The reverse lunge is a programming favourite due to the hip dominance of the pattern and can be a very useful option if forward lunging is not possible. As your momentum is backwards whilst you are descending towards the ground, the hip extensors particularly gluteus maximus is working very hard. Added to that the narrow long stance will further load glute max and other hip muscles because the movement is rather unstable.

The tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) is a muscle connected to the Ilioitibial Band (ITB) which is taut structure on the outside of the thigh that connects the hip and knee, and is an essential for walking and running. It has had a bad rap in recent years as practitioners often tell people theirs is "tight" and needs stretching. They then prescribed horrible foam rolling for the outside of the thigh which is painful and quite ineffective for "loosening" the ITB. Instead you are bett

The Zercher pattern is an extremely useful carrying pattern to aid global trunk strength and capacity which comes in useful for anyone who will need to carry a prop or partner in front of them. As your centre of mass is moved forwards due to carrying the weight in front of you, you put a large demand on not flexing the back and losing abdominal pressure/stability. Loading this progressively can have huge carry-over into day-to-day and functional tasks.

This variation of calf raise is a great way to introduce instability to ankle joint whilst going through plantar flexion range of motion. It is not a huge loading exercise but the instability challenge brings with it more work for the soleus to undertake, due to soleus' ability to control pronation. This vital function can be lost or at least reduced in a previously injured foot or ankle. Therefore, this exercise can be an excellent way to challenge the ankle complex when bui

Moving on from the more upper abdominal dominant aleknas pattern of arms only, you can increase the work load into the upper abdominals in this way by adding load to the arms. These can be dumbbells, or plates which are more effective than bands as the greater resistance is as the arms are moving towards the overhead (longer) position.

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This is not a commonly used exercise or infact range of motion that is trained. The fact is that not only will you gain a great deal of gluteus medius activation during the exercise but also the six deeper rotators of the hip. These muscles act as the rotator cuff of the hip joint and rarely get focused on during training unless you are returning from hip surgery. The commonly used exercise in the same realm as this are clam variations.

Another hip range of motion that is not commonly trained is medial rotation, where the closest we get to achieving that is adduction exercises that train the adductors which also medially rotate the femur. Like the lateral rotation variety, this is at home towards the end of a session where you can focus in on the smaller hip muscles capacity after completing the more compound movements.

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This versatile single leg squat pattern has a home in a number of programming scenarios. The single-leg multi-directional nature of the exercise creates a large proprioceptive challenge around the ankle, knee and hip which increases the load into the quadriceps and lateral hip musculature. Movement variety is a fundamental benefit of the exercise and can be used as the first step into multi-directional loading.

A variation of the Crab Walk where you are combining forward and backward movements whilst resisting hip adduction from the band. This version is targeting a consistent stress in to the outside of your hip as your hip moves through flexion and extension. This very time efficient exercise is a mainstay in a lot of hip programming in a non-pain setting.

The start of the Aleknas loading pattern, with the lowest load, is the variety that only utilises arm movement. The lengthening of the arms, when done with the cuing for the abdominal/back positioning, can start to place work into the upper portion of the abdominals whilst getting lower levels of stress into the lower part of the abdominals whilst they are in a safe, short position.

Often seen as a purely bodybuilding type exercise, the Lateral Raise can play an important role in aiding the structural stability of the acromioclavicular joint. This is where the deltoids and upper fibres of trapezius interact, the blend via fascia and help with force transmission across the joint and the lateral raise can play a key role in aid the joints stabilisation. In terms of muscle activation the lateral raise will have a higher degree of work placed upon the mid fi

A metabolic challenging abdominal exercise that is very much at home within a HIIT or Tabata type session. Controlling the movement is the real challenge as your pelvis is accelerating towards the floor which can be tough to slow down, especially when fatigue is setting in. There is also a nice dynamic mobility component to the exercise which may test hip and lower back mobility in some.

Adding a little more challenge to the Air Squat may involve using a mini band around the knees. This will want to pull the knees towards the midline and load the hip abductors to keep them from succeeding. The thought process behind this version is that it can help engage the glutes and abductors throughout a squat pattern, this may help positively affect patella tracking (the glide of the patella into the knee joint). It can also be used to increase the metabolic cost of a r