightly wider stance with your knees and sit your hips back towards your heels. Walk hands forward slightly and let the chest fall towards the floor. Focus on breathing into the rib cage, inhale to expand the ribs and exhale. Hold for 3-4 breaths. Walk hands towards the right and hold and breathe. Then walk the hands to the left and hold and breathe.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be as wide as your shoulders just on the outside of your ribs, with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be up slightly from your body, in line with your face, and not by your chest as we normally would have them.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight and  your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar, your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are in a stance slightly wider than your hips instead of directly under your hips like we would normally do, and your knees and feet are the same width, approximately 10-12 inches between your knees and the same between your feet. Finally, the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock.

To Perform the Exercise: Slowly sit your hips back toward your heels and lower your chest toward the floor at the same time. As your chest comes down, you can walk your hands out further away from you until your face and chest are just a few inches from the ground and your arms are fully extended out over your head. You can increase or decrease the tension as needed by sliding your hands further forward away from you or back towards you. Take one hand, and place it on top of the other, stretching that arm and shoulder across the mid line of your body. Repeat on the other side and be sure to take slow deep breaths as you feel the muscles and joints in your back, shoulders, and chest stretch open. You can hold each position for 3-5 seconds, and repeat as needed.

Muscles Targeted: Primarily the Latissimus Dorsi (the large muscles of your back on the side of your body), but it also stretches open the muscles of your chest, shoulders, and belly, as well as potentially your hips and buttocks.

Common Mistakes: Keeping the knees too close together. You don’t need to open your knees so much that you feel the stretch in the groin, but you want to get a slightly wider base than normal to allow your hips to sit back further and get a better stretch in the torso.

Quick Description: Starting in the table-top in the all fours position. Then, keeping the knees where they are, cross your left foot over your right lower leg behind you. Then slowly sit the hips back and to the left, aiming for a stretch in your left hip/gluteal area. Rock yourself in and out of the stretch, forward and back about 6-8 times. Then switch sides.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight, your scapula, or shoulder blades, are slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, your not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like your trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar, your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine in total, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. Your knees are directly under your hips, and your knees and feet are the same width as your hips, approximately six inches of space. the tops of your feet are resting on the floor with your toes pointed behind you toward 6 o’clock. Now, rotate one leg by taking the top of one foot and placing it on the lower calf of the other leg, close to your opposite foot.

To Perform the Exercise: Slowly lower your hips back and down toward the side of the leg you rotated. Shift your hands as needed to sit your hip low and feel the stretch in the buttocks of the leg you are stretching. Rock into the stretch and back out gently and repeat 6-8 times for each leg.

Muscles Targeted: The Glute Complex (the buttocks) and the Piriformis (a long flat muscle in the buttocks)

Ways to Increase Intensity: You can increase rotation by turning your leg and placing the top of your foot on the floor in front of the knee you have not moved, making a 90 degree angle before sitting back into the stretch.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: Instead of placing the top of your foot on the opposite leg, just bring the inside of your foot toward the inside of your lower leg before sitting back. This will relieve some tension on your hips and buttocks.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this movement is rounding out the lower spine. As you sit back, try to keep your belly in tight and maintain a neutral position in your lumbar to keep the stretch in your hips and buttocks.

Quick Description: From the table-top, all fours position. Open the knees as wide as still feels comfortable. Then rock your hips back towards your heels, trying to keep the tailbone up and NOT tucking under. Rock forward again over your hands and repeat the hips back towards the heels. 8-10 reps.

Starting Position: Let’s begin this exercise in the quadruped, also known as the table top position or hands and knees position. Come down to the floor and support your weight on your hands, knees, and the tops of your feet. The hands are flat on the floor, putting your wrists in an extended position.  Your hands should be directly under your shoulders with your fingers pointed in front of you toward 12 o’clock. Your hands should be just slightly wider than your ribs, and should be in line with your chest, not up by your upper shoulders or neck.  Your elbows are fully extended, or straight with your scapula, or shoulder blades, slightly retracted, or pulled back, creating a flat surface for your upper back.  In other words, you’re not allowing your back to round up toward the ceiling too much, but staying very neutral.  Your nose is pointed toward the floor, because this is in alignment with your spine which is currently parallel with the floor.  Retract your head back, or in this case, up, to maintain that good alignment.  Another way to say it, keep your nose pointed toward the floor, but lift your head as high as you can, like you’re trying to touch the ceiling with the back of your head.  Your belly should be squeezed in tight with your lumbar and your lower spine, curved anteriorly, in this case toward the floor, very slightly.  For your spine, from the top of your head to the top of your buttocks, we are aiming for neutrality, an elongated spine with shallow curves. In the normal table top position, your knees would be  directly under your hips, but for this exercise, open your knees wide to the point just short of the furthest you can stretch. Finally, your feet should be externally rotated so that the inside arches of your feet are on the floor and your toes are pointed to the side.

To Perform the Exercise: Simply sit your hips back toward your heels until you feel a good stretch in your groin, focusing on keeping a neutral alignment in the spine, not allowing your lower back to round up toward the ceiling, but maintaining the slight forward arch toward the floor. If it is more comfortable, you can also come down to the floor on your forearms instead of being up on your hands. Rock back for a few seconds, then move forward again taking tension off the muscles. Repeat this movement 8-10 times.

Muscles Targeted: The hip adductors

Ways to Increase Intensity: As with any stretch, increasing your range of motion will increase intensity, such as widening your knees in your starting stance and sitting back further toward your heels. Be cautious not to over stretch, as this can have the opposite effect of improving flexibility. Your stretch should be slightly uncomfortable, not painful.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: To reduce tension, do not rock back so far toward your heels and bring your knees closer together in your starting stance, shortening the distance between your knees.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake is allowing your lower back to round up toward the ceiling. Do the movement correctly by keeping a neutral arch in the lower spine, which  will help make sure that this stretch focuses on the hip adductors.

Another common mistake is not having enough padding on the floor. Make sure that the surface you are working on is well padded so that your joints are protected, especially under your knees and ankles as these will commonly be sensitive points of contact with the floor.

Quick Description: Laying on your back, knees bent and feet are flat on the floor and about hip width apart. Push in the floor with both feet as you lift your hips and butt up towards the ceiling. Release back down to the floor and repeat 10-15 times.

Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or face up,  on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat.  Flex, or bend, the knees, pointing your knees toward the ceiling and place your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks, maintaining about 6 inches between your feet and knees.  The position of your arms and hands is preferential, you can leave them at your side palms up, you can turn your palms down, or you can fold your arms across your chest. 

To perform the exercise: keep your feet flat and your shoulders and head in contact with the floor, and lift your hips up off the ground toward the ceiling as high as you can, squeezing your glutes (buttocks) at the top.  Then, slowly lower back down to the starting position. Repeat 8- 10 times.

Muscles Targeted: the hamstrings (or back of your legs), your glutes (or buttocks), and your lumbar Erector Spinae (or lower back). 

Ways to Increase Intensity: If you want a little more of a challenge, you can place your feet on a raised or unstable surface. Some examples are a bottom step, a foam roller, a stool, or small stability ball.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this exercise is challenging, place your arms on the floor at your side with your palms down so that you can press into the floor with your hands and use a small amount of leverage from your arms as you lift your hips.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this movement is not keeping the feet parallel. There should be equal spacing between your toes and heels, approximately 6-8 inches, or as wide as your hips. Don’t allow your toes to turn out or in, as this can place a twist in your knee.

Another common mistake is not squeezing and activating the glutes at the top of the lift. Be sure to push your hips as high as you can, tightening your buttocks at the top.

Single Leg Glute Bridges

Starting in the same position, on your back, knees are bent and feet are flat on the floor. Feet are a little closer together. Extend one leg straight out and perform the glute bridge with one foot pushing into the floor, raising the hips up towards the ceiling and back down. Keep the hips level throughout. Repeat 10 times per leg.

Quick Description: Starting on your back, knees are bent and feet are flat on the floor. Feet are a little closer together. Extend one leg straight out and perform the glute bridge with one foot pushing into the floor, raising the hips up towards the ceiling and back down. Keep the hips level throughout. Repeat 10 times per leg. 

Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or on your back face up,  on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat.  Flex, or bend the knees, placing your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks.  Your feet should be about 3-6 inches apart, and your knees also about 3-6 inches apart.  The position of your arms and hands is preferential. You can leave them at your side palms up or palms down, or you can fold your arms across your chest. Raise one foot off the floor, fully extending, or straightening  your knee, and point the bottom of your foot toward the room in front of you, holding your leg just a few inches off the ground. You will have one foot on the floor with your knee bent and pointed toward the ceiling, and the other leg straight out just a few inches off the ground and your foot pointed toward the room in front of you. 

To perform the exercise: keep your shoulders and head in contact with the floor, and drive your bottom foot into the ground as you  lift your hips up toward the ceiling as high as you can. As your hips come up, your extended leg will raise up into the air with your hips a couple of feet to stay in line with your body. Be sure to squeeze your glutes (buttocks) at the top.  Then, lower back down slowly to the starting position.   

Muscles Targeted: Hamstrings (or back of your legs), Glutes (or buttocks), and Core Abdominals.   

Ways to Increase Intensity: If you are looking for more of a challenge, you can place an elevated or unstable object under your bottom foot such as a stool, foam roller, or ball. 

Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this exercise feels too difficult, you can take some tension off your core by bending your lifted leg. Think of it this way, as you keep your foot off the ground, keep it bent and in line with your other leg. This will shorten the lever on which gravity can pull and make the exercise slightly easier. 

Common mistakes: One common mistake is allowing your hips to fall back down to the ground.  When returning back to the floor after driving the hips and leg up, slowly control your descent, lightly touching the floor, and driving back up for the next repetition.   

Another common mistake is having your plant foot turned so that it is not pointed directly toward 12 o’clock.  Make sure that your foot that is on the ground is not turned to the side, but pointed straight toward 12 o’clock away from your hips. 

Quick Description: Stand on one foot and find balance. Then use the other free leg to reach forward, to the side and towards the back to challenge your balance. Repeat 5-6 times. Keep balancing throughout and then switch legs.

Starting Position: Let’s start this exercise standing up straight next to a stable object you can hold on to for balance if needed. Center  your weight over your grounded foot by moving  your hips laterally, shifting to the side of that leg slightly, effectively putting your grounded foot right in the middle of your body alignment. Another way of saying it, you’re not tipping to the side, your head and shoulders should stay right over your hips, but your whole vertical torso should be shifted just a little to the side so that your bottom foot is right in the middle of your body. Now raise your other foot off the floor just an inch or two, and keep it hovering there. Your arms should be bent to 90 degrees and at your side with your palms facing each other out in front of you, just like when running. The exception is if you are having balancing issues, you can place your hand or hands on whatever stable object you are using for balance.

To Perform the Exercise: Move the foot that you have elevated, forward to a comfortable but challenging distance. Return to the starting position, and then lift it to the side to a comfortable but challenging distance. Return to the starting position, and then lift it back behind you to a comfortable but challenging distance, then return to the starting position one more time, still hovering over the ground. This would be considered one cycle, repeat 5-6 times and then switch legs.

Muscles Targeted: This exercise will challenge most of the muscles in the core, along with the major muscles of the hips and buttocks.

Ways to Increase Intensity: If you’re looking for more of a challenge, you can stand on an instable surface such as a soft mat or balance disc. This will cause you to have more instability and a greater need for muscle activation.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: To make this exercise a bit easier, you can hold onto a stable surface for support. Challenge yourself to only hold on when absolutely needed and work toward balancing without assistance.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this exercise is swaying and leaning with the upper body. Think of your upper body being as still as a statue, shifting just slightly to counter balance the movement of your leg. The idea of this exercise is balance and stability, so keep yourself strong and stable through each movement.

Quick Description: Standing on one leg. Something nearby to help with balance. Raise up all the way onto the toes and hold 3-5 secs and slowly lower down. Be sure to keep contact with the ground under the big toe at all times. Repeat a few times on each leg. Next, try the same exercise with a slightly bent knee, only raising the heel up halfway. Repeat both legs.

Starting Position: Let’s start this exercise standing up straight next to a stable object you can hold on to for balance if needed. Center your weight over your grounded foot by moving your hips laterally, shifting to the side of that leg slightly, effectively putting your grounded foot right in the middle of your body alignment. Another way of saying it, you’re not tipping to the side, your head and shoulders should stay right over your hips, but your whole vertical torso should be shifted just a little to the side so that your bottom foot is right in the middle of your body. Now raise your other foot off the ground and out in front of you slightly with your knee bent at a shallow angle, just to keep your leg out of the way and your foot from contacting the floor. Your arms should be bent to 90 degrees and at your side with your palms facing each other out in front of you, just like when running. The exception is if you are having balancing issues, you can place your hand or hands on whatever stable object you are using for balance. Finally, there will be two different positions for the knee of the leg you are standing on. The first position is with that knee completely straight as you perform the exercise, which will target the Gastrocnemius (calf muscle), and the second position is with the knee slightly bent and your hips back when performing the exercise, which will target the soleus (calf muscle).

To Perform the Exercise: Drive the toes of your bottom foot into the ground and lift your heel up so that it is off the floor as high as you can. Hold for 3-5 seconds and then slowly lower back down. Repeat the exercise a few  times per leg, and then change to the bent knee position and repeat the movement. With the knee bent position, you do not need to raise the heel up quite so high.

Muscles Targeted: Gastrocnemius and Soleus (calf muscles), as well as several stabilizer muscles in the hips, buttocks, and core.

Ways to Increase Intensity: If your balance is exceptional and your looking for a challenge, you can perform this exercise on a soft surface, which will create less stability and more of a challenge for your muscle coordination. You can also add resistance by holding on to weights while performing the movement.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: If this is a challenging exercise for you, you can place the toes of your elevated foot back onto the floor for a little more stability. Think of 90%of your weight being in your bottom foot, but about 10% in the one you just put back down, just helping the movement along as needed.

Common Mistakes: One common mistake is not redistributing your weight to be centered for this exercise. It is so common when a person is told to balance on one foot, that they automatically just pick the other straight up off the ground. If you are standing on both feet, then all of a sudden, one foot is gone, you are going to topple over. Focus on staying up as tall as you can while centering your grounded foot directly underneath your body for best results.

Another common mistake is trying to look down at your foot while doing this movement. Your head should be up tall and your spine erect. This will help maintain balance, and improve posture.

Quick Description: Stand on both feet, hop on both feet keeping the feet parallel with the ground and perform quick hops as if you are skipping. Feel the effort through the hips as the knees help by bending. Do 10 secs and rest. Repeat 5-6 times.

Starting Position: Stand tall on a flat surface with your feet together. Prepare for the movement by flexing at the hips (push your hips back slightly) and knees (bend your knees). Your arms should be bent 90 degrees at the elbow with your hands out in front of your in an open and relaxed position, palms facing toward each other.

To Perform the Exercise: Hop up off the ground by rapidly straightening your hips and knees, keeping your arms stationary at your side. As you come up off the ground, try not to push off with your toes, but with your heels, keeping your feet parallel with the floor while you are in the air. As you come back down, land flat footed again, making sure to have your knees and hips flexed once more upon impact to take the shock of your landing into the muscles of your buttocks and thighs. Once back down, rapidly extend, or straighten, your hips and knees again to repeat the movement. Perform this exercise for about 10 seconds, rest, and then repeat several sets. Be sure to listen to your body, pad up your feet, and feel this exercise in your muscles, not in your joints.

Muscles Targeted: All of the muscles in the buttocks, hips, and thighs

Ways to Increase Intensity: If you are somewhat athletic already, you can perform this exercise with a knee tuck while in the air. As you come up off the ground, drive both knees up toward your chest and then back down again before landing, effectively creating a much larger movement with your legs than just the short hop.

Ways to Decrease Intensity: You can limit the intensity of this exercise by not leaving the ground, and just popping up on your toes. If this modification is appropriate for you, you can work your way toward the full version by slowly moving into a jump off the toes, and eventually off the heels.

Common Mistakes: Landing with straight knees and hips. Be sure to land softly with your knees bend and hips back. This will allow the large muscles of your buttocks and thighs to do the work and take the shock of your landing.

Another common mistake is throwing your arms all over the place while jumping. Occasionally your arms will move as you lose balance or as you practice the exercise, but your goal is to keep your arms fairly stationary at your side and your core tight, putting the exercise in your legs instead of your arms.