If you’ve followed our exercise program so far you should have improved your flexibility as well as your balance and co-ordination, from this foundation you can now start to build your strength and endurance.

Start by doing the following exercises in their basic form, once you feel comfortable with them you can progress the exercises to make them more demanding.

Squat

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, squat down keeping your weight through your heels until your hips are level with your knees, ie 90 degrees, then drive upwards through your heels to an upright position. Try to maintain your posture throughout the exercise keeping your upper back straight. Look to perform 15-30 reps of the basic squat.

Progression– using the same method as for a basic squat but power up through your heels to your toes and spring off the ground each time you come up.
Progression-add a 180 rotation when you spring up

Burpee

A good exercise for leg muscle endurance and cardio. Assume a plank position, jump your feet forwards towards your hands then do a star jump then down to your plank position and repeat.

Progression-single leg burpee. Perform a normal burpee on one leg to a single leg jump landing on the same foot. Aim for 8-15 per side

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Hand walk

Standing with legs straight reach forward to put your hands on the floor. Walk your hands forward until you’re in a plank with hands below your shoulders then walk your hands back up until you’re in your original standing position.

Progression-if you want to work your core harder walk your hands to a position in front of your shoulders and then back

Midget lunges

This exercise works all your leg muscles continuously.

Kneel down on right knee sitting on right heel with your left foot flat on the ground in front of you, knee bent to 90 degrees. Step forward through your back foot so that you have the same position as before but sitting on your left heel. Walk across the room like this maintaining your upper back upright.

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You can try integrating the balance and co-ordination exercises with the strength and endurance exercises e.g when you’ve got the balance exercises dialed try doing them after the endurance exercises when your muscles are fatigued, it’s much harder !

Words: Mike Nixon (City Osteopathics)
Exercises and demos: Peter Banister (Personal Trainer)