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Many people who consider themselves fit can't pass three basic hip mobility checks 1) Squat down until your hip crease drops below your knee 2) Stand on one leg and pull the opposite knee past 90 degrees 3) The sit-and-rise test—lower yourself to the floor cross-legged, then stand back...

692,581 views • 1 month ago •via X (Twitter)

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This home lunge superset isn't for the faint of heart. The burning heat in your legs will beg you to stop, but the strength and growth you'll reap make it all worth it. 4 sets of 12 forward lunges, then 12 Reverse right away. Build a lower body that stands the test of time: Lunge Form Cues Set-Up: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips or at your sides. Alignment: Keep your chest up and shoulders back. Step: Take a big step forward, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Brace: Engage your core and maintain balance as your front foot lands to stabilize the movement. Push: Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position. Breathing: Inhale as you lower into the lunge, exhale as you push back up. 5 Lunge mistakes and how to avoid them 1. Taking Too Small a Step - What Happens: A short step limits the range of motion, reducing muscle activation in the glutes and quads. - Fix: Step far enough forward to allow both knees to bend at 90 degrees. 2. Rising Onto the Front Toes - What Happens: Lifting the heel shifts balance and reduces engagement of the glutes and hamstrings. - Fix: Keep your front foot flat, pressing firmly through the heel. 3. Poor Hip Alignment - What Happens: Tilting or rotating the hips reduces balance and proper muscle engagement. - Fix: Keep your hips square and aligned with your torso throughout the movement. 4. Feet Too Narrow or Wide - What Happens: Misaligned foot placement reduces stability and increases the chance of losing balance. - Fix: Keep your feet hip-width apart to maintain balance and proper alignment during the lunge. 5. Not Engaging the Core - What Happens: A weak core reduces balance and stability, increasing the risk of wobbling. - Fix: Brace your core upon landing to absorb the impact and keep your torso steady and aligned. Reverse Lunge Form Cues Set-Up: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips or at your sides. Alignment: Keep your chest lifted, core engaged, and shoulders back. Step: Step one leg back, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Land: Land on the top of your back foot with the toes pointed to stretch the ankle and prevent assistance from the toes. Push: Drive through your front heel to return to the starting position. Breathing: Inhale as you lower into the lunge, exhale as you push back up. 5 Reverse Lunge Mistakes and how to avoid them: 1. Using the Toes for Support on the Back Foot - What Happens: Relying on the back toes reduces the stretch in the ankle and shifts focus away from the front leg. - Fix: Land on the top of your back foot with the toes pointed to stretch the ankle and isolate the front leg fully. 2. Leaning Forward - What Happens: Leaning forward places unnecessary strain on the lower back and reduces engagement of the glutes and quads. -Fix: Keep your chest up and shoulders back to maintain an upright posture.Letting the Front Knee 3. Collapse Inward - What Happens: Knee valgus increases stress on the knee joint and reduces stability. - Fix: Ensure the front knee tracks over the middle of your foot throughout the movement. 4. Letting the Front Knee Collapse Inward - What Happens: Knee valgus increases stress on the knee joint and reduces stability. - Fix: Ensure the front knee tracks over the middle of your foot throughout the movement. 5. Pushing Off the Back Foot - What Happens: Using the back foot to assist reduces the workload on the front leg. - Fix: Focus on driving through the heel of the front foot to return to the starting position.

Alex Bernier

14,524 views • 1 year ago

Strong legs are the foundations of a stable posture, yet many let theirs weaken over time. You lose your ability to move and stand upright. Much of my work with chronic pain clients involves strengthening the legs. This video shows 8 essential lower body motions: 1- Hip Extensions Standing upright involves straightening your torso to align it with your lower body, an extension of your hips executed by your Glutes and Hamstrings. The problem is you sit on these muscles all day, weakening them over the years to the point where they fail to do their job. Your lower back picks up the slack against its will and becomes overworked. I'll start chronic pain clients with Hip Bridges on the floor to ensure everything is balanced, then progress to Hip Thrusts and eventually Standing exercises like the Romanian Deadlift. As for the Deadlift off the floor, those are great if you can access a barbell or kettlebell. - Hip Bridge (0:05) - Hip Thrust (0:11) - Romanian Deadlift (0:17) - Deadlift (0:23) 2- Split Squats Split Squats are excellent for strengthening the knees. In the case of a chronic pain client, I use them to stretch the quad and Hip Flexors of the back leg, which are often extremely stiff due to sitting. This stiffness makes the body collapse forward and is often the limiting factor when people try this exercise for the first time. I'll start someone with the Front Foot elevated because it's easier on the front leg and gives a great stretch, then progress to flat and rear foot elevated. - Front foot elevated (0:30) - Flat (0:36) - Rear-foot elevated (0:42.2) 3- Lunges Lunges are the dynamic version of the Split Squat. Besides being excellent for strengthening your leg muscles, the one thing I love about this exercise is that it teaches you how to brace yourself as your foot lands. Many people lack the core strength to absorb an impact. Lunges develop that shock absorption capacity, especially when done with weights. Ensure you have mastered the Split Squats before doing them, and use different directions to target your muscles differently. - Forward (0:48) - Back (0:54.7) - Side (1:07) 4- Squats The king of all exercises is crucial for your ascension. The vertical motion improves your ability to overcome the world's weight crashing down upon you. It's also an amazing Glute and Quad stretch in the bottom position. I'll start chronic pain clients with the bodyweight variation before progressing them to weighted and eventually one-legged, also known as Pistol Squats. Doing one leg at a time is one of the best ways to balance your body's left and right sides from head to toe. - Body weight (1:12.5) - Loaded (1:19) - Pistol (1:25.5) 5- Step-ups Step-ups are amongst my favorite one-sided exercises to strengthen the Glutes and Quads. They are excellent for improving the stability of your hips and abdominal muscles. Use the Front and Lateral variations to maximize your results. - Front (1:31.5) - Lateral (1:38) 6 - Leg Curls Leg Curls strengthen the lower attachment of your Hamstrings. They are an integral part of my knee and lower back recovery programs because many people are weak due to sitting. I'll have chronic pain clients use a towel to create muscle resistance, though you can do them standing to get some much-needed blood flow. The best way to benefit from this exercise is by using an exercise ball or a machine at the gym. - Standing (1:43) - Towel (1:49) - Exercise ball (1:55.4) - Machine (2:02.1) 7- Adductions The inner thigh muscles become problematic when people sit with their legs crossed. They either get stiff or weak depending on whether you cross one leg over the other or with your foot on the opposite knee. I love Copenhagen Planks to restore the balance in your adductors. - Knee-bent (2:08.8) - Straight-leg (2:14) 8- Calf Raises The ankles are the cornerstone of your posture because they affect the alignment of every other joint above. Strong Calves are essential to their stability, yet many omit them from their workouts. Standing Calf Raises also strengthen the knees from behind. Doing the Donkey variation, you'll feel an intense stretch from the knee to the ankle. Seated Calf Raises work a different lower leg muscle essential to pump blood back up from your feet. - Standing (2:20.5) - Donkey (2:26.6) - Seated (2:33.3) Include these 8 types of motions in your routine as an insurance policy against serious mobility problems down the line. Keeping your legs strong ensures a stable posture and quality movements, two crucial factors for a high quality of life.

Alex Bernier

696,133 views • 2 years ago

People today walk around with the stiffest hips, and the implications are disastrous. You set yourself up for chronic pain and bad posture for the rest of your life. Take control now before it's too late. These 10 stretches will free your hips from their misery: The best time to do these stretches is before bed, as you unload all the tension accumulated throughout the day and achieve a deeper sleep. 1 - Half Frog Stretch (0:06) 3 x 30-60s/side This one is excellent for your inner thighs and hip flexors. You also stretch your abdominals. 2 - Seated Crossed Leg Reach Forward Stretch (0:14) 3 x 30-60s This stretch also hits the lats that sit right above your hips. Some of you may be unable to reach forward with your legs crossed. The first milestone is to touch the floor with your hands and then slide them forward. 3 - Seated Pigeon Stretch (0:23) 3 x 30-60s/leg Today, one of my clients felt a massive pull just by crossing his leg and pushing down. Forget leaning forward! The goal is to bring your chest down to your leg while keeping your back straight. Push your hips back toward the wall behind you to lower your torso. 4 - Seated Glute Strech (0:32) 3 x 30-60s/leg The difference between this stretch and the Seated Pigeon is that you curl your upper back to lower your head to your leg. 5 - Lying Glute Stretch (0:43) 3 x 30-60s/leg Lying on your back with one leg crossed. Pull the other leg toward your chest and hold. 6 - Pigeon Stretch (0:52) 3 x 30-60s/leg This stretch never fails to open my clients' hips, though many will feel enough of a pull by simply crossing one leg. The goal is to reach forward and lower your torso parallel to the floor. 7 - Glute Bridge with External Rotation (1:00) 3 x 10-12/leg This one is great because you strengthen one leg and stretch the other. Due to a lack of strength or mobility, you might have to rotate with a bent leg before moving onto a straightened one. 8 - Frog Stretch (1:05) 3 x 30-60s The frog stretch is amazing for your inner thigh muscles. Start kneeling with your elbows on the floor and your feet pointing outward. Slide backward and hold. 9 - Crossed-Leg Glute Bridge (1:14) 3 x 30-60s/leg Here is another Glute Bridge variation where you strengthen one leg and stretch the other. You feel the hip opening up at the top, so hold it there and rotate your knee away from your body to increase the pull. 10 - V Stretch (1:23) 3 x 30-60s You can do this stretch with your legs up in the air or against a wall. // Start taking care of your hips now before they turn into stone. Reversing the stiffness becomes much more painful and takes much longer if you let it fester over the years. You'll feel much more relaxed and move smoother once you eliminate all the excess pressure.

Alex Bernier

412,739 views • 2 years ago

People with weak cores struggle to stabilize their bodies when they walk. Every step you take sends a little punch up your leg into your hip and lower back. Planks with one or more support points removed to expose this weakness. Use these 12 exercises to strengthen your core: 1 - Bird-Dog (0:06) 3 x 10/side Beginners start with this exercise because removing two support points with your knees on the floor is easier. The goal is to straighten the opposing arm and leg. A client wobbled when she removed her two support points today, which humbled her. 2 - Front Plank with Leg Lift, Elbows (0:15) 3 x 10/side The second plank involves lifting one leg at a time. Being on your elbows is easier than your straightened arms, so I'll first have people familiarize themselves with this position. Lift your leg as high as you can without swinging too much. Hold at the top for a few seconds to increase the burn. 3 - Front Plank with Arm/Leg Lift, Elbows (0:20) 3 x 10 The third plank resembles the Bird Dog, except your knees are off the floor. Straighten the opposite arm and leg at the same time, and hold. You might struggle to reach a full lengthening, so do your best and practice. Removing one hand off the floor also strengthens your shoulder blade muscles. 4 - Front Rotation Plank, Elbows (0:28) 3 x 10/side The fourth plank engages different abdominal muscles with the rotation. Your arms should point toward the ceiling, something beginners might initially struggle with. 5 - Push-Up Plank (0:34) 3 x 10 The fifth plank is excellent for building upper body strength at home. You are bound to break a sweat and work your chest and triceps. I've had many clients struggle to do more than one rep. 6 - Spider Plank, Elbows (1:01) 3 x 10/side The sixth plank improves your hip mobility as well. You want to open the leg and bring your knee to hip level while keeping in the air. 7 - Lateral Raise Plank (1:09) 3 x 10-20/side The seventh plank is done in a push-up position with your arms straight. There is now more weight on your arms, making it harder to stabilize when you remove a support point. My client tried this variation and had to regress to the Bird Dog because she couldn't support herself. Work your way up to 20 reps/side for extra posture gains. 8 - Toe Taps, Straight Arms (1:22) 3 x 10/side The eight plank has you lifting one leg toward one side and touching the floor with your toes. The contact is brief - You're tapping, not resting. 9 - Mountain Climbers with Twist (1:29) 3 x 10/side The ninth plank is a twist on the classic mountain climbers exercise. You lift one leg and bring it toward the opposite elbow, then repeat on the other side. Increase the speed to add a cardio component, but ensure you can first go through the full range of motion. 10 - Arm/Leg Lift Plank, Straight Arms (1:42) 3 x 10 The tenth plank is the final evolution of the Bird Dog in this series. Straighten your opposite arm and leg, and hold for a few seconds to increase the burn. You can also hold the lengthened position for an extended period, like 30 to 60 seconds. 11 - Plank Jacks (1:54) 3 x 30-60s The eleventh plank is a variation of the classic Jumping Jack. This dynamic exercise adds a cardio component to your core workout. Shuffle both feet toward the side, then jump back to the starting position, Ensure you keep your hips aligned with your head and shoulders. You want to avoid your lower back crashing below them and potentially hurting yourself. 12 - Knee to Elbow Plank, Straight Arms (2:01) 3 x 10/side This series's twelfth and final plank requires the most stability and mobility. Most people are unable to reach their knee to the elbow. Enjoy practicing this one; you will feel stronger after three full sets. // Planks with one or more support points removed are excellent for building a more stable posture when you move. They can be done anywhere with enough space. Progress through the twelve variations in this series and watch how your core strength improves. Enjoy!

Alex Bernier

351,097 views • 2 years ago