MONS Athletics

Pyramid

Standing, both feet planted, front leg straight, hips square, folding over the front leg. One-legged hamstring and calf length with the whole standing chain working.

The lesson

  1. 01

    Short stance, both heels down

    Step one foot back about a leg's length — shorter than a lunge — and turn that back foot in about forty-five degrees. Both feet stay flat on the floor.

  2. 02

    Square the hips first

    The back hip wants to swing open. Draw it forward until both hip points face the front of the mat. Do this before you fold, not after.

  3. 03

    Long spine over a straight-ish front leg

    Straighten the front leg as far as it goes without the back rounding, then hinge from the hips and reach the chest toward the front shin. A soft front knee with a long spine beats a locked knee with a rounded back.

  4. 04

    Give yourself something to reach

    Hands on blocks either side of the front foot, or on the shin. Chasing the floor is what rounds the back.

  5. 05

    The test

    A broad line of stretch up the whole back of the front leg — calf, hamstring, into the low back. If you feel it only behind the knee, back off and lengthen the spine instead.