Lower Body + Core

Hey, it's Andrea. Welcome to your lower body and core focused workout. The things you'll need for this workout are a ball. Make sure it's got a little bit of squish so it doesn't roll away as you're using it. We'll be starting with it under your tailbone.

You also need a loop resistance band. The work with the band is really targeting and on the outer hips and glutes. So the heavier you go, the tighter you go with the resistance, the more challenging it's gonna be. So choose accordingly. Alright. You ready? Let's get started.

Bring your ball with you. Lie down on your back. Start with your knees bent feet flat. Lift your hips up and slide the ball underneath your tailbone and your sacrum. Arms at your sides Andrea bring your legs up 1 at a time into a tabletop position.

You should feel like you've got some good balance here almost like this is a bowl for your lower body. Abs in, dip 1 foot down in a march, and bring it right back up to meet the other leg and alternate 1 leg down and right back up. As we start moving here, this is a moment to forget anything you were doing before this or thinking about and just focus your body and mind in together here, deepening your abdominals in and up as that leg goes down. So you keep that core connection. Once you're even with these legs, hold them where they are.

Extend 1 leg out. Draw the other knee in and switch your legs Andrea switch your legs. You're flowing at your own pace. Single leg stretch version here. Whoo. Every time that knee comes in, deepen your abdominals in Andrea away from that leg.

10 seconds. You're struggling to find your balance, aim your legs a little higher. If you wanna challenge this further, try going lower and keep that scoop in and up. You could stick with this or both knees come in, both legs extend out and they deepen back in. Flow at your own pace with this double leg stretch version here.

As I extend out, I often think about my upper ribs drawing down toward the mat Andrea my tailbone lengthening out in a way to keep that natural curve of the spine 5 more seconds. On the next 1, your legs go out. Scissor, 1 leg up, 1 leg down, and big scissor switch Andrea switch. As you do this, you do not need to have stick straight legs. In fact, I'd rather almost have that little soft bend of the knee. So you're really scooping.

You focus on the abs versus moving from the knees or the feet. You could stick with this if this feels controlled, or 1 leg up 1 leg down. You helicopter the legs around, around, around, bring your legs together, and that same leg that was down lowers back. You bring the bottom leg up. Bottom leg goes back down. Circle.

Oh, round. Bring it in and down. Going as big or as small as you need to today to keep the balance, keep it in your core. Do 1 more on each leg, even yourself off. And when you're even, you'll finish with both legs up to the ceiling.

Give me a little diamond shape of the legs. Lower down a few inches. And deepen and lift it right back up. Going into this lower lift variation, the range on this does not have to be big. Think about that zipper again.

Put that zipper 2 inches below your navel and zipper to lift it back up. The reason I have your knees apart today is because I want you to hyperfocus in on that scoop and get out of the hip flexors and quads. They're active. They're working. They always are its full body. Right? But focus in on the abdominals as number 1.

Do 1 more. And after that 1, bend your knees in. Place your feet down on the mat Tuck your tailbone under lift up, take the ball out, and roll down through your spine. Bring your knees in toward your chest, curl your head and chest up, and take the ball, put it between your ankles. Hands stack palm over palm behind your head and neck, extend your legs out toward a 45 degree angle and bend them back in. Here we go, hovering footwork, lengthen out, and draw back in.

So we are diving right into this connected core work here, moving that ball around. A fair amount in the beginning today, so you can find these different resistances. As you're hogging in, as you're ad ducting in on that ball, you're activating those deep lower transverse abs. Chest is holding this nice active curl up. Tail bone is staying down.

10 seconds. Head pressing back into your Andrea. Hands pressing back into your head. On your next 1, hold it out there. Stay there. Squeeze the ball in, in, in, in tiny little pulses.

10 seconds. Shoot. 5 seconds. Hold, flex your feet, bend your knees in, and send them back out in and out. So similar idea, right, with what we do, with footwork on the reformer, lengthening out in, and we're getting this big pump of circulation from the lower body. But instead of pushing with that loaded resistance of the reformer, it's all core. 5 seconds. On your next 1, hold it out.

There are little squeezes in, in, in, in. You're still flexing those feet. 10 seconds. 5 more seconds. Hold. Point your toes.

Flex your feet. Point your toes Andrea flex. This is your tendon stretch. 10 seconds. Wow. 5 more seconds.

And then you bend everything in. Quick reset. Lower your head rock side to side. Curl your head and chest up. Legs go up. Take the ball and put it on 1 of your legs as high up towards your foot as you can. Opposite hand comes across onto the ball, other hand behind your head.

You're twisting toward that leg with the ball. Lower the free leg down and lift it back up. Length and down and lift it back up. The work here is you have to hold that ball up towards your foot, so you can't start to creep down. Try to keep it in the exact same spot for 10 more seconds.

Lower and lift. 5 more seconds. Shoo. Bring your leg down about halfway. Hold it there.

Little roll up and down with that ball. Rolling up, down 10 seconds. 5 more seconds. Hold. Bend your knee. Take the ball now.

Put it on top of the knee and take that same opposite elbow across into it. Hands behind your head. Oh, chest is up. Bend the free leg in, send it out. Bend it in, send it out. Your hips are squared off and even.

Your upper body is wrapping into that work. Me and elbow pressing evenly together. 10 seconds. Shoo, 5 seconds. Extend your leg out.

Hold little crunches up into that ball. Me and elbow pressing together. 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Bandon.

Oh, rest. Rock it out for a second. Okay. Good news and bad news. We have our second side.

The good news is there's no third side. Legs up take the ball opposite leg, lower the other leg, hand behind your head, find that rotation, and lift and lower your leg down, Andrea up, reach, and up. Do a check-in with your shoulders. Make sure they're not kind of pulling off your back to hold that lift. Shoot. 10 seconds.

Reach and deepen back up. 5 seconds. Hold your leg down halfway. Give me that little rolling crunch, up and down, up and down, 10 seconds. Hips are squared off and even 5 seconds.

Hold. Bend your knee and take the ball onto the start of your knee, the end of your quad, hands behind your head, and bend in, and out with that free leg. Double check. Your elbows are wide. You're lifting up actively holding this crunch. 10 seconds. Whoo. Hold it out there.

No little crunch up and up knee and elbow pressing actively together 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Hold it there. Grand finale, Benjamin, put both elbows on the ball. Both knees have the ball. Little crunch up and up and up. This is your core flexing versus your elbows pushing.

10 seconds. 5 seconds. Whoo. Andrea rock up. Brad of it. Roll your shoulders out.

Roll out your neck. We're not out of abs though. We're still going. Take the ball and put it in your upper back. So this is shoulders.

Bring yourself down and make sure you can scoop your abdominals in. Andrea stack behind your head and neck. So back to that idea of little flexing curls up and down, up. Don't even think about the down on this. It's just zippering up and right back up.

If you feel like you're whipping up higher, then this, I want you to bring your ball closer toward your shoulders and neck. 5 more seconds of this. Bring it down halfway. Now your upper body circles down around and up. As you lower down, though, make sure you're staying connected.

You're not arching into your back, and we'll do 10 more seconds of these around the worlds. 5 seconds carving out your abdominals. Reverse your direction around and up and up so connected on this. 5 more seconds. Bring it center. Reach your arms forward.

Palms up. 1 arm reaches up and bring it down. Other side reaches Andrea. Now that you got that movement, take the arms out of it. Think about your waistline, bringing you up and down. Tiny penguin crunches here. 10 seconds. 5 seconds.

When you're even, you are there, my friend, rock up, come seated. Roll it out, shake it out, grab the ball. Bring yourself down onto your side, face me, take the ball, put it between your ankles, and come all the way down onto your elbow and forearm. I want you in the middle of the mat or a little forward toward me. So you want space behind you on this. Flex your feet, abdominals are in, hand is down. Lift your legs up and lower them down.

Lengthen up. And down. So again, all these different styles of movement and styles of resistance, we're hugging in with the inner thighs and adductors, which helps to connect into the abdominals, the deepest layer as we challenge the obliques the waistline. 10 seconds. Lengthening out from the top of your head.

5 seconds. Hold it up high. Stay there. Squeeze in, in, in. Both legs are hugging that ball. It's an endurance hold for the core. We're sneaking a little inner thigh.

10 seconds. Shoot. 5 seconds and lower it down. Stay where you are down. In your lower body, push up to your forearm, abdominals in, point your toes, hinge back slightly, do a contraction, and lift your legs up. I'm balancing on that bottom glute, reach forward to your ball, your arm goes up and overhead as you lower your legs, give me a tiny extension reaching back, fold around scoop and lift, and lengthen away. This is sort of like our version of a snake and twist, on a mat, just getting some rotation in the body, working everything here, stabilizing from the arm, activating from the legs, the core, hold up on the next 1.

Take that free hand behind your head, scooping in lower and lift your legs up and down. Match my pace on these Andrea give me 6 lower, 5, lower, 4, and 3, 2, 1, Bandon. Grab the ball. Let's flip around and knock out that second side. So around you go, take the ball between your ankles. Remember, you're in the middle of the mat or a little forward of that.

Down on your elbow and forearm, extend your legs out. Hand is down abs are in, lift, and lower. Find your balance by putting your weight into that hand in front of you so your hips can stay stacked. Once you feel like you're in a good spot, think about your abdominals doing the lift. Everything else follows.

10 seconds. 5 more seconds. Meet me at the top, stay there, and hug that ball, pulse, pulse, pulse, pulse. Shoo, endurance hold here. 10 seconds. 5 more seconds.

Hold point your toes lower down. Bring your way up onto your elbow and forearm. We go into that contraction of the core, scoop in, roll, lift your legs, and just reach up. So meet me here shoulders open, your arm goes up, unfold, reach back, and bring everything up. And flow.

Find your own pace, and give me 15 strong seconds. Moving from your abdominals, from your mid section. 5 more seconds. Meet me at the top. Hold it up there.

Take that free hand behind your head. Still balancing on your lower glute. You lower and lift 8. Lower lift 7 match my pace. 6, 5 into the waist. 43 Andrea 2, last 1, grab the ball. Rock up, roll it out. Okay.

That was a lot of core. Let's transition into the lower body. Flip around. Keep your ball for 1 more exercise. Lie down on your back. Take the ball behind 1 knee and anchor that leg down.

We're going into a bridge. I want you a hip bone distance, right? So where your hip bones are, that's where your knees should extend out in your feet land. Tuck your tailbone under lift up Meet me at the top. There should be a little squeeze in on the ball to keep the hamstring active. Upper ribs are down, tailbone Andrea.

Lower down, end up. Lower and lift. If you feel like that ball is gonna drop, walk your heels in a little bit closer. And on this first set, our full range set, full range means as low as you can go maintaining the shape. So that might be different day to day. But that's how you find what that means for your body.

10 more seconds. On your next 1, keep it up at the top little pulses up, down, up. These are the endurance pulses. It's almost just like a tailbone under and lift Andrea lift 10 seconds. 5 more seconds.

Hold at the top. Shift your weight onto that leg with the ball and bring the free leg in. Extend it up. Lower and lift your hips up, down. Match my pace on these for 8. 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3, 2.

Hold it up on 1. Take that leg. Cross your heel over your thigh. Flex the foot on top. Lower and lift up down again, match my pace. Give me 8, 7, 6, and 5, 4, 3, 2, hold it up on 1. Send your leg up.

Bend your knee, put your foot down, and you roll your way down. Bring the ball in, swap it to the other leg. Foot down, tailbone under, meet me at the top. Upper ribs are down. Let's do that full range.

Lower and lift. And lift. Now, the reason we've got the ball behind the knee is because it makes the hamstring, the back of the leg, keep that engagement just a little bit more We have to be aware of it the entire time, and that's gonna keep you from wanting to kinda whip from your back keeps it so hyper connected. 5 more seconds. Meet me at the top.

Little pulses up down, up, down. Shoulders are down. Abdominals are in. 5 seconds. Both glutes are on fire. Hold it up there.

Shift your weight toward the ball slightly. Bring your knee in. Send it up lower and lift and lift. So focusing in really on that 1 glute here by taking this leg away. 5 seconds.

Hold it up. Cross your heel over your thigh. Knee is out. Foot is flexed. Lower lift, full range, up and down. We've all done a bridge before, but they are so effective. It's really great to keep them in our practice consistently. 5 more seconds Hold it up there.

Send your leg up. Bend journey. Your foot goes down, and you roll your way down. Okay. Your your bridge is not done. Take the ball. Put it between your feet. Put the ball down in front of you.

This is similar to what you would do with a Bosu, a squishy big ball, tailbone Andrea, lift up. Hold this here. Just holding this is work. We're getting all those little muscles to have to stabilize by using imbalance. Lower, lift up, down, up, and down. Back of the arms are pressing down.

Abs are scooping in 10 seconds. 5 more seconds. Keep it at the top. Now, roll the ball forward a few inches. Roll it back. Tiny range of motion on this. Roll out. Roll in 10 seconds.

Shoot. 5 seconds. Andrea then roll your way down. Rockup conceded. If you got a cramp on that, that's me 80% of the time. So that just means you're working. Okay.

Get rid of your ball. You are done with this. Grab your band. It's not necessarily good news because we're gonna get it now. Slide the band up above your knees. So we did a ton of adduction with the ball.

We're gonna work outer hips and glutes now. So with the band above your knees, bring yourself down on your side facing me. Head resting in your hand, knees are bent, 90 degrees. Lift up, catch a little bit of tension here, lower, and lift that leg down Andrea up. As you're moving, if it feels better for your neck to do that arm down, do it.

Otherwise, keep it up Andrea lengthen your waist out so we have hips stacked 1 on top of the other softly pointed toes. The focus is that outer hip and glute, the medias. 5 more seconds. Bring it down halfway, small range pulses up and down. Up and down. We've done a lot of this pulsing in and pulsing out because that's how we build the endurance.

We build the muscle. And in these athletic workouts, these 30 minutes, we are focused on changing our body and elevating our practice. 10 seconds, 5 seconds, hold it down halfway, circle that shape forward up back and around, forward and back. It's a small circle Your knee and foot should be holding that tabletop style position. 5 more seconds this direction.

Change the direction now. Go back, lift, and up. Andrea a little bit of weight forward into that hand 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Hold it hovering.

Now extend that leg forward to me and bend it back in. Reach forward and in. As you kick forward, keep your hips stacked. So it's almost like your hip pulls back as that weight pulls you forward from the foot. 10 seconds. Whew.

5 more seconds. Keep your leg forward. Hold it there. Lower and lift up and up and up and up. Whew. 10 seconds. Whew. 5 seconds.

Hold it up there. Sweep that straight leg back and bring it forward. Sweep it back and forward. This is a hamstring connected exercise. Whoo, similar to sideline looped leg work you might do on a reformer.

10 seconds. 5 seconds. Keep your leg reaching back. Give me little circles. Circle and circle. Circle.

Imagine a tabletop. This leg stays above that table. 5 seconds. Change your direction around it up Andrea, wooh, 10 seconds, 5 more seconds, and your home. Pop your heels up.

Give me almost like a mermaid tail, here, mermaid tail, keep that position your top knee lifts up, almost all the way down and right back up, down. Your range might be different than mine, depending on how tighter, how loose your band is, Right when you're about to lose all that resistance, it's up. And it's wrapping from the glute. Shoo. Strengthening this part of our bodies is so crucial to our trajectory of wellness, longevity, hold it up there, and pulse pulse you're almost done on this side. 10 seconds.

5 seconds. Hold. You have a grand finale. Separate your heels. Keep that top leg hovering you go knee toward the other knee, heel toward the other heel. So you dance the knee down Andrea up.

It's like a seesaw. Down up. Once you kinda get your resistance, your groove on this, speed it up, down and up. The range may get smaller. It's gonna feel kind of funky, but it is effective, so we're doing it.

10 seconds. 5 seconds, and then bring it down. Push your way up between sides. I wanna get you up off your side. Bring yourself up into a quadrupet or a cat cow style position.

That leg you were just working extends back. The opposite arm extends down. Start low on the mat. Lift your arm and leg together, up, lengthen them down. Lift them up, bring them down. Whoo.

Check-in with your core. Make sure your back's not trying to swing or sway on this. 5 more seconds. Meet me at the top on the next 1. Little pulses up and up.

It's like a handshake with the arm and the leg. 10 seconds. 5 more seconds. Keep it up high. Your arm and leg go a couple inches away from your body.

They both pull into the center. They reach away from the body. They come back away and back. Meet me back on the next 1. Stay there. Bend your elbow and knee in toward your center. Extend them out.

Draw into the center. Extend it out. In reach 10 seconds, and you are out of this 5 seconds, 1 more, and it's down. Okay. Cat cow, quick little stretch out, turn around, let's still face each other and do the second side. So bringing yourself all the way down, head resting in your hand, stack your legs 1 on top of the other, top leg lifts up, down, up, and down, and we're in it. Second side does go faster in your mind because you know what's coming, so it's not like the, when is Andrea gonna finally be done with these things she's throwing at me. Now, you know, 10 seconds of this.

5 more seconds. Bring it down halfway little pulses up and down, up Andrea. So back to our endurance pulses. Your toes are long, but take the energy out of them Put it in that outer hip and glute. It's often nice to even put your hand here and kinda cue where that connection is. Bring it down halfway, circle around, and back, and circle.

And circle. I know you're feeling this. This is an endurance moment, so make sure you're breathing. No. This is an option for your head and neck to lower that arm down. Change your direction around and up.

And up Andrea up. Focus on the lift. 10 seconds. Lift and lift 5 seconds. Hold it hovering.

Extend your leg forward and bent it in. Kick it forward. Andrea in. This is your moment to pretend you're kicking me. 10 seconds. Hit back as you kick forward. 5 seconds.

That leg extends forward hold lower and pulse it up and up and up accent that lift. Phew. 10 seconds. Phew. 5 seconds. Hold it up there. Extend your leg back.

Sweep it forward. Reach and back. So it's a straight leg, but there's that little micro softness that, like, I tickled you with a feather right behind your knee. So it's back of the leg. It's muscular versus moving from the joint. Extend your leg back, hold trace little circles, circle.

The size of a navel orange here, tiny circles, 5 seconds, change your direction now, circle around and up and up 10 seconds, 5 seconds, and bring it down. Lift your heels up, lengthen your waist out to stack the hips, and then lift and lower your knee up, down. You're always working up into that resistance. So never fully let that band release. 10 seconds. 5 seconds.

Keep your leg up, lower it halfway down Andrea lift it up and up and up and up 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Hold it up there. Separate your heels. Let's go knee to knee toe to toe.

Dance that leg. Seesaw, down, up. If you wanna pick up your pace, go for it. Range will probably get a little smaller. That's okay. It's consistency of movement here. Give me 10 strong seconds.

5 seconds Andrea then bring everything down. Bring yourself up. Let's go back into that quadruped position. So you're all the way up. The leg you were just working extends out.

The opposite arm extends out. Big length and up and down of the arm and leg. Lift and lower. It's a moment to get the circulation flowing through all those muscles, we were just hyper targeting. Hold it up on the next 1.

Give me a little handshake, pulsing the arm and leg up and down. 10 seconds. 5 seconds. Hold it up. Your arm and leg reach a couple inches away from the center and they pull back in. They go out opposite directions, right, away Andrea 10 seconds.

5 seconds getting the abs really working here. Hold, bend your elbow and knee in, shoot it out. Pull it in, extend it out. 10 seconds. 5 seconds, and you're there.

Speir around. Face me. Let's get rid of your band. Slide it off. Before you're done with me, stretch out those glutes. So facing me, choose 1 leg to bent in front, 1 leg to go behind.

The leg that's bent in front, same arm from that side, goes back behind you, the other hand kind of pulls in towards your chest. Tailbone under, lift your hips up Andrea overhead. If you'd rather keep the arm low, do it. Bring everything in. Let's do 1 more.

Reach up and over. Andrea everything comes back in. Speir around. We do the other side. Leg bent in front. Same arm from that side goes back.

Other hand comes in and reach up and over. Bring it in. 1 more time. I love this stretch because it's stretching out the hips, the quads. It's all that length in your body. Everything comes back in.

Rolling your shoulders out, and that is it. You are done with that workout. I hope you feel amazing. I will see you for the next 1.