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. Bulgarian Split Squat
2 sets · 8 reps · 35s rest · both sides
Back foot on the chair, weight on the front leg. Shorten the range if the front knee complains.
Steps
Stand a stride-length away from a bench and place the top of your back foot on the bench behind you.
Square your hips forward and brace your core with your hands on your hips or at your chest.
Lower your back knee straight down toward the floor while keeping your front shin near vertical.
Drop until the back knee is just above the ground and the front thigh is roughly parallel to the floor.
Keep your weight in the front heel and your chest tall throughout the descent.
Drive through the front heel to push yourself back up, finishing with the front glute squeezed.
Cues
Front foot loaded.
Torso tall.
Knee tracks the toes.
Common mistakes
Standing too close to the bench, which shoves the front knee too far forward and loads the joint.
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 front leg of work.
Twisting the hips to compensate for balance instead of staying square — kills the unilateral training.
2. Walking Lunge
2 sets · 10 reps · 35s rest · both sides
Keep walking forward with a pause in each lunge. Shorten the stride if the balance wobbles.
Steps
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides or hands on your hips.
Take a long step forward with your right foot and plant it flat on the floor.
Lower your hips straight down until both knees bend to about 90 degrees.
Drive through the heel of your front foot to push back up to standing.
Bring your back leg through and step it forward into the next lunge on the other side.
Continue alternating sides, walking forward across the floor for the full set.
Cues
Step and settle.
Tall through the spine.
Quiet feet.
Common mistakes
Letting the front knee cave inward, which strains the joint and shifts work off the glutes.
Stepping too short, which turns the lunge into a quad-only squat without much glute work.
Letting the torso fall forward over the front knee instead of staying tall.
Pushing off the toes of the front foot instead of driving through the heel.
3. Bodyweight Hip Abduction
2 sets · 12 reps · 25s rest · both sides
Finishes with the side hip, which stabilises every single-leg movement above.
Steps
Lie on your side on a mat with your legs stacked, your bottom arm extended under your head for support.
Stack your hips squarely on top of each other and bend the bottom leg slightly for stability.
Keep the top leg straight with the toes pointing slightly forward and your foot flexed.
Lift the top leg straight up toward the ceiling in a smooth, controlled motion.
Stop when you feel a strong contraction in the side of the hip — usually around 30 to 45 degrees.
Lower the leg back down slowly without letting it touch the bottom leg, then repeat for reps.
Cues
Hips stay stacked.
Lift from the side hip.
Move slowly.
Common mistakes
Rolling the hips back to lift the leg higher, which lets the hip flexors take over from the glute medius.
Lifting the leg too fast, which removes the time-under-tension that builds the glute.
Pointing the toes up instead of flexing the foot, which shifts the work off the side hip.
Letting the top hip drift forward — kills the side-glute contraction and turns the lift into a leg swing.