Move gently and stop if you feel sharp pain, dizziness, numbness, or symptoms that feel unsafe. This routine is general fitness guidance, not medical care.
Exercises
1. Bodyweight Squat
1 set · 10 reps · 20s rest
Go only as deep as you can keep the heels down and the chest tall. Depth improves on its own.
Steps
Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly outward.
Brace your core, lift your chest, and extend your arms straight out for balance.
Sit your hips back and down as if lowering into a chair, keeping your weight in your heels.
Lower until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor, with knees tracking over your toes.
Keep your chest tall and your spine neutral throughout the descent — no rounding at the bottom.
Drive through your heels to stand back up, squeezing your glutes hard at the top of the rep.
Cues
Sit between the heels.
Chest stays tall.
Drive up evenly.
Common mistakes
Letting the knees cave inward, which weakens the squat and loads the knee joint badly.
Squatting straight down instead of sitting the hips back, which puts all the work on the knees.
Lifting the heels off the floor at the bottom, which kills balance and reduces glute drive.
Cutting the depth short and squatting only halfway — robs the lift of glute and quad work.
2. Bodyweight Reverse Lunge
1 set · 8 reps · 20s rest · both sides
Step back into a shallow lunge and return. Hold support and keep the front knee comfortable.
Steps
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips or at your chest.
Take a long step back with one leg, planting the ball of the back foot down lightly.
Lower the back knee straight down toward the floor while keeping the front shin near vertical.
Drop until the back knee is just above the ground and the front thigh is roughly parallel to the floor.
Drive through the heel of the front foot to push yourself back up to a tall standing position.
Repeat on the same leg for the prescribed reps, then switch sides without losing form.
Cues
Use support.
Keep the step shallow.
Front knee feels comfortable.
Common mistakes
Stepping back too short, which puts the load on the front knee instead of the front glute.
Letting the front knee cave inward instead of tracking over the foot.
Pushing off the back foot instead of driving through the front heel — robs the working leg of work.
Slamming the back knee into the floor instead of lowering it under control.
3. Good Mornings
1 set · 10 reps · 20s rest
Hinge from the hips with soft knees and a long spine. A small bow is enough to warm the hamstrings.
Steps
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, hands crossed at your chest or behind your head.
Brace your core and unlock your knees with a soft bend, keeping that bend constant through the rep.
Push your hips backward and bow your torso forward, keeping your back flat from head to tailbone.
Lower until you feel a deep stretch in the hamstrings or your torso is roughly parallel to the floor.
Drive your hips forward to lift your torso back up to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top.
Pause briefly upright before starting the next rep, keeping the same knee angle throughout the set.
Cues
Hips move back.
Knees stay soft.
Spine stays long.
Common mistakes
Rounding the back as you bow forward, which loads the spine instead of the hamstrings and glutes.
Bending the knees more as you go down, turning the hinge into a half-squat and reducing hamstring work.
Going past parallel before the hips can absorb the stretch, which strains the lower back.
Standing up by pulling with the lower back instead of driving with the hips and glutes.
4. Wall Sit
1 set · 25s hold · 25s rest
Slide down until the thighs feel work, then hold and breathe. Come out early if the knees complain.
Steps
Stand with your back flat against a smooth wall and your feet about two feet out from the wall.
Slide down the wall by bending the knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Set your feet roughly shoulder-width apart with your knees stacked over your ankles.
Press your lower back firmly into the wall and rest your arms relaxed at your sides or out in front.
Hold the position with steady breathing as the quads burn, keeping the knees in line with the toes.
Stay in the hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then slowly slide back up the wall to stand.
Cues
Back on wall.
Knees comfortable.
Breathe through the hold.
Common mistakes
Setting the feet too close to the wall so the knees travel far past the toes, which overloads the joint.
Letting the lower back peel off the wall as fatigue sets in, which removes the quad isolation.
Letting the knees cave inward as the hold gets hard, which strains the joint.
Holding the breath to push through the burn, which spikes blood pressure unnecessarily.