Lower Body Mobilization

Dynamic warm up

A dynamic warm up is different from a static warm up because rather than stretching your muscles in a stationary manner, you perform light movements and exercise to physically warm up the muscles and have more blood flow to the muscles you are about to work. A proper warm up before strenuous exercise plays a pivotal roll in preventing injuries.

Try these exercises to warm up for your next leg day!

Hip rock backs

Start on the ground on your hands and knees in a table top position. Ensure that your knees and hands are shoulder width apart. Sink your hips back toward your heels and then back to the starting position. This will help prepare your hips for hinging movements in your workout.

Butt kicks

Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back in an upright neutral posture throughout this exercise. Rest the top of your hands behind you on your buttocks, bring your heels back one at a time to kick your hands.

High knees

Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back in an upright neutral posture throughout this exercise. Hold your hands out in front of you. Lift your knees up one at a time to a 90-degree angle to tap your hands.

Leg swings (side to side)

Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back in an upright neutral posture throughout this exercise. Hold onto a bar, wall or stable surface and swing one leg from side to side. Start by swinging it out to the side then inward across the body opening up the hips.

Legs swings (forward and back)

Open & close the gate

Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back in an upright neutral posture throughout this exercise.

Open the gate: lift one leg directly in front of you to a 90-degree angle. From this position, rotate your hip outward away from the center of you body and set your foot down to the side. Complete for both legs.

Close the gate: turn your foot outward to the side away from the center of our body. Lift the knee as high as you can in this out turned position and rotate your hip inward to stand with the knee bent directly in front of you. Set the leg straight down. Complete for both legs.

90-degree hip mobility

Start sitting on the ground with one leg in front of you bent in a 90-degree angle with the foot pointing toward the other leg. Place the back leg in a 90-degreee position as well. Lift your hips up to “stand” on your knees then sit back down. Complete this slowly and controlled with legs having a chance to be in both positions.

Make sure you do not complete any of these if they cause you pain and check with your health care provider to see what is right for you.

PhysioMax Wellness is a Physiotherapy clinic located in Burlington, Ontario. PhysioMax Wellness offers; physiotherapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy and more. We use manual therapies as well as various modalities to improve the rate of healing from injuries. Our goal is to work with you and for you to create personalized plans to recover from injuries and help your reach your health goals for conditions you may have.

Julia de Reijke RKin, CSEP-CPT, BASc Kinesiology (Hons), DipFTHP