This week’s Workout of the Week is Balanced Single-Leg Hip Bridges! Balanced Single-Leg Hip Bridges are a great variant to the Single-Leg Hip Bridge we featured before, but by balancing one foot on a ball you are engaging the stabilizing muscle groups (in your core, thigh, glutes, and hips) further, giving you greater results! The model demonstrating this exercise is balancing her base foot on a medicine ball, but you can feel free to try this exercise on a stability ball. Even a soccer ball, basketball, or volleyball would work for this exercise.
Here’s how to do them:
- Begin by lying flat on your back, arms down at your sides (palms facing down), and your knees bent with your feet flat on the ground.
- Next, bridge your hips by lifting your pelvis and back off the ground; exhale as you do so.
- Once you feel you are balanced, slowly lift one foot off the ground and straighten your leg out in front of you about 10-12 inches off the ground. Your body should be in a straight line from the toe of your extended foot to your shoulders. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds.
- Finally, with your leg still in the air, lower your body back down to the starting position.
- Do the same steps for the opposite side. Try doing 2 sets of 10-15 Balanced Single-Leg Bridge-Ups.
Tips:
- Be sure that when you are in a bridge, your weight is resting on your shoulders and not your back.
- Keep your hips off the ground and make sure your body stays in a straight line from your head to your toes throughout the entire exercise.
- If you experience any pain, specifically in your lower back or ankle, stop doing this exercise immediately and consult your doctor.
We hope you’ll try Balanced Single-Leg Hip Bridges over the weekend and then build this exercise into your daily routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.
Want more fitness ideas? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.
