Chair
Feet together, knees bent, hips back, arms overhead. A held squat that wakes the quads, glutes and ankles standing up.
The lesson
- 01
Sit back, don't sink down
Feet together or hip-width. Bend your knees and send your hips backwards, as if there were a seat behind you — the weight travels back, not straight down.
- 02
Find your heels
You should be able to lift your toes off the floor and stay balanced. If you can't, your hips haven't travelled back far enough.
- 03
Arms up alongside your ears
Reach forward and up, palms facing each other, shoulders sliding down away from your ears. Hands at your chest is fine if your shoulders don't like it overhead.
- 04
Long from tailbone to crown
Let your tailbone drop and keep your ribs over your hips, so your low back stays long instead of arching to hold the chest up.
- 05
The test
Your thighs and glutes should be working and your breath should still be steady enough to count. If your low back is what's shouting, come up a few inches and drop the tailbone again.