This exercise works the muscles on the side of your hip. These muscles are important in helping you plant yourself firmly into the ground and in maintaing your stability. Skaters and skiers are generally strong in these muscles, but they are important for everyone to train and improve. There are many different ways to undertake this exercise, and I will show 2 of the most basic and popular to get you started.
How to perform:
Standing
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
- Place your hands on a stable object
- Plant one foot firmly on the ground and shift your body weight to that side
- This should leave your unweighted leg dangling slightly above the ground
- Hold/squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement
- Relax the leg and let it return to the starting position
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps
- Lay on your side on a comfortable surface
- Extend both legs so that there is little to minimal bend in your knees
- Lift the top leg as high as you comfortably can
- Hold/Squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement
- Relax the leg and let it return to the starting position
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps
I would encourage you to alternate the way in which you perform this exercise. Sometimes undertake it standing, and other times complete it while you are on your side. These two, and the many other varieties of this exercise, all have something a little different to add to your fitness.
Good luck! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this, or any other exercise, and I am always open to suggestions on which exercise to cover next week.
-Jason
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