Just because you can’t make it to the gym doesn’t mean you have an excuse to skip your workout!
When you don’t have access to equipment, you can still get amazing results using just your own bodyweight.
By shortening rest, increasing volume slightly and by using different tempos and hybrid movements, you can challenge yourself without any tools in a very small space.
So if you can’t hit the gym, you can stay on track with this 20s Triset Blast to torch your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs and legs!
The 20s Chest And Legs Trisets
QUICK WARM UP OPTION: Complete 1 round through the quick stretching flow below as well as 1-2 rounds of the activation. STRETCHING: 5-10 reps per side Inchworm Flow ACTIVATION: 10-15 reps Tabletop Bridge 10-15 reps Downward Dog Scapular Presses 8-12 reps per side Bulldog Shoulder Taps
WORKOUT: Complete 3 rounds of each triset, resting only as needed. After you complete all 3 rounds on a triset, quickly move to the next series. Time how long it takes you to complete everything and try to beat that time next week! For any unilateral or one-sided move like the Lunges or Tricep Push Ups, you can complete 10 reps per side if you’re a beginner to intermediate exerciser. If you’re more advanced and have been working out consistently, you can work up to 20 per side!
TRISET #1: 20 reps Squat with Pulse 20 reps Forward to Backward Lunge 20 reps Bulldog Ins and Outs TRISET #2: 20 reps Wide Grip Push Ups 20 reps Tricep Push Ups 20 reps Plank Hip Dips TRISET #3: 20 reps Sumo Squat to Calf Raise 20 reps Push Up Toe Touch 20 reps Tabletop Dip Toe Touch
EXERCISE DESCRIPTIONS:
Squat with Pulse:
To do the Squat with Pulse, start standing tall with your feet between hip-width and shoulder-width apart. Sit your butt back and down, squatting through a full range of motion. Keep your chest up and don’t round over.
Sink down to about parallel while keeping your heels down. You may go slightly below parallel but don’t make this the deepest squat you’ve ever done. From the bottom of your squat, pulse up a few inches then sink quickly back down.
While you don’t want to bounce, this is a very quickly little pulse a few inches up and then back down.
Then drive back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top before repeating the squat with a pulse at the bottom.
Forward to Backward Lunge:
To do the Forward to Backward Lunge, start standing tall with your feet together. Then lunge forward on one side. Bend your knees as you sink down as if lowering to half kneel on the ground. Try to get your front knee bent to about 90 degrees, sitting back in your heel. Drop your back knee down toward the ground as you keep your chest up.
Then drive back through your front heel to come back up to standing. You can tap your toe down center if needed or move right into the backward lunge.
Step back with the same leg you lunged forward with and sink into a backward lunge. Keep your chest up as you sit back in your front heel and drop your back knee down toward the ground. Then drive back up to standing, driving through your front heel.
Repeat, moving right back into the forward lunge on the same side.
Bulldog Ins and Outs:
To do Bulldog Ins and Outs, set up on your hands and knees with your knees under your hips and hands under your shoulders. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and the balls of your feet.
Holding this bulldog position, jump your feet out wider so that your legs move open while your knees still stay about under your hips. Don’t let your legs straighten out as you jump out wide.
Then jump your feet back in and even closer together than where you started. You can jump them all the way together even and then jump back out.
Keep jumping your feet in and out as you keep your butt down and stay in that bulldog position.
To modify the move, step one foot out wide and then the other before stepping both back in and together.
Wide Grip Push Ups:
To do the Wide Grip Push Up, set up in the high plank position with your hands out wider at chest height. A great way to figure out a width to start with is to make your hands into fists and place your knuckles together. Lean forward and lay your arms on the ground with your knuckles together. Your elbows will be pointing out and, right at the end of each elbow, you will place your hands. Make sure your hands are at chest height and not way up by your head.
Then in the high plank position with your feet close together and your body in a nice straight line from your head to your heels, lower your chest down to the ground. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up in the air. Make sure your entire body moves as one unit.
Lower all the way down then press back up with your body moving as one unit. Full straighten your arms out at the top and repeat, lowering back down. Try to keep your entire palm firmly on the ground as you press and lower.
Beginners can do the Wide Grip Push Up from their knees or off an incline.
Tricep Push Ups:
To do Tricep Push Ups, lie on your side with your legs out straight or bottom knee bent. If you bend both legs it will make it harder. Wrap your bottom arm up and place your hand on your opposite shoulder or around your ribs. Place your top hand down on the ground at about shoulder height or right below. The more you place the hand down toward your belly button, the harder the move will be.
Then press the ground away with that hand on the ground, feeling your tricep work to push your upper body up. Press up until your arm is extended and lower back down to the ground. Keep yourself on your side as you press and lower. Your chest may slightly rotate toward the ground as you press, but make sure you really focus on the back of your arm working.
Repeat, pressing up again until your arm is fully extended. Adjust your hand placement or your legs so you can press and stay under control. Also, engage your abs so your legs aren’t flopping around as you lift. You want to keep your legs down or regress the move to make sure that you can.
Plank Hip Dips:
To do the Plank Hip Dips, set up on your forearms and either your knees (beginner) or toes (advanced). Your elbows should be under your shoulders and your body should be in a nice straight line from your head to your heels or knees. Squeeze your glutes and keep your core tight with your belly button drawn in toward your spine. Do not let your hips sag or your butt go up toward the ceiling.
Then rotate, dropping your hips toward one side. Try to touch the ground as you rotate without your hips sagging or butt going up in the air. Also, do not let your elbows come up off the ground.
Come back center then drop your hip to the other side. Alternate hip touches until all reps are complete.
You will feel everything twisting even down to your feet or knees. Do not let yourself go all the way over. Make sure to control the twists and just touch the hip down before twisting to the other side.
Sumo Squat to Calf Raise:
To do the Sumo Squat to Calf Raise, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Turn your toes out slightly. Keeping your chest up, sink down in a squat. Sit your butt back and keep your chest up. Make sure your knees stay in line with your hips and ankles. Do not let your knees cave in.
If your knees cave in, adjust your stance, bringing your feet closer together. Then drive back up to standing and squeeze your butt.
As you fully stand, push off the balls of your feet to raise your heels off the ground and perform the calf raise. Keep your toes slightly pointed out and make sure to push off the entire ball of your foot.
Lower your heels back down to the ground and repeat the sumo squat.
Push Up Toe Touch:
To do the Push Up Toe Touch, set up in the plank position on your feet and hands with your hands under your shoulders and your feet about shoulder-width apart. Putting your feet closer together can make it harder to balance and force your core to work harder. Your body should be in a nice straight line.
Then from this plank position, reach one hand back toward the opposite ankle. As you reach back, push your butt up in the air. Reach back toward the opposite ankle and then move back into the plank position, placing your hand back down on the ground.
Perform a push up, dropping your chest toward the ground with your body moving as one unit. Press back up and then reach the other hand back toward the opposite ankle.
Push your butt up into the air every time you reach back, but make sure to come back forward into the plank position before performing the push up.
Tabletop Dip Toe Touch:
To do the Tabletop Dip to Toe Touch, start with your butt on the ground and then place your hands behind you as you bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground.
Then lift your butt up off the ground. Perform a little dip, bending your elbows as you touch your butt back down to the ground.
Then lift up, bridging your hips up a bit, as you kick your leg up and reach your opposite hand to touch your toe. Place your hand and foot back down, then repeat the dip and then kick the other leg up and reach your other hand to touch your toe.
Move quickly without rushing so much that you don’t stay balanced. Also, make sure to perform a little dip after each toe touch, bending your elbows slightly to touch your butt down.
Looking for a calorie-torching HIIT workout you can do anywhere, no equipment needed? Then you’ll love these 4 Full-Body HIIT Workouts using just your own bodyweight!
Whether you have 5 minutes or 30 minutes, these high intensity interval workouts have you covered!
So whether you need a quick option to do at home on a busy day, or a way to burn fat while you travel, you have 4 killer workout options below!
4 Bodyweight HIIT Workouts
You’ll find each workout in the videos at the times below. And for quick reference, I’ve written out the workouts below as well!
1. The 30 Minute 30s Blast! (0:10) 2. The 5-Minute Full-Body Cardio Burner (3:34) 3. The 10-Minute Cardio Pyramid (4:32) 4. The 30/15 Full-Body Blast (6:54)
The 30 Minute 30s Blast!
Complete 4 rounds through each circuit, moving from exercise to exercise without resting. Bring your heart rate down between rounds with the active rest movement. If needed, fully rest during that time instead of performing the exercise. Or perform a modified variation that allows you to recover. Rest 1-2 minutes after completing all rounds of a circuit before moving on to the next one.
CIRCUIT #2: 30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps 30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop 30 seconds Low Side To Side Lunges 30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap 30 seconds Two-Way March “Active Rest”
CIRCUIT #3: 30 seconds Double Hop Burpee 30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls 30 seconds Lateral Hops 30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees 30 seconds Fighter Practice “Active Rest”
The 5-Minute Full-Body Cardio Burner
Set a timer for 20 second intervals of work and move from exercise to exercise without resting. Complete 3 rounds through.
CIRCUIT: 20 seconds per side Curtsy To Skip 20 seconds Downward Dog To Knee Tuck Push Up 20 seconds In and Out Squats 20 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up
The 10-Minute Cardio Pyramid
Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work and move from exercise to exercise without resting. You will go through the exercises to the “active rest” then go backward through the moves. If needed, fully rest during the 30 seconds of active rest.
PYRAMID: 30 seconds Double Hop Burpee 30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop 30 seconds Squat Cross Jacks 30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap 30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees 30 seconds Lateral Hops 30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls 30 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up 30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps 30 seconds Two-Way March “Active Rest” 30 seconds Sumo Squat Jumps 30 seconds Rotational Row Sit Up 30 seconds Climber Push Up Rolls 30 seconds Lateral Hops 30 seconds C-Sit Rotational Knees 30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap 30 seconds Squat Cross Jacks 30 seconds Criss Cross Push Up Hop 30 seconds Double Hop Burpee
The 30/15 Full-Body Blast
Set a timer for 30 second intervals of work with 15 seconds to transition between moves. Complete 4-6 rounds through. Rest an additional 45 seconds between rounds if needed otherwise only rest the 15 seconds between moves!
CIRCUIT: 30 seconds Double Lunge Burpee 15 seconds Rest 30 seconds Push Up Scorpions 15 seconds Rest 30 seconds In and Out Squats 15 seconds Rest 30 seconds Lateral Crawl Shoulder Tap 15 seconds Rest 30 seconds Elbow Bicycles 15 seconds Rest
Wrist pain during high planks and push ups is an all too common complaint.
However, we most often assume that our wrists are simply “weak” and need strengthening.
And while this can be the case sometimes, all too often we end up overworking the muscles of our forearms further in an attempt to strengthen our wrists, which then leads to elbow pain.
While muscle weakness can lead to injury, so can IMMOBILITY.
And guess what?
Our wrist pain is often related to mobility restrictions.
And because we lack proper wrist mobility, we compensate, which eventually leads to elbow, shoulder and even neck pain!
That is why it is key we work on our wrist mobility, and yes, even strength, as we modify moves to work around our lack of proper wrist extension to start.
We also have to remember that, just like our feet and ankles are our foundation during squats and such, our hands and wrists are our foundation during upper body moves!
First, I’ll go over proper push up form so you’re engage muscles effectively and efficiently to prevent wrist and elbow issues.
Then I’ll go over ways to work around your wrist issues during push ups and planks as you also work to CORRECT your mobility and strength issues!
It’s key we learn how to modify and work around AS we rebuild!
Proper Push Up Form To Prevent Wrist Pain:
While I want to share some great ways to work around wrist pain during push ups and planks as you work to mobilize your wrists and even strengthen your forearms, the first key is making sure you’re using proper form during your push up work.
You need to conscious even of your hands connection with the ground.
Yup. Your hands are your foundation. If you don’t have proper tension and placement there, everything else will not engage and work as efficiently.
And it’s funny too because….
When was really the last time you thought about how your hands were placed as you set up? About how you gripped the ground as you set up to do a push up?
Most of us have never really thought about it.
So the first step in proper push up form is spreading your fingers and focusing on placing tension in your hands to slightly GRIP the ground as you set in that high plank, or top of push up position.
For the standard push up, your hands will be right outside of your chest as you set up.
But the key is not squishing your fingers together but actually spreading them apart for a wide base of support so you can actually create tension down into that ground and effectively PUSH THE GROUND AWAY as you press up to the top of the push up.
Ever notice too when you do a push up, how you tend to rock to the OUTSIDE of your hands, especially as you struggle to press back up?
That extra pressure can also lead to wrist and even elbow issues….not to mention eventually even shoulder and neck pain.
Because that change at your foundation, affects how EVERYTHING then moves up your arm during the push up!
So a seemingly small form detail can impact your entire kinetic chain!
By paying attention to your hand set up and that grip on the floor, you can help prevent that overload and rocking out as you work to improve your wrist mobility!
But just like your grip on the ground and hand and wrist position can affect everything up to your shoulders, the reverse can also be true.
If you shrug your shoulders during push ups and let your elbows flare out, that is going to impact everything down to your wrists. You may even find as this happens that your hands turn IN.
So as you set up for the push up, don’t shrug your shoulders. Think long neck…not turtle hiding in its shell! Even feel the sides of your back engage slightly to pull your shoulders down.
Make sure your middle fingers are pointing straight ahead and place those hands outside your chest with your fingers wide.
Then as you lower down, think about your upper arms creating an arrow shape with your body.
Your elbows do NOT need to stay glued to your sides unless you’re doing a narrow grip push up. BUT you also don’t want your elbows flaring up to your shoulders so that your upper arms create a “T” shape with your body either. That is when you end to then place more strain on your wrists and elbows.
So focus on different widths of that basic –> arrow shape.
By focusing top down AND bottom up, you can ensure your hands connection with the ground perpetuates proper form while also making sure you’re engaging your upper body correct to prevent overload or compensations down to your wrists!
And then, of course, you also want to make sure the rest of your push up form is correct, keeping your head in line with your spine and a nice straight line from your head to your heels.
Remember, the push up is basically a moving plank.
For more on overall push up form, here is a great video – Master The Push Up.
Modifying Push Ups For Wrist Pain:
Even if your form is correct though, you may still find you have wrist issues.
So to start, you’ll need to modify the push up to work around your wrist aches and pains. Here are some great ways to do just that!
Most of these place the wrist in a neutral position or reduce the extension required to perform the push up.
Often the wrist extension required for a push up is what causes the annoying ache we feel.
Since we spend so much time with our wrists flexed, typing and texting and a multitude of other daily activities, we often lack the wrist extension needed to perform high planks and push ups.
These push up modifications help you work around that!
Mat Push Ups:
Using a mat is a great way to modify the push up partly because it’s easy to do and partly because it is a super simple way to reduce the amount of wrist extension required.
Basically, the mat acts like a little lift under the heel of our palm so that our wrist doesn’t need to be bent as far.
To do the Mat Push Up, roll a mat up a few times (the more you roll it the bigger the “wedge” under the heel of your hand so the less wrist extension you need). You want something probably about half an inch thick at most to start.
Then place only the heel of your palm on the mat with the rest of your palm and fingers spread out on the ground.
You will notice your wrist isn’t bent as much.
Then gripping the ground with your fingers spread, hold your high plank position or do your normal full push up!
As you improve your wrist mobility, you may notice you can slowly unroll the mat and use less and less padding.
Knuckle Push Ups:
Especially if wrist strength isn’t the issue but wrist mobility, specifically wrist extension, is the issue, doing push ups off your knuckles may be a great way to modify the push up. (It also doesn’t require equipment to do!)
It can also IMPROVE your wrist strength too.
However, some people do find the pressure on their knuckles uncomfortable, which may lead you to use the dumbbell push ups instead.
You can also use a little padding under your knuckles too just make sure the cushioning is stable.
To do knuckle push ups, do NOT tuck your thumb under your fingers. Make fists, keeping your thumb outside and even wrapped around your fingers. You do not want the tip of your thumb caught against the ground either.
Then set up with a neutral grip (your palms would be facing in toward each other) with your hands outside your chest.
The rest of your push up set up will be the same. Doing the move off your knuckles will allow you to keep your wrists in a neutral position.
Just be careful you are in control of your push up movement as the drawback to this grip is you can rock out and lose balance.
You may also use other knuckle hand placements even placing your hands so your palms are facing back toward your feet; however this is a less traditional set up AND a less stable set up.
It could be a good way if you are varying or progressing your push ups to continue to build wrist strength.
Dumbbell Push Ups:
If you don’t feel comfortable with knuckle push ups and they, well, hurt your knuckles, this is a great way to mimic that neutral wrist position without the irritation.
You can also use kettlebells or push up stands.
Especially if you aren’t yet fully able to do a push up from your toes off the ground, heavy kettlebells can be a great way to add a small incline while also placing your wrist in a neutral position.
The safest position for the dumbbells as you do push ups (or even stands or kettlebells for that matter) is with them parallel so your palms face in toward each other as you do the push up while gripping the weight.
You can also slightly ANGLE them to allow you to maintain that arrow shape with your arms and upper body. It can help you avoid shrugging. Just make sure the weights stay outside your chest and you don’t set up so they are out in front of you toward your head.
The one downside you may find to using the weights to help you maintain that neutral wrist position, is that they can apply more pressure on your palm, which may be uncomfortable.
If that is the case, a wider handle OR getting cushioned stands may be an option. (I only mention this to give you a “heads up” that you aren’t weird if you find this to be the case.)
Bar Incline Push Ups:
With many of these previous modifications, you will be doing a full push up from your toes off the ground or even modifying off your knees.
However, if you aren’t yet able to do a full push up from your toes off the ground, an incline variation may be even better than the knee push up modification.
AND, if you do the incline push up off a bar, you can even adjust your wrist positioning.
A bench can also work but won’t allow for the neutral wrist position that a bar will.
You can set up a smith machine bar or even a bar in a rack or rig with j-hooks to the height you need so you can perform a full push up range of motion with proper form. You want to set up so your chest will hit the bar about nipple height.
You want to set so your hands are just outside your chest gripping the bar. Your palms will face back toward your feet. You may find that your wrists feel more stable if you wrap your thumb around the bar; however, if you have elbow issues a thumbless grip may be best.
You will then perform your standard push up off the incline. You can slowly lower the incline over time until you’re able to perform a full rep from your toes on the ground!
Suspension Trainer Push Ups:
If you want to add some instability to your push ups and challenge your core and shoulders more, the suspension trainer is a great tool to use! You can also even do some fun variations using it to challenge your chest, shoulders and triceps in different ways.
And whether you need to modify the basic push up or advance it, the suspension trainer can also be a bit more “wrist-friendly” because you can keep your wrists in a neutral position.
Just like with dumbbells or push up stands, you’ll want to start by gripping the handles with your palms facing in toward each other just outside your chest. You can adjust the height of the straps, raising them up higher for more of an incline (easier) or lowering them down for less of one (harder).
Because the straps will not be as steady, they will force you to really brace your abs and stabilize your shoulders as you press. Be careful using this variation if you have shoulder stability issues or neck pain.
You can also vary your grip, rotating your palms back toward your feet while doing the suspension trainer push up. From there you can get even fancier, keeping that neutral grip while adding in flyes or reaches or other movements to the standard push up!
So even if you have wrist pain, you can have some fun and use different variations of the push up!
Anti-Rotational Band Chest Press:
Now if you find that NONE of these modifications are right for you at this time, sometimes it’s about focusing on your GOAL for an exercise while doing something different.
While the bench press can be a swap for the push up, it doesn’t provide the same core work that a push up does.
To work your chest, shoulders and triceps while also challenging your core, you may want to try an Anti-Rotational Band Chest Press instead.
This move will allow you to reduce pressure on your wrists while still really working your upper body and core.
To do the Anti-Rotational Band Chest Press, anchor a band at, or just below, chest height behind you. Grab a handle in each hand. If the band rubs on your arm, grab the handle so the band is actually BENEATH your arm.
Bring your hands up and in right below your chest and walk out from the anchor point. Stand with your feet no wider than shoulder width. To challenge your core more, bring your feet closer together.
Then, bracing your abs, press one arm straight out at shoulder height. Do not shrug your shoulder or allow your body to rotate. Press out at a controlled pace then bring your hand back in below your chest.
You can repeat on the same side OR alternate sides.
But this is a great way to modify if you do have wrist pain and push ups simply aren’t right for you at this time!
What About The High Plank?
So I mentioned that high plank position, so holding a plank from your hands, as also being a common move we have wrist pain during as well. Which makes sense…it’s the top of a push up!
But you may also have this pain during side planks from your hand as well.
Often because our wrists our in pain too, we tend to compensate by letting our hand sneak out beyond our shoulder toward our head. This can put more strain on our shoulders and lead to not only shoulder aches and pains but also neck pain.
We let our hand sneak out beyond our shoulder because this reduces the extension demanded of our wrists. But while this may help your wrist, it can lead to overload of other areas.
That is why it may be key we modify instead of just trying to push through!
The simplest work around in this case would be to do planks from your forearm/elbow as you work to improve your wrist mobility.
You can also use the mat modification, knuckles or dumbbell modification I shared for push ups.
Just make sure if you are doing side planks with any sort of “stand” to be VERY careful since you don’t have both hands to stabilize. (And honestly, it’s probably simply SAFER to modify off your forearm if you feel a stand is necessary).
If you aren’t yet able to do a full side plank or plank from your feet, the incline is a great work around too instead of going to your knees and can also be more wrist friendly.
Sometimes even using the bench, because it reduces the LOAD on your wrist, can be enough to alleviate the ache!
And if for any reason, you find you simply can’t work around your wrist pain with side planks especially, a stability press hold is always an option!
There is always a way to work around and stay focused on your goals for your workout!
How To Improve Your Wrist Mobility:
While we do need to modify around our aches and pains, we don’t want to simply avoid dealing with them. We want to work to CORRECT them!
So as you modify exercises, start including these moves below as part of your warm ups and recovery routines!
Spending even just 30-60 seconds per move (or per side) for one round through them as part of your routine daily to start can be helpful!
But these moves will improve your wrist extension, relax overactive muscles and help you activate underactive ones!
Two other things to note….
Pay attention to how you even GRIP things. If you tend to grip with only certain fingers, you’ll want to work on that as overuse of specific flexors COULD be perpetuating your wrist pain.
And if you’ve had shoulder mobility issues, if you hunch forward or your shoulders round forward, you also need to address those postural distortions. A lack of shoulder mobility can impact your elbows and wrists!
The first step is relaxing the overactive muscles of your forearms. You may find you address both your flexors AND your extensor with rolling.
Focus on using a ball or small roller right in the fleshy part of your forearm below the elbow. While you may have wrist pain, you don’t necessarily want to only roll, or focus, right at your wrist.
To roll out your forearm, place a small ball or roller up on a table or desk. Place your forearm over the ball with it right below your elbow. You can start with the underside of your forearm down on the ball.
Then press down on your forearm with your other hand to press it into the ball. Hold on any tight spots.
If you find a tight spot, you can also tense and relax your forearm to help the ball dig in further. To tense and relax your forearm, you can flex and extend your wrist or even make a fist and then relax your hand. You can also draw small wrist circles as you hold.
By flexing and relaxing the muscles, you help the ball dig in and release the tight spot.
Roll the ball all along the fleshy part of the underside of your forearm. Then move to the outside of your forearm. Make sure to get the outside and inside of your forearm as there can be trigger points in both spots causing potential wrist and elbow pain.
Don’t waste time on any areas that aren’t tight or sore. Seek out and spend time on any areas of pain.
Apply as much pressure as you can handle WHILE RELAXING and use as small and hard a ball or roller if you want a bit more pressure. You do not want to tense against the pressure because it’s too much.
Wrist Extension Stretch:
This stretch works on exactly what we are often lacking, wrist extension.
And as you progress this stretch, you may even find you use this wrist positioning during planks to help you build up wrist strength! (Same can be said for the flexion stretch below too.)
Here is the Plank Hold with Grips that you may eventually use in your programming or warm up!
To do the Kneeling Wrist Extension Stretch, kneel on the ground and place your hands down on the ground in front of you. Place your palms down and turn your fingertips back toward your knees. Rotate your fingers out and then back toward your knees so your elbow pits are facing forward.
Then rock back, sitting back toward your heels. Rock back to feel the inside of your forearm stretch. Keep the heels of your palms down on the ground as you sit back.
Come back out of the stretch then sit back again, stretching down the inside of your forearms.
Wrist Flexion Stretch:
This can feel like a nice little release, and may even be something you use between rounds of push ups as you’re able to start doing them without pain.
To do the Kneeling Wrist Flexion Stretch, start kneeling on the ground. Place your hands down on the ground in front of you with the backs of your hands on the ground and your fingertips pointing in toward each other.
Shift your weight forward onto your hands. Place enough weight to feel your forearms stretching, but not too much to hurt your wrists. Keep your arms straight.
Then rock side to side slowly, holding for a second to each side so that you feel a stretch down the outside of your forearms. Make sure to keep some weight on your hands while also keeping your arms straight as you rock side to side.
If you can’t get down on the ground for either of these two wrist stretches, you can also do them standing with your hands on a desk or table. You can also do one side at a time, pressing on your hand with your other hand to work on both extension and flexion.
Rubberband Wrist Extensions:
Especially if you’re already doing a lot of weight training or even bodyweight moves like pull ups, you’re doing a lot of gripping and working your flexors a ton.
This move activates your extensors to help build wrist stability and strength.
To do the Rubber Band Extension, place a rubber band around the outside of your fingers and thumb. (If you find the bands slips, you can wrap it around each finger once to keep it in place if the band is big enough.)
Bring your fingers together and then spread them as wide apart as you can against the rubber band. Move at a controlled tempo and perform 10-20 reps before switching hands.
You can do this exercise a couple of times a day, but start slow. Also, if you can find a thicker rubber band, it will add more resistance.
Hair ties can also work, especially if you wrap them around each finger or they are flat.
Closing Notes….
Remember you want to include mobility work as part of your warm ups consistently EVEN once the pain is gone. And don’t be afraid to modify AS you work to correct the underlying problem!
What if I told you the solution was NOT to stretch them more…?
What if stretching them, while it may provide TEMPORARY relief is only making the problem WORSE!?
The best way to think about your hamstrings is like a rubber band.
When a rubber band is just hanging there it isn’t tight. But when you pull it out long, it becomes super tight and taut.
That rubber band becomes tight feeling because it is stretched out.
This is exactly the same reason your hamstrings feel tight. And it is exactly why more stretching is NOT the answer!
Your hamstrings feels tight because they are already pulled long.
So instead of stretching them out further, we need to address the postural distortions and muscular imbalances that cause our hamstrings to be overstretched, such as Anterior Pelvic Tilt and tight hip flexors.
We need to focus on returning our hamstring to their optimal length through addressing muscular imbalances and stability issues.
This often means we need to address hip flexor tightness and glute underactivity. It may even mean addressing lat tightness as well because of the impact our lats can have on our lumbo-pelvic-hip complex functioning through our thoracolumbar fascia.
This means that instead of spending a ton of time stretching our hamstrings we actually need to be doing the following things…
Foam Rolling Hip Flexors And Lats
Stretching Hip Flexors And Lats
Activating Our Glutes And Abs
But First…What Is Anterior Pelvic Tilt?
Anterior pelvic tilt is the “Donald Duck” posture – an overarched back and butt sticking out.
(Or in maybe little Miss RS Badass Duck…who’s going to be working on her APT hehe?
This anterior tilting of our pelvis is what over stretches the hamstrings and can make them feel tight.
The muscles that are ACTUALLY being shortened by this posture are our hip flexors. Which means our hip flexors, and not our hamstrings, need the flexibility work.
It also means that our glutes and abs need to be strengthened and activated to improve the stability of our hip complex to also help our hamstrings feel less tight and even prevent them from becoming synergistically dominant and overused (overuse of a muscle can lead to injury!).
While it’s key we recognize that each of us WILL have slightly different natural postures, and we shouldn’t “freak out” over fitting one ideal, we want to watch for overarching of the lower back, or excessive lordosis, ESPECIALLY if we struggle with lower back, SI Joint, hip, or knee pain or hamstring tightness and strains.
This posture changes our natural proper recruitment patterns during moves EVEN if we perform the exercises with technically “correct” form.
What does this mean?
It means that while the moves may LOOK correct, if we actually THINK about what muscles we FEEL working, it wouldn’t be the muscles that SHOULD be working.
Our body will take the path of least resistance to do the exercise we ask it to do. This means that it will recruit whatever muscles it can to replicate a movement pattern – even if it means using muscles that really shouldn’t be working that much.
And this is what leads to compensations, overuse and INJURY.
So we need to address our overall posture over focusing on just the single muscle that “feels” tight.
And we need to do this by:
Foam rolling overactive muscles.
Stretching shortened tight muscles (using dynamic stretching to even help restore proper joint range of motion).
Activating underactive muscles that may not be firing and working as efficiently or effectively as they should be.
Loosen Up Tight Hip Flexors – Foam Rolling And Stretching Moves
The first step in addressing excessive anterior pelvic tilt is to loosen up short and overactive hip flexors.
If your hip flexors are tight and shortened, they tilt your pelvis forward which then pulls the hamstrings longer. This is why your hamstrings “feel” tight even if they aren’t in need of stretching.
The first step in addressing tight hip flexors is foam rolling.
Foam rolling helps inhibit the communication between the muscle you’re rolling and your brain. It helps “relax” the muscle so you aren’t necessarily as quick to recruit it during other moves. And it then allows you to better stretch and improve your flexibility and mobility.
Basically, foam rolling can help you improve your ROM or range of motion.
There has been some “debate” about the benefits of foam rolling. And as a standalone exercise, the effects are short lived.
You NEED to then stretch the tight muscles and activate underactive muscles if you want the benefits to last. This is just the first step in improving your posture and mind-body connection!
Then after you foam roll your hip flexors, you need to stretch them. Depending on when you are doing the mobility work, you may use dynamic or static stretching.
Dynamic stretches are stretches where you move through a range of motion whereas static stretches are stretches you hold in one position.
Especially prior to your workouts, focus on dynamic stretches. They put the joint through a range of motion and also get your blood pumping.
Static stretches are better kept to cool downs as some studies have shown them to negatively impact your strength and power during workouts.
Below are 5 moves to help you get started addressing hip flexor tightness.
5 Hip Flexor Foam Rolling And Stretching Moves:
1. Psoas Foam Rolling:
The psoas has become a very “popular” muscle in the fitness world.
And the one most often blamed for our hips being locked up. This muscle can become short and tight due to the fact many of us spend far too much time with our hips in flexion – seated in the car or at a desk. So it is key we start our mobility work by addressing it.
To roll out your Psoas, a big foam ball/posture ball works best. Place the ball in your abs above your hip to one side of your belly button.
Relax over the ball and lie face down on the ground. Breathe.
Then move the ball, working your way around the side of your lower abs between your belly button and hip. After you move the ball, relax completely back over it.
If you don’t have a larger ball, you can use a tennis ball; however, the tennis ball will dig in more. To use the tennis ball, you will also need some books or a yoga block. Place the ball up on the books or block and lie over it just like you would with the posture ball. Relax and breathe.
2. TFL Foam Rolling:
The TFL or Tensor Fasciae Latae is an all too often IGNORED hip muscle that can contribute to not only hip pain but even knee pain and IT Band Issues! It can also hinder our glute medius from activating and working as it should. It’s key we start by foam rolling and then stretching this muscle. It’s also important that during our activation moves, we do not let it compensate and try to take over!
To roll out your Hips/TFL, place a ball on the side of your hip just to the front of the fleshy part of your butt. Roll the ball around and hold on any tight spots.
If you find a tight spot, hold on that spot and lift and lower your leg up and down. By lifting and lower the leg, you are flexing and relaxing the muscle, which will help loosen everything up as you hold.
As you seek out tight spots in your hip, bring the ball around front and right to the side under your hip bone into your TFL (right in front of your IT Band).
Again hold on any tight spots and even flex and relax your leg to help dig in.
Move the ball under your hip bone and again hold on any tight spots.
You can work your way back out to the side of your hip as well if you found any sore or tight spots.
3. Rectus Femoris Foam Rolling:
There is one quad muscle that crosses both the hip and the knee – the Rectus Femoris.
And because of this muscles impact on both locations, it’s key we address that it may be tight and shortened, which means it may need to be rolled and stretched!
To roll out your rectus femoris a ball works best although you can use a roller. Place the tennis ball on the ground and lie on your belly supported on your forearms with the ball right in the middle of your thigh. You can start down toward the knee or higher up toward the hip, but you really want to focus right on that middle portion of your thigh.
Rock the leg gentle slightly side-to-side as you hold on the ball. You can even flex and relax your quad as you hold. Then move the ball up higher on your quad and again gentle rock and hold. Do not just roll quickly but really breathe and relax as you hold on any tight spots.
4. Half Kneeling Hip And Quad Stretch:
Stretch your hip flexors and your quads with this stretch.
You can add movement by releasing your foot and rocking back out of the stretch before squeezing your glute to drive your hips forward OR you can simply hold as you squeeze your glute for a static option!
To do the Half Kneeling Hip and Quad Stretch, set up half-kneeling with your right leg back. It is best to do this with a wall or bench in front of you to help you balance.
Then reach back and grab your right foot/ankle with your right hand and pull it in toward your butt. In the half-kneeling position with your heel pulled in and the wall to balance you, rock forward and backward, pressing the hip forward to increase the stretch down your quad. Then relax back out of it and repeat. Complete all reps then switch sides.
Make sure to squeeze your glute as you press your hips forward to stretch your right hip and quad. Do not simply hyperextend your low back as you rock forward.
You can also simply hold and press the hip forward without doing the slightly rock, especially if using this stretch post workout.
Beginners can also use a towel to grab their back foot if they can’t reach it.
5. Standing TFL Stretch:
After you roll your TFL, you also want to stretch it as this muscle can be short and tight and compensate for your glute medius during abduction or lateral raise movements.
And when it engages and works for your glute medius, that can prevent you from getting the results you want and even perpetuate your pain despite doing the “correct” rehab moves!
To do the Standing TFL Stretch, start standing with your feet together. Then cross your left leg over your right leg. Bring the left foot over and back across until the big toe is even with the big toe of the right foot. You want your feet even so that your front leg (the left leg) is pressing the back leg (right leg) straight during the stretch.
If you struggle to balance or it is too much pressure on your knees to have your legs so tightly crossed, place the front foot a bit out in front, but make sure that you don’t bend that back knee as you hinge over to stretch.
Then reach your arms up overhead for a nice big stretch. After reaching up, hang over, reaching your arms down toward the instep of the back foot (right foot). Push your hips out to the right as you reach toward your right foot so you feel a stretch down the outside of that right hip and side. You may even feel it down your right hamstring and calf.
Hold for a breath or two. Then reach back up overhead and cross your legs the other way so your left foot is back. Again reach up overhead then reach down toward your left instep, pushing your hips out to the left. Keep alternating sides with a reach up overhead in between every time.
Try to touch the ground as you reach down while making sure to keep your legs straight.
If you really struggle to balance, you may need to stand with your feet together and not crossed over as you reach toward the outside of each foot while pushing your hips away.
How Can Your Lats Can Affect Your Hamstrings!?
When we have aches, pains or “issues” in a specific area, we often get very focused ONLY on that point of “pain.”
But all too often there are even mobility restrictions or imbalances elsewhere that contribute to the dysfunction. For instance, if you’re doing all of the things in this article and NOT seeing results, it may be time you start to look at your ANKLE MOBILITY!
So while the most common “culprit” of anterior pelvic tilt is tight hip flexors and underactive glutes, we can’t ignore our lats.
Our lats can play a huge role in our overall posture, affecting not only our upper body, but also our lower body.
Because lat tightness can not only perpetuate rounded shoulders, it can also contribute to anterior pelvic tilt.
And if we have excessive anterior pelvic tilt, our hamstrings really are the losers that suffer no matter whether it’s tight hip flexors or lats or both creating the posture.
So we can’t ignore our lats!
Below are 3 moves to help you start addressing lat tightness.
3 Foam Rolling And Stretching Moves For Tight Lats:
1. Lat Foam Rolling:
Rolling out your lats is a key first step to relaxing this overactive muscle. And even though we are focused on our lumbo-pelvic-hip complex, we want to focus on rolling this muscle closer to our shoulders to start!
To roll out your lats a roller is best although you can use a foam ball or even a tennis ball.
Start by lying on your side with a roller under one armpit. Extend the arm on the side with the roller up above the roller. Then rock forward and backward on the roller, rotating your chest toward the ground and then up toward the ceiling as you roll on the roller so it hits toward your ribs and then toward your back.
Hold on any tight spots you find then move it lower down the side of your back. Hold on any tight spots as you go and make sure to rock forward and backward as you make your way down your side.
As you work down your side, you may want to rotate slightly more toward your back. Work all the way from your armpit to about the end of your rib cage.
Be careful when rolling lower down your back into your low back. You do not want to arch over the roller and hyperextend your low back.
2. Child’s Pose With Shoulder External Rotation:
The Child’s Pose is a great way to stretch out the entire lat as well as the erector spinae (the muscles along your spine) and the quadratus lumborum (which is a muscle that can contribute to a hip hike…sort of like our back’s side bendy muscle or the muscle you feel when you reach to the side).
All of these muscles can become tight and overactive if our glutes are underactive so this stretch is an oh so important one! And the external rotation of the shoulders gives the lats just that little bit extra stretch!
To do the Child’s Pose with External Rotation, kneel on the ground and sit back on your heels reaching your arms out overhead on the ground. Rotate your palms open toward the ceiling rotating your thumbs out to the sides. Really reach out as far as you can as you rotate your palms open.
You can then walk your hands to one side, keeping your palms open. Pause then walk your hands to the other side. Again keep your palms open for an extra stretch.
3. Kneeling Thoracic Extension And Lat Stretch:
Working on our spinal mobility, especially our thoracic mobility can also help prevent extra overuse of our lumbar spine. If one area of our spine isn’t mobile, we’ll seek out mobility from other segments.
So if your thoracic spine isn’t mobile, it will cause you to seek out mobility or extension from your lumbar spine. This will only perpetuate or add to the overload that may already be occurring due to anterior pelvic tilt!
To do the Kneeling Thoracic and Lat Stretch, place your elbows up on a bench about shoulder-width apart and kneel on the ground in front of the bench. Make sure you are back far enough that you have room to lean forward and over and drop your head between your elbows.
Then with your elbows on the bench, relax your chest and head over, sitting your butt back just slightly. Press your chest toward the ground and feel a nice stretch down your triceps and lats as well as through your thoracic spine. Try to extend your back as much as possible as you press your chest toward the ground.
You can either hold here and breathe to stretch deeper or you can come out of the stretch and then relax back into it and try to get further with each rep.
Glute Activation Moves: Always Feel Your Hamstrings Taking Over During Glute Exercises?
Ever do a glute bridge or quadruped kickback move and only feel your hamstrings working?
Yes? Well you aren’t alone!
It’s because your hamstrings have become synergistically dominant. They try to do more than their fair share of the work to assist your glutes in moves that require hip extension or hyperextension.
Synergistically what?!?
Basically your hamstrings are doing more work than they should be to assist with a movement because you’re glutes aren’t working as they should.
For a glute bridge, your glutes should be the main muscle group working with your hamstrings assisting. But too often, it is the other way around.
It’s why you may do a glute bridge and only feel your hamstrings.
So while we are doing the right move, this only perpetuates the overuse of our hamstrings and can lead to injuries.
It’s why it’s so important we include glute activation moves in our routine. (Learn more about dialing in your glute bridge form to prevent yourself from bridging wrong.)
But isn’t as simple as doing the “right” moves. You must also really focus on what you FEEL working.
If you’re doing that glute bridge and NOT feeling your glutes, but instead feeling your hamstrings, you need to TWEAK the exercise.
Below are 5 moves to activate your glutes that help prevent your hamstrings from engaging as easily when they always seem to want to take over!
I did also mention that with anterior pelvic tilt you may want to do ab activation as well.
One way to do this DURING glute activation moves is by using the posterior pelvic tilt, especially during bridging exercises (and even some plank moves).
The posterior pelvic tilt is where you tilt your hips under, drawing your hip bones toward your ribs. This move not only works your abs but can also work your glutes more.
You would then bridge up as you hold the posterior pelvic tilt. To set up the posterior pelvic tilt before you bridge, here are some tips.
To do the basic variation of the Pelvic Tilt, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Relax your arms down by your side.
Then feel the space between your low back and the ground. Press that space away by drawing your belly button toward your spine and “tilting” your pelvic.
You want to feel your low back press against the ground. Hold there with your abs braced and making sure to breathe as you hold.
Then if you are adding this to a bridge, you would lift up while maintaining this position. It is basically the exact OPPOSITE of anterior pelvic tilt. We are rounding the lower back.
SIDE NOTE But ESSENTIAL NOTE:
If you DO feel your hamstrings during a glute activation move, while you don’t want to stretch them between rounds, you may ROLL them!
Foam rolling your hamstrings may temporarily inhibit the muscle group, which means you won’t “feel” it as much. This can then even help you more easily FEEL your glutes working and focus on using them to drive the movement.
5 Must-Do Glute Activation Moves:
1. Mini Band Glute Bridge:
Adding a mini band to the basic glute bridge can be a way to progress the movement. It can also be a way to engage your glute medius and help PREVENT your hamstrings from taking over.
By activating our glute medius, we can actually better help ourselves engage our glute maximus. This then helps us avoid our hamstrings compensating! So if you really struggle with the basic glute bridge, try this variation!
To do the Mini Band Glute Bridge, you will perform a two-leg bridge with the band around your knees. To set up, place the band right above, below or at your knees. Below will be a bit more challenging than above. Make sure though that wherever you place the band, you feel your glutes working. Above the knee can help if you struggle to feel your glutes activating and instead feel your quads taking over.
With the band around your knees, lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground about hip-width to shoulder-width apart. Make sure your feet are just beyond your fingertips when your arms are down by your sides. You can move your feet slightly further away if your hips are tight. Make sure that your feet are at least about hip-width apart so that you are forced to press your knees out and open against the band to keep them in line with your ankles and hips.
Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and press your knees out against the band. Then, driving through your heels and upper back and arms, bridge up. Keep pressing out against the band as you bridge up. Do not let your knees cave in. Fully extend your hips and squeeze your glutes at the top. Do not hyperextend your low back at the top. Keep your abs engaged.
Hold for a second or two at the top then lower back down and repeat. Do not let your knees cave in as you lower back down. Keep pressing out against the band the entire time!
Adjust the band placement or even use a heavier band to make the move harder. You can also vary the move up by doing a Single Leg Mini Band Glute Bridge.
2. Band Y Reverse Hypers:
Being able to use your glutes to extend your hips, and even hyperextend your hips, is key. Too often during Reverse Hypers we allow our backs to do all of the work instead of actually extending at our hip.
By adding in the mini band, we can help engage our glutes better to prevent our lower back from taking over.
Because if we are using our lower backs to power this move, we are often going to simply perpetuate our anterior pelvic tilt by perpetuating overuse of our lower back muscles instead of activating our underactive glutes!
To do Band Y Reverse Hypers, place a mini band right below or above your knees or a booty band right above your knees and lie face down on a bench with your hips right on the edge of the bench. Grab onto the bench as you legs hang straight down. Push out against the band as your feet are on the ground so that your feet are wider than shoulder width apart. You want your legs to create a Y with your body.
Keeping tension on the band, press your hips down into the bench as you squeeze your butt to lift your legs up to parallel to the ground. Keep your legs pressed out against the band and make sure you are using your glutes to lift and not feeling your lower back take over.
Pause at the top and really even brace your abs by pushing into the bench. Then lower back down without letting your legs come together and repeat the lift.
3. Band Squat Pulses:
While often during activation moves we want to isolate our glutes as much as possible to focus on really establishing that mind-body connection, it is also key we learn how to do this in a variety of hip flexion positions and postures.
That’s why the Band Squat Pulses are key to include. The constant tension and smaller range of motion, really help you create that burn in your glutes!
To do Band Squat Pulses, place the booty band around your legs above your knees and stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
Sit back and down, pressing your knees out against the band so your ankles, knees and hips stay in line. You do not want your knees to cave in.
Sink to about parallel to the ground and then pulse a few inches up and down from here. You do not want to start below parallel and you don’t want to stand fully up as you pulse. You want the range of motion to be about 6 inches around that parallel position.
Once all pulses are complete, stand up.
Make sure your knees don’t cave in as you pulse and that your heels stay down and feet are flat on the ground. Do not round over. Make sure to keep your back flat and chest up.
Beginners may pulse over a bench or even hold on to help them balance. You can also stay up higher in the pulse squat instead of sinking as low.
4. 3-Way Seated Abductions:
As you begin to work on activating your glutes, you may find you aren’t as easily able to FEEL the correct muscles working during certain postures.
This may mean you need to first start with the variations you feel in the correct muscles before then moving on to those other positions. But you want to work to improve that mind-body connection from as many positions and postures as possible to help you avoid injury.
That’s why these 3-Way Seated Abductions are so amazing to include.
While you may start with just one based on what you can feel working during the move, especially if your TFL tends to take over (and you feel it in the front of your hip NOT the side of your butt), you can also use all 3 in a row. If you find you struggle most in one position, use that in the middle after you already feel the correct muscles working BUT before you’re at all fatigued!
To do 3-Way Seated Mini Band Abductions, place the mini band right below your knees and sit on a bench. Start by sitting toward the front of the bench so you can lean back and put your hands on the bench behind you. Place your feet about hip-width apart.
Then press your knees open against the band as you lean back. Your feet may rock open but focus on using your glutes to press the band open with your knees. Do not let your knees cave in as you come back to the starting position. Complete all reps then move to sit up nice and tall.
Sitting nice and tall repeat, pressing out with your knees so you feel your glutes working. After completing all reps, lean forward and repeat the movement. You can hold on the bench outside your legs to lean forward or just lean over even lightly resting your arms on your legs.
Complete all reps in each of the 3 positions. Make sure you’re really focused on pressing your knees out to feel your glutes while controlling the band back in. To reduce tension, you can start with a lighter band or put your feet slightly closer together, but make sure there is tension on the band even in that starting position.
5. Side Lying Extended ROM Lateral Raises:
Lateral raise movements are essential to include to activate your glute medius.
You DO need to be very conscious though that you don’t feel your TFL taking over! So you may find that you foam roll it between rounds or slightly kick back as you raise to the side. You may also slightly internally rotate your foot or turn your toe to the ground as you lift!
The added bonus of these extended range of motion is that stretch you put on the muscle at the bottom. This can really help you build strong glutes through the full range of motion your hip is capable of and even PROGRESS that basic side lying lateral raise without you even needing to add weight!
To do the Extended ROM Side Lying Leg Raise, lie on your side on a bench so that your bottom knee is bent and your bottom leg is close to the end. Prop yourself up on your elbow and position yourself so that your top leg can hang down over the edge and your foot is just a few inches off the ground. You can hold a plate weight on the outside of your top thigh, or wear ankle weights.
Then lift that top leg up and kick slightly back, feeling your glute medius, or the side of your butt, working to lift your leg. Keep that foot parallel to the ground or even turn your toe to slightly face the ground. This can help if you tend to feel your TFL or hips engage with lateral raises.
Do not rotate open as you lift. Lower that leg back down so that your toe touches the ground or hovers just an inch or so off the ground. You want to make sure you can lower that leg past parallel to the ground.
The bench allows you to have an extended range of motion from what you would have when side lying on the ground.
To modify, start with just your own bodyweight.
So…Should I Never Stretch My Hamstrings?
But what about those hamstring stretches you still see in warm up routines and recovery sessions?
Should you not be stretching at all?
While your focus should NOT be on stretching your hamstrings if you do have excessive anterior pelvic tilt, tight hip flexors and underactive glutes, this doesn’t mean you have to avoid hamstring stretches like the plague.
Especially in your warm up, you may find that dynamic stretches to put your hip through a full range of motion DO include a hamstring stretch component.
You do NOT need to avoid these. But spending a ton of time in your warm ups or cool downs focused on stretching your hamstrings IS going to be a waste and potentially even HINDER your results.
And this is of course talking about hamstring tightness due to anterior pelvic tilt.
With certain postural distortions you MAY still need to stretch your hamstrings. For instance, if you actually have POSTERIOR pelvic tilt, your hamstrings MAY actually be shortened.
However, the best place to start if you have a desk job, anterior pelvic tilt, tight hip flexors and/or stretching hasn’t really helped in the past, is to FOAM ROLL your hamstrings and NOT stretch them.
Foam rolling can help relax that overactive muscle so you can get your glutes activated and strong no matter WHY your hamstrings feel tight!
If you’re ready to improve your hip mobility and activate your glutes?
Lunges are an amazing leg and glute exercise; however, people often fear lunges and blame them for causing knee pain.
But lunges are NOT inherently bad for your knees and even learning how to master the lunge could help you PREVENT knee pain from returning.
It is key you always know how to work around your injuries, and select the variation of a move you need.
But as you tweak movements also take time to learn how to make sure you’re recruiting the correct muscles to get the most out of the exercise!
Depending on your injuries, you may need to reduce knee flexion, so an Anterior Reach Lunge may be right for you.
Or if you aren’t yet able to correctly load your glutes with a Front Lunge, you may find you need to start with a Reverse Lunge instead.
The key is learning how to use the lunge to meet your needs instead of just demonizing it! Because it really is a killer move if you want strong, lean legs and glutes!
How To Lunge Properly:
Quick Lunge Tips:
Make sure when you lunge forward you don’t let all of your weight shift forward onto the ball of your foot. You want to be able to push back off that front heel.
While your knee CAN travel past your toe if you want to load your quads more, it will also put more strain on your knee. So if you have knee pain, when you lunge forward, think about keeping your knee over your ankle. A more vertical shin angle can protect your knee and place less strain on the surrounding muscles.
Start by keeping your lunges smaller. As you advance, you may lunge out further and sink deeper. The further out you lunge the more challenging it is for your legs to push back.
A Reverse Lunge may also be easier starting out. This lunge can make it easier for you to load your glutes and can be more “knee friendly” if you struggle with lunging forward and properly loading your glutes. (demoed at 2:10)
With lunges, to target your glutes more, you can perform more of a hip hinge. You do not want to round over, but slightly leaning forward to push your butt back can help you load your glutes more.
The Split Squat or Static Lunge is also a great place to start if you struggle with forward or backward movement during your lunges. This lunge can help you improve your hip mobility while building killer leg strength (demoed in the video at 2:42). For this move, you can also shrink the range of motion using a pad.
By adjusting the range of motion of your lunge, you can not only make a lunge easier, but you can also make it more challenging. See some of the great deficit lunge variations below or even try a Balance Lunge (shown at 3:23 in the video).
You can use lunges to move in every plane of motion! You can even combine lunges in different ways to challenge your legs and even your core without necessarily even having to add weight (like I’ll show you below!)
Working Around Knee Pain:
Reduce knee flexion if needed!
Try even more of a hip hinge just touching a foot back instead of including a ton of knee flexion.
The Anterior Reach Lunge is a great front lunge if you do have knee pain as well (described in the video at 4:18 and shown below)
Try adding a slider and using more of a hip hinge (shown in the video at :41)
Why You Should Include Lunges:
Lunges are a great compound exercise to build functional leg and glute strength.
They are also unilateral exercises that allow you to isolate each leg and work each side independently to correct any imbalances you may have.
Lunges can also help you improve your hip mobility and build stability through a full range of motion because you can include movements in every plane of motion.
And because there are so many different options, you can even target the muscles of your lower body to different extents based on the version of the lunge you choose to include in your workout routine!
12 Amazing Lunge Variations To Work Your Legs And Glutes:
Using these 12 lunge variations you can build strong legs and glutes that not only look amazing but help you avoid injury!
By lunging in every direction you can build hip mobility and stability, which is key to helping you lift more, cycle further and run faster!
Side to Curtsy Lunge:
This lunge is a great way to really target and strengthen your glutes as well as your adductors.
Especially if you’re a runner, this lunge variation is important to include because it can help you avoid hip and groin injuries!
To do the Side to Curtsy Lunge, start with one side, say your left side. Lunging with your left foot, step the left foot out toward “9″ on the clock.
As you lunge out to the side, bend your left knee as you keep your right leg straight and sit your butt back. Don’t be afraid to hinge forward slightly, hinging at the hips. Really push your butt back and bend that left knee as you keep both toes pointing straight ahead. Keep your left heel down as you sink into the lunge. Keep your chest up even if you slightly lean forward to push your butt back.
Then drive back up to standing, pushing off your left foot to come back center. Do not bend your right leg to come back center. Really push off that outside leg and drive off your heel.
If you need to, touch your foot down center as you stand tall to help you balance before moving into the Curtsy Lunge. If you don’t need to tap your foot down, move right into the Curtsy Lunge.
Lunge back into a Curtsy Lunge with your left foot, stepping your left foot back behind your right leg. You will reach your left foot back to about “5″ on the clock as you bend your front and back knee as if you are almost going to half kneel on the ground. Make sure you step far enough back (do not keep your left foot too close to your right) so that you can bend both knees and sink down into a deep lunge. Keep your right heel down on the ground and your chest up. Make sure you feel the outside of the front glute really loading as you sink down.
Then drive through your front heel to come back up to standing center. Squeeze your glutes at the top and move right back into a Side Lunge on the left side.
Complete all reps on one side before switching. Add weight to make the move more challenging. Beginners may not go as low and may use only bodyweight.
Curtsy Lunge to Leg Lift:
This is another great lunge movement to really target your glutes and even isolate your glute medius a bit more to improve your hip stability!
While the lunge is a compound movement, adding in that leg lift allows for a little glute isolation work. And working the glute medius is so key to helping you prevent and avoid lower back, hip and even knee pain!
To do the Curtsy Lunge to Leg Lift, start standing tall with your feet together.
Then lunge back, stepping your foot across and behind your front leg so you sit back into your front glute. You aren’t lunging straight back, but are instead crossing behind as you keep your chest facing forward. Keep your front foot pointing straight ahead too.
If you rotate open as you cross behind, you won’t get the benefit of the curtsy lunge.
Sink down into the lunge, sitting back in your front heel as you feel your front glute load. Then drive through your front heel to come back up to standing.
Lightly tap the toe down to balance if needed and then raise your leg out to the side for a lateral raise. Feel your glute on the side lifting your leg laterally then touch the toe down and repeat the lunge.
You will shift your weight toward your standing leg, but don’t lean way to the side just to lift your leg up higher.
Airborne Lunge:
If you don’t have weights and really want to challenge your legs using just your own bodyweight, you should try the Airborne Lunge! This is a killer glute, and even core, exercise.
This fully unilateral move will help you correct any imbalances between your right and left sides while also helping you build up toward the pistol squat.
And unlike the pistol squat, this single leg move uses more of a hip hinge to target your glutes even more!
To do the Airborne Lunge, stand on one foot and bend your other knee, bringing your heel back up toward your butt.
Then push your butt back as you bend the knee of your standing leg to sink down into a lunge. Drop the knee of your raised leg back toward the ground near the heel of your standing leg. Make sure to hinge at your hips leaning your chest slightly forward as you sit back and sink down.
Do not touch the foot of the raised leg down when you drop the knee to the ground. Touch your knee down gentle or just hover above the ground.
Then drive through the heel of your standing leg to stand back up. Squeeze your glute at the top and stand tall then repeat the lunge.
Beginners can do a version holding suspension trainer straps to help them balance.
Pulse Side Lunge:
The Side Lunge is a great way to work your glutes and your adductors while even improving your groin flexibility.
When you add in the Pulse, you’ll spend more time under tension to challenge your legs more without adding weight!
To do the Pulse Side Lunge, start standing with your feet together. Then step out to the side with one foot and sink into a side lunge, bending that leg you stepped out with as you sit your butt back. Keep your other leg straight as you hinge a bit at the hips to sink down and load your glutes.
Then drive through that foot to straighten your leg a bit before sinking back down. You do not want to fully straighten your leg, but instead stay within that working range, coming up a few inches.
After you sink back down, push up and back to standing in one motion. Then repeat, sinking into the side lunge, pulsing up then stepping back and together. Make sure your heels stay down and that you do hinge a bit at the hips to load your glutes. Do not round over!
Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck:
Work your legs, glutes and even your hip flexors, obliques and abs with this hybrid lunge exercise.
It’s a great way to build strength and even get your blood pumping for a little bit of cardio!
To do the Reverse Lunge to Knee Tuck, start standing tall with your hands on your shoulders or by your head to help with the twist. Then lunge back with your right foot, dropping your back knee down toward the ground as you keep your chest up.
Keep your front heel down as you lunge back and bend your front knee to about 90 degrees as you load your glute. Keep your front knee about over your ankle to help you think about loading your glute.
Drive back up to standing, pushing through your left (front) heel. As you drive up, bring your back knee up and forward as you come to standing. Tuck your right knee up and rotate your upper body toward that right knee. You can slight crunch toward the knee but don’t just round over.
Twist toward that knee then lunge back again and repeat on the same side. Make sure to engage the glute of your standing leg and feel your abs work to twist toward your knee.
You can tap your toe down to balance if needed between the lunge and knee drive. The less though that you tap down between the harder the move will be.
Walking Lunges:
Talk about a move that will build strength and really get you out of breath!
The walking lunge is more of a cardio exercise than you realize and a really great way to target your glutes! And if you don’t touch your other foot down between lunges, it is a great way to advance the basic forward lunge without even adding weights.
To do the Walking Lunge, start standing up nice and tall with your feet together. Then step one foot forward and then bend both knees, dropping the back knee down toward the ground. Even though you’ve lunged forward, your weight shouldn’t be going forward. Drop your knee straight down and keep your chest up. Make sure your front foot stays flat on the ground as you lower down.
Drive back up to standing, pushing off the front heel. As you drive back up to standing and bring your back foot forward, try not to touch it down but swing it forward and out to go right into another lunge. Beginners may need to tap their foot down center to balance, but if you can step right into the next lunge.
Again sink down, keeping your weight centered and chest up. Drive back up to standing and bring that leg forward right into the next lunge.
Add weights to make the move more challenging.
Deficit Curtsy Lunge:
By increasing the range of motion, you can make the curtsy lunge more challenging. You can also improve your mobility by working through a bigger range of motion.
Just make sure that you actually lunge deeper or you won’t get the benefit of the increased range of motion!
To do the Deficit Curtsy Lunge, set up a low box or plate weight and step up on top of the weight. A slightly higher platform will be more challenging. Beginners may want to start with something very small or no box at all.
Stand on top of the weight, holding weights as desired to make the move harder. Then lunge back and off the weight, crossing your foot behind your leg on top of the weight. As you cross the foot behind, sink into that lunge, lowering the knee to touch the ground or hover right above.
Then drive through your front heel to drive back up to standing and repeat the lunge. You can slightly hinge forward at the hips to sit your butt back but do not round over. If you can’t touch that back knee to the ground, lower the step so you can work through a full range of motion.
Do not let your knee cave in or your body rotate. Keep your chest straight ahead as you lunge back and load that front glute, pushing it slightly out to the side as you cross behind.
If you have knee pain, you may reduce knee flexion and lunge back with a straight leg from the ground still crossing behind while adding in more of a hip hinge.
Alternating Dumbbell Reverse Lunges:
Little tweaks can help you tailor moves to fit your needs.
Sometimes you’ll want to complete all reps on one side to really isolate each leg and burn out each side independently and sometimes you’ll want the added metabolic bonus of alternating sides.
If you want the added cardio bonuses of alternating sides, try the Alternating Dumbbell Reverse Lunge. Holding dumbbells down by your sides is a great way to progress the basic bodyweight lunge.
And with the Reverse Lunge, you’ll really be able to target those glutes while still working your quads and even your hamstrings.
Below I show the Reverse Lunge with more of a hip hinge IF you struggle to load your glutes or want to target them more!
To do Alternating Dumbbell Reverse Lunges, hold a weight in each hand and stand tall with your feet together. Beginners can use no weights.
Lunge back with one leg, sitting your butt back as you hinge slightly forward and drop your back knee down to just touch the ground or hover over it. Really sit back in that front heel.
If you struggle to load your glutes or want to make it more glute intensive, keep that shin more vertical and that knee about over your ankle. Also use the hip hinge instead of staying more upright.
Then drive through your front heel to push back up to standing in one movement. Then lunge back on the other side. Try to get as deep in the lunge as you can to strengthen through that full range of motion. Beginners should start with just bodyweight and limit range of motion as needed.
If you need to reduce knee flexion, use more of a skater squat and hinge at your hips as you step back in a straight leg lunge.
Anterior Reach Lunge:
If you have knee pain and want to work around the pain while strengthening your leg, this is a must do move. It reduces the amount of knee flexion you perform and uses a bit more of a hip hinge movement than the standard lunge.
While this lunge variation will include more of a hip hinge to target your glutes, it will also still work your quads. Strengthening your quads can also help improve your knee stability!
To do the Anterior Reach Lunge, start standing tall with your feet together. Then take a big step forward with one foot and, as you place your foot on the ground, bend that front knee a little bit and push your butt back. Keep your back leg straight as you lunge forward and make sure that, when you step forward, your front heel down stays down and you feel your glute load.
As you’ve stepped forward, you want to hinge over and reach your hands overhead. So you should lunge and hinge at the same time to make sure that, even though you are stepping forward, you are loading your glute.
Do not let your weight go forward and your front knee go over your front toe. If your weight all goes forward and your foot isn’t firmly planted, you may load your knee which could perpetuate your knee pain.
Then, pushing back off the front leg, come back up to standing. Stand nice and tall and then repeat, stepping forward and hinging over to load that front glute.
Make sure that you don’t step out so far that you can’t push back up to standing in one smooth move. Also, you aren’t not trying to bend your knee as much as possible when you lunge forward. You are combining the slight knee bend and lunge with a hinge to load your glute.
You can also either alternate sides or stay on one side until all reps are complete. Add weight to make the move more challenging, but makes sure you have good form and can maintain your balance and feel your glutes working before you do.
Rock Lunges:
This is a great lunge variation to target your quads while improving your hip mobility and stability. If you want to become more mobile, include this lunge as part of your routine.
It can even often be used by those with knee pain if you make sure to set up so you only rock forward to the point that your knee is over your ankle.
Because it isn’t really active knee flexion it can often be ok so is worth testing out if you are looking to work around your knee issues.
To do Rock Lunges, start standing tall then step one foot back as if you were going to do a reverse lunge. However, you will want to set up in a wider stance than you normally would. Sink down then in this extra wide stance where your back leg will be straight and your front knee will actually be BEHIND your front toe.
Stay in a low extended lunge with your chest up nice and tall and then drive off the ball of your back foot so that you rock forward in the lunge and your knee moves over your ankle or the ball of your foot. The rock back.
You don’t want to bend or extend your back knee or stand up at any time. You are pretending like you have to stay under a ceiling right above your head and you are simply rocking or sliding forward and backward.
Slider Side Lunge:
There are so many different ways to progress or vary movements to fit our needs. And one great way to make the side lunge target your adductors even more is by adding in a slider.
By sliding your leg out straight to the side instead of stepping out to sink down, you will make your adductors have to work even more while still working your glutes! (Just be careful the first time that you don’t slide out too far or you’ll get stuck!)
To do the Slider Side Lunge, place a towel or slider under one foot. Start standing tall with your feet together.
Then bend your standing leg and sit your butt back as you slide the foot on the towel/slider out to the side. You may hinge a bit at the hips as you sit your butt back and bend your standing leg to sink down, but don’t round forward. Make sure to keep your standing heel firmly planted on the ground. Also, make sure to slide your leg out straight to the side. Do not bend that leg on the slider.
Drive through your standing heel and pull your foot on the towel/slider back in to come back up to standing. Do not allow yourself to go forward as you come back up to standing. You do not want to load your knee. Make sure to really sit back and then drive back up through your standing heel. Keep your back flat as you lunge even if you lean forward a bit because you hinge slightly at the hips. Also make sure to pull your foot on the slider back in using your inner thigh.
Make sure you feel this in your standing glute and the adductor (inner thigh) of the leg on the slider. Complete all reps on one side before switching.
Go lower in the lunge, slow down the tempo, or add weight to make the move harder.
Balance Lunge:
This is a great way to progress the basic static lunge or split squat by adding instability but also by increasing the range of motion.
You can make it more quad intensive by staying more upright with your posture or you can target your glutes more by including more of a hip hinge as you sink down.
You can also advance it further by adding a weight. By front loading the movement, you can make it more core intensive. (You could also create even more instability by putting your back foot in a suspension trainer strap instead of up on a box!
To do Balance Lunges, place one foot back up on a box. You can place the top of your foot on the box by pointing your toe or you can flex your foot and rest the ball of your foot on the box. Hop your front foot out so you are in a nice wide stance with your back foot up on the box.
Then sink down into a lunge, dropping your back knee toward the ground as you bend your front knee to 90 degrees. Really sit back into the lunge. Make sure you aren’t going forward onto your front toe and that your front knee is not going past your toe. You want to sit back to make your glute work. You should also feel a nice stretch in the front of the leg that is back when doing this move.
Keep your chest up nice and tall as you sit down and back. If you are struggling to sit back, you can hinge very slightly forward at the hips.
After sinking down as low as you can, drive back up to standing, driving through your front heel and the back foot. Don’t go forward as you drive up. Then repeat, sinking back down.
Beginners may want to use a super low box or do the move from the ground as a Split Squat. More advanced exercisers, or if you don’t have weights, you may want to do it with your back foot in a suspension trainer. You can also add weight to make the move more challenging.
If you want some killer workouts using these lunges…
When we perform bent over rows or flyes, we want to create a neutral spine, a flat back, a long spine, an extended spine. I’ve heard it cued all of those ways (and they can all be great cues!).
But often because we lack thoracic extension and even our pecs and lats are tight, we end up arching our lower back in our attempt to extend and create a “flat back.”
We end up compensating to try and replicate a movement. We seek out mobility from other areas, which ends up creating overload.
So if you feel your lower back during those bent over rows and flyes, even though your form “looks” pretty good overall, it may be time to try some tweaks as you also work on your thoracic mobility!
If you find this happens, it may be helpful to start with a single arm row, where you can have a hand and knee on a bench. This can take some of the load off of your core.
Or you can even place your other hand on your leg to help brace while in a staggered stance. This can help you elongate without arching. The staggered stance alone can also sometimes help.
Of course you do want to be working to learn how to extend your thoracic spine without hyperextending or overloading your lower back, but as you work on that mobility and core bracing, you can tweak your positioning during rows and flyes to avoid pain!
You can also modify the bent over dumbbell fly, or even the bent over row, by doing them while prone.
Lie face down on a bench or incline bench so your chest and torso is supported. This can help you brace against the bench and use that to help you extend without arching.
To make the most out of these tweaks, you need to be conscious of what muscles you truly feel working!
You can’t just rush through moves or go through the motions!
Love these tips and tweaks? Want some killer upper body and arm workouts?!
In my Arm Burner program, I share tweaks and modifications for moves so you can avoid injury and build the lean, strong back and arms you’ve always wanted!
