In this video, I’ll go through a great corrective exercise that you can quickly do to start the day. It is called the Reverse Overhead Lunge. Corrective exercises address movement compensations you may have and work to fix them. By fixing these imbalances, great corrective exercise improves the quality of your movement during your workouts and in everyday life. This means less stiffness, less pain, and a lower chance of injury.
Why is Reverse Overhead Lunge such a great exercise?
The Reverse Overhead Lunge addresses balance concerns, poor posture, and stability. The reverse lunge works on the lower body. Moving from kneeling to a standing position works on the core. Bringing the overhead arms works on the core, loosens up the thoracic spine, and works on all the shoulder blade muscles. It is an excellent exercise to open up the body and have all those stabilizing and core muscles turned on.
This exercise also helps to open up the front of the body, which can become stiff and tight from too much sitting. The lunge will stretch your hip flexors (the front of your hip), and bringing the arms overhead will help stretch the chest and shoulders.
I had Donnalee demonstrate two different ways to do the exercise.
The Two Different Ways To Do The Exercise
Reverse Overhead Lunge (Level 1)
Start by breaking the exercise into two different movements, the reverse lunge and the arms overhead. The reverse lunge is less stressful on the knee than a forward lunge. Start with the reverse lunge. Take a step back with one foot and lower your back knee to the ground. You want both knees bent at about 90 degrees, with your front knee behind your front toes. If your back knee is sensitive to the ground, you can place a pillow or blanket underneath it for comfort.
Now bring in the arms overhead. Lift your arms overhead, aiming to get your hands above your shoulders. Depending on your shoulder mobility, you may be unable to get your arms overhead. If that is the case, lift them as far as is comfortable. You might also want to try bending your elbows. Hold this reverse lunge position with your arms overhead. Return to the start by stepping your back leg forward and lowering your arms.
Reverse Overhead Lunge (Level 2)
Step back for the reverse lunge, and move into the reach position as you step back. Hold for a couple of seconds, return up, and then move to the other side. Once you have these two movements down and can balance and move smoothly, progress to doing it all in one movement.
Go through 5 repetitions on each side for a total of 10 repetitions.
10 Repetitions of this Reverse Lunge Overhead Exercise
Tomorrow morning when you wake up, go through 10 repetitions of this Reverse Lunge Overhead exercise and see how your body feels. This corrective exercise should help to open up the front of your body and wake up the stabilizing muscles you need to keep your joints and muscles healthy.
Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS
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