Runner’s Lunge Flow

To do the Runner’s Lunge Flow, start in the high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your body in a nice straight line down toward your heels. Your feet should be close together.

Then step one foot up outside of your hands so you are in a low runners lunge. Your back leg should be straight as your front knee is bent. If you can’t step the foot all the way up, you can adjust your foot after stepping forward as far as you can.

Keeping your front foot flat on the ground and your back leg straight, drop the elbow of the same arm as the leg that is forward down toward your instep. Try to touch it to the ground without rocking toward the outside of your foot.

After dropping the elbow down toward the ground, lift the arm up overhead, rotating open toward that front leg. Then rotate back closed, placing the hand back down on the ground. You can then choose to rotate open the other way, lifting the other hand up off the ground as you rotate away from your front leg.

Then, after rotating one or both ways, drop your back knee down and sit your butt back toward your back heel as you straighten your front leg. Reach your hands toward that front foot as you sit your butt back and hinge over at the hips. Don’t simply round forward. Really sit the butt back as you lean over to stretch the hamstring and calf of that front leg.

As you grab your front foot, you can even rotate the foot and leg to hit slightly different aspects. Hold for a second or two then shift back forward, keeping the back knee down. Again place your hands just inside your front foot.

Then, with the hand on the same side as the foot that is forward, reach back and around to grab your back foot and pull your heel in toward your glute. As you do, keep your other hand down on the ground. Pull your heel in as you squeeze that back glute to drive your hip forward. Feel the hip stretch. While stretching that back hip, rotate your chest open toward that front leg. Do not shrug the shoulder of the arm that is down or let that arm get way out in front of you. Hold for a second or two then release the back foot and lift the knee up off the ground.

If you are less flexible, you may not be able to grab your back foot. You can instead do the rotational hip stretch without holding your foot or you can keep a towel or rope near by to help you reach your foot for the stretch. Either way, make sure to squeeze that back glute and really extend the hip to stretch it and your quad.

Once back up in the low runner’s lunge, pivot your feet and sink into a low Cossack’s-like squat on the side that is forward. Really sink your butt down as you bend that front knee a little bit more while keeping the back leg straight. Pivot the back toe up as you stretch and stay as low in the squat as you can. Keep both heels down and even use your hands a bit for balance.

If you lift your hands, it will make your core work harder; however, don’t do it if you can’t stay low or your heels come up.

Hold for a second or two then pivot toward your other side, bending the straight leg as you walk your hands toward the instep of that foot. Shift into a low runner’s lunge on that side. Repeat the elbow drop, rotations, hamstring stretch, rotational hip and quad stretch before performing another Cossack’s-like squat and shifting back toward the side you started with.