By Elizabeth Towe
Objective:
In the spirit of the new year, new beginnings and this “Best Of” issue, I go to one of my favorite multi-joint, multitasking exercises, the rear lunge with single leg balance and rotation. This exercise improves the power and stability of the stance leg in running and the torso mobility and strength as you shift onto the stance leg to help move you forward more efficiently.
Exercise:
- Standing on one leg, hold a weighted bar or dowel rod at shoulder level with palms forward. Be sure to contract the glutes, shift the pelvis toward the midline of the body and gently brace the core to assure the most stable and balanced position.
- Step back with the right leg and simultaneously bring the bar down and rotate the torso (with bar) to the outside of the left leg. Step back so that the upper and lower leg are at a 90-degree angle – on the front leg and the back leg. Be sure the shoulders are level and your pelvis stays square to the front.
- Bring the back leg back up to a single leg stance as you simultaneously bring the bar back up to the start position. Repeat on the same leg 10 to 15 times, then change legs. Do this for two to three sets.
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Elizabeth Towe is a runner and a cyclist and the owner of Balanced Movement Studio in Carrboro. She graduated from East Carolina with a degree in exercise and sports science and has been personal training for over 20 years. Her ultimate goal for all of her clients is to help them realize and achieve the optimal quality in their life – and to remember to have fun doing it.
