Posts Tagged ‘knee exercise’
Bridging is a great way to tone your gluts and hamstrings as well as facilitate spinal articulation.
Functional Applications:
- Improved gait efficiency
- Strengthening for daily tasks including ascent/descent of stairs
- Stabilization at the knee joint
- Weight loading and weight bearing through knee and ankle joints
** Pictured below is a straight-leg variation of the bridging exercise. Beginners should start with knees bent and feet on floor. Straight leg variation can be used to avoid hamstring cramping.**
- Begin laying on your back, arms to your side with your palms facing downward.
- Place your legs up on a stability ball or another stable surface (i.e. chair/bench) tip: the more in contact your legs are with the surface, the easier the exercise.
- Inhale to prepare.
- Exhale as you send your ‘sits bones’ towards your heels, flattening your low back and peel your vertebrae off the floor one at a time.
For functional exercise, present the lunge. Lunging involves total body integration and requires coordination of the head, shoulders, pelvis and lower extremities. The primary focus seen with lunging is strengthening of the quads, gluteals and hamstring muscles which can help to improve gait efficiency and ease the effort required to perform activities such as sit to stand or negotiating stairs.
- Stand with feet hip width apart. Be mindful of your posture. Inhale to prepare.
- Exhale as you Step your Right Leg approximately 3 feet in front of you, landing with your heel first. (This varies with leg length.)
- Bend your Right knee as your foot reaches the ground, maintaining your knee in a 90 degree angle (i.e. do not allow your knee to bend past your toes)
- Pushing through your Right leg, lift yourself back to your upright posture.