Purpose – Strength Core and Lumbar Spine
Set up Position
- Lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on floor
- Knees in line with hips, feet in line with sit bones
- Arms down by the side of the body, palms facing the floor
- Back of neck lengthened
- Shoulder blades stabilized
- Spine in neutral
- Core stability muscles engaged (30%)
- Adopt Lateral Thoracic breathing
Exercise Description
- Inhale to prepare
- Exhale and initiate the move from the hip and float the foot of one leg off the floor to bring the knee to rest directly above the hip, shin parallel to the ceiling. If you have a mirror practise this in front of it so you can check position of leg.
- Take weight out of supporting foot. Imagine a cream cake underneath.
- Exhale and extend the leg out, lengthening from the knee until thighs are level. The lower you go the harder the exercise will be.
- Inhale and return leg to the starting position
- Repeat x 8 then switch legs
Watch Out Points
- Keep resting leg stable
- Keep tension out of upper body
- Avoid pressing into floor during movements
- Avoid loosing neutral spine, back should not peel away from floor