By Elizabeth Towe
Application: Have you ever had knee pain while running? This exercise increases strength and pelvic stability (lateral hip strength). It is important to have pelvic stability so that the hips can help control excessive motion above and below the pelvis.
This is great for running as well as improving trunk, shoulder, and pelvic position while swimming.
Exercise:
- Start by standing on the right leg, in single-leg stance, shoulders relaxed.
- Brace lower abdominal muscles and step sideways into lunge, descending slowly by bending the lunge at the hips, knees, and ankles, and keeping the other leg straight in extension.
- Keep most of your weight in the lunging leg and AVOID letting your back arch as you descend into the lunge.
- While keeping the chest up, rotate torso and reach across body to the outside of the lunging leg.
- Use your hip and thigh muscles to push yourself up and back to the starting position. Engage abdominal muscles to draw knee up to the front. Balance momentarily on one foot before returning to a side lunge position.
- Complete 10-12 repetitions before switching to the left leg. Repeat 2-3 sets on each side. For increased challenge, hold a medicine ball in both hands.
# # #
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.
