Dumbbell Leg Day

Stand tall with your feet a little wider than hip-width and your toes turned slightly out. Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest, cupping the top end in both hands with your elbows pointing down. Draw your ribs down and set your weight across the middle of each foot.

1. Inhale — send your hips back and down, bending your knees to lower into the squat while keeping the dumbbell close to your chest.
2. Lower until your elbows travel toward the inside of your knees or to a depth that suits you, keeping your chest tall.
3. Exhale — drive through both feet to extend your hips and knees back to standing.

• Keep the weight close to your chest and your elbows pointing down.
• Let your knees track outward in line with your toes rather than caving in.
• Keep your torso upright and your chest lifted throughout.
• Keep your heels grounded and your weight through the mid-foot.

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs with your palms facing you. Keep a soft bend in your knees, your shoulders back, and your spine long.

1. Inhale — hinge from your hips, sending them back as your torso lowers and the dumbbells travel down the front of your legs.
2. Lower until you feel a stretch along the backs of your thighs, or to a range that suits you, keeping your back flat.
3. Exhale — drive your hips forward to rise back to standing, keeping the dumbbells close to your legs.

• Keep the dumbbells close to your legs as they travel down.
• Hinge from the hips and keep your spine long rather than rounding.
• Keep a soft, steady bend in your knees throughout.
• Let your hips lead the movement back and forward.

Step one foot forward into a staggered stance, with your feet about hip-width apart side to side and a stride's length front to back. Lift the back heel so you rest on the ball of the back foot. Stack your torso tall over your hips with your weight centered between both legs.

1. Inhale — bend both knees to lower your back knee straight down toward the floor.
2. Lower until your front thigh reaches a depth that suits you and your back knee hovers just above the floor.
3. Exhale — press through your front foot to drive back up to the start, keeping your torso tall.
4. Complete your reps, then switch legs.

• Keep your front knee tracking over your foot as you lower straight down.
• Keep your torso upright rather than leaning far forward.
• Drive mainly through the front heel to rise.
• Keep your hips square to the front throughout.

Lie on your back on a mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and drawn close to your hips. Rest your arms by your sides with your palms down. Set your lower back into a neutral position.

1. Inhale — press your feet into the floor and settle your ribs down.
2. Exhale — drive through your heels to lift your hips toward the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
3. Pause at the top and squeeze your glutes.
4. Inhale — lower your hips back down to the mat with control.

• Drive through your heels to lift the hips.
• Stop rising when your body is in a straight line rather than overarching your lower back.
• Keep your knees pointing forward, in line with your feet.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top of each lift.

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your weight balanced over the balls of your feet. Rest a hand on a wall or chair for balance if you like. Keep your legs straight without locking your knees.

1. Exhale — press through the balls of your feet to lift your heels, rising up as high as is comfortable.
2. Pause briefly at the top with your ankles fully extended.
3. Inhale — lower your heels back down with control to the start.

• Rise straight up through the balls of both feet.
• Pause at the top rather than bouncing at the bottom.
• Lower slowly and with control.
• Keep your ankles steady so they do not roll outward.

Kneel on the mat and step your right foot forward into a half-kneeling position, with the right knee bent over the ankle and your left knee resting on the floor behind you. Rest your hands on your right thigh or your hips and lengthen your spine.

1. Inhale — draw your tailbone gently down and lengthen through the crown of your head.
2. Exhale — shift your hips forward over your front foot until you feel a stretch across the front of your left hip and thigh. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. Rise up and switch sides.

• Keep your torso tall; the stretch deepens by moving the hips forward, not by leaning back.
• Draw your tailbone down so the front of the hip opens without arching your lower back.
• Pad the back knee with a folded towel if the floor feels hard.

Sit on the floor with your right leg extended straight in front of you and your left knee bent, letting the sole of your left foot rest against your right inner thigh. Sit tall on the front of your sit-bones and flex your right foot toward you.

1. Inhale — lengthen your spine and reach the crown of your head upward.
2. Exhale — hinge forward from your hips over your right leg, reaching your hands toward your shin, ankle, or foot. Keep your spine long. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. Inhale to roll up to seated, then switch sides.

• Hinge from the hips rather than rounding the spine — a short fold with a long back is plenty.
• Keep a soft bend in the extended knee if your hamstrings feel tight.
• Keep the extended foot flexed so the toes point up.