This article is a transcribed edited summary of a video Bob and Brad recorded in May of 2024. For the original video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzVcIBj_HWQ&t=22s
Brad: We are going to explain and demonstrate why these three exercises are the best for strengthening your legs, as well as improving your balance.
Mike: Yes, they combine the ability of strength in your hips, your knees, and your ankles, as well as the balance component, making you as stable as a pyramid.
Brad: That's right, and it's quite simple to do. We'll get right to it. Let's go, Mike.
Mike: Hopefully, we won't look like a pyramid.
Brad: All right, the beauty of this routine, is it's only three separate exercises and we're going to show them at three levels, for beginners, intermediate, and the advanced level. Now the goal is, is to get to at least the intermediate, but some people are going to get to the advanced level or may even start with it. So we're going to get all three of them and they're going to work well. Mike, can you explain why these are better than most other exercises you're going to see for strength and balance?
Mike: So the three reasons are first, it is done in a standing position, all variations from beginner to advanced. It's going to be more functional for actually working on your balance. Second, it's going to work to strengthen the muscles as well. So you're going to strengthen some of your ankle muscles and your hip muscles. And last, it's going to work on your proprioception, which is a fancy term for your balance.
Brad: Well, there's a little more to it than that, but it's not needed unless you're a therapist. All right, let's get going to the explanation and demonstration. Okay, quickly we're going to go through the three simple movements. In standing, as we had mentioned, you're going to do hip flexion. You can do it with your knee straight or with it flexed. We're going to do 10 in each direction, and then out to the side, and then hip extension behind. Now it's really important that you understand, that we are actually working the hip muscles in this leg, but what's going on in the weight-bearing leg is really critical, not only for strengthening the muscles from the ankle all the way up to the hip, but it also works your balance.
Brad: Now as you can see, Mike is using the chair for balance. A little bit more advanced, is to do it without the chair. And the next step we're going to show you in just a little bit and that would be the advanced version. Okay, let's get going.
Mike: So for beginners, you're going to use support. You can either use a chair, a wall, a stick, or a countertop. And the first exercise we're going to do is hip flexion. Now Brad is doing the straight-leg version. I am doing the marching version. You want to do 10 on each side. Nice, slow, and controlled with them. If you're doing the marching and you wanna try alternating, you certainly can. It's a little harder to do that with Brad's because it looks like you're dancing.
Brad: And I have a leg weight on, which if you wanted to start with that, because you need more resistance, then you would need one on each ankle, otherwise just do one leg at a time. To make it a little more difficult, go a little higher with either the marching motion or leg straight. That's up to you, start at a comfortable level of resistance, in other words, height.
Mike: Another thing to look at is your stance leg. If I am standing with a slight bend in my knee, it's going to make this leg work a little harder. If I lock it out, it's going to be easier. So try to have a slight bend on that side.
Now, the next exercise is hip abduction, meaning kicking out to the side. Try to control it. Go to what's comfortable. If you have to keep it low and down, that's fine. Kick up, just don't swing your whole torso with it. Nice slow controlled movements with a straight trunk.
Brad: Good, good, nice. That is so important. I want to mention the last one is hip extension. Now this one, it is important that you keep your knees straight. The one that is doing the movement. If you bend the knee, then we're just working hamstrings. We want to work that hip more because that's going to work your balance more and your mobility better. There we go.
Mike: Once you do one side, make sure to do the other.
Brad: That's right.
Mike: So you have to do the left side.
Brad: All right, now if you want to progress to not using any balance aids, simply go in the corner like I am or in the open like Mike, depending on your comfort level. Here, you can grab the wall if you lose your balance, it makes it much safer. Simply go ahead and do the exercises again. Same thing, 10 reps on the side, not too slow. In the corner, you do have to shift your body, of course, so your leg doesn't bump into the wall.
Brad: All right, now we're going to progress to the advanced mode. And this is really going to get you going and do more strengthening and challenge your balance more as well. You've all been waiting for this, right Mike?
Mike: Yeah, I can't wait.
Brad: Okay, here's the advanced version. You will need to have resistance bands. You can buy them in a set of usually five with different colors. They come with a door anchor. They also come with an ankle strap. If you don't have a door anchor, I'm actually going to use a wall anchor and you'll see how that works. All are options, or you simply use a table that has a very steady leg with a lot of weight. So what I'm going to do is start out attaching the ankle strap here, you connect it with a carabiner. The wall anchor, you simply go like this. It's very simple and easy. The door anchor, they come with, Mike's going to demonstrate.
Mike: Simply take it and put it in between the door frame and the door. For the exercises we're doing, you want to have them lower. Make sure your door shuts firmly, so you pull on it, it doesn't open up.
Brad: All right, now for you people who really feel advanced and want to modify this a little bit, if you're using the door anchor or the wall anchor, you simply move to a higher level. Now the wall anchor comes with three or four options, depending on where you buy it from. So I'm going to go up to chest height. It changes the angle of force and it makes your balance and your muscles work a little different. It's not a big difference, but if you really want to change it up and really fine-tune your balance, this will help.
Brad: Okay, now when you're doing this one, you definitely want to do it your first time with some support. Use either a stick or a chair in front of you, or a wall, something where you can be very stable. I'm going to use the Booyah Stik. But again, anything that you can use for steady balance is fine. And we're going to do the same movements. We're going to start going forward. I have good balance. I'm going to use the stick on the opposite side of the leg that's weight-bearing. Slight bend in the knee as Mike mentioned. And you simply again go at a slow pace. Hold it there for a split second, then come back down. And then I test the abduction, out to the side. Again, bending at the hip does not count. We want to have an upward posture, good balance, and work on strength. I already can feel my hip muscles working.
Brad: My ankle muscles here are working to keep my balance. It's much harder than you think. And then, of course, hip extension. There we go. No bending forward. Up tall and work it this way. You will not get as much range of motion in this direction, but that's okay. I can feel that glute maximus really going to town when I get out there. All right, now we're going into the advanced version with the bands. Mike's gonna help explain why this really makes a big difference.
Mike: So when Brad's performing these exercises, you could see it's the band compared to the weight we had. Yes, the leg lifting up is working similarly, but the stance leg is actually getting a polling force from the band making you work on your balance a lot more on that stance leg,
Brad: Right, I don't know, can you get on the ankle there?
Brad: My ankle is really fatiguing because it is really working to keep my balance. This is very key, to keeping you functional, upright, and moving, whether you want to prevent fall risk or you're out and being active playing tennis or some other activity. There we go.
Mike: And a simple way to make it easier or harder with the bands, Brad has mentioned, is just getting closer or further away from the wall. That's going to be a lot easier. That's going to be a lot more challenging.
Brad: Good point, yeah, those two steps I made, made an obvious difference, and I can really feel now my quadriceps working because I have a flexed knee. Woo, and there we go. All right, so again, start with a stick, or a wall, but be safe. And what I like to do is I'll keep the stick in hand and just lift it up. That way if you need it, if you lose your balance, bang, you're right there, solid again. So very good. I am very convinced this is the best combination of leg strength and improving your balance in a very functional way, that's going to keep you active, healthy, fit, and?
Mike: Pain-free.
Brad: There ya go. Have we got something else here?
Mike: Yeah, if you want to check out more videos on balance check out "Seniors - 10 Best Balance Exercises, Pick 3 & DO DAILY!"
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