Base & Bound B: Step & Hip
Bodyweight session for 60+: ankle prep, the timed balance ladder, step-ups with a knee raise, glute bridges, side-lying clamshells and bird dogs. About 40 minutes, six items, a counter and a low step are the only props.
Estimated session
- Movements 6
- Working sets 12
The session
| Order | Exercise | Sets | Target | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Ankle Circles Hold a counter or a wall-braced chair — ignore the squat-rack reference in the exercise instructions. 10 slow circles each direction, each foot. Warm-up only 1 × 10 · rest 30s | 1 | 10 | 30s |
| 02 | Supported Stance Hold Balance ladder. A still 30-second hold at your current rung, always within arm's reach of a fixed support. No stepping, no swinging, no head turns below the top rung. Advance only on the criterion in this week's note. 2 × 30s · rest 45s | 2 | 30s | 45s |
| 03 | Step-up with Knee Raise Low step to start. Drive through the whole foot, pause at the knee raise. 1 warm-up set first 3 × 8 · rest 1:30 | 3 | 8 | 1:30 |
| 04 | Butt Lift Bridge Heels close, ribs down, hold one second at the top. Standing hip extension at the counter substitutes. 3 × 8 · rest 1 min | 3 | 8 | 1 min |
| 05 | Side-Lying Clamshell Hips stacked, do not roll back. Side glute — this is what levels the pelvis. Standing substitute if the floor is out: standing hip abduction at the counter, leg out to the side, toes forward, 2-second hold at the top, same tempo — add a rep rather than load. 2 × 10 · rest 45s | 2 | 10 | 45s |
| 06 | Bird Dog Slow, hips square, 1-2s hold. Standing reach substitutes if floor is out. 2 × 10 · rest 45s | 2 | 10 | 45s |
Coaching notes
Ankles and the balance ladder run first, while you are fresh. The ladder is a static hold at the current rung, never a moving drill: IF held 30s with no hand touch on two consecutive sessions THEN advance a rung; IF the support is touched THEN hold; IF touched two weeks running THEN drop a rung. Start on a low step, mid-shin or under, and raise it only when the height is clean. Standing swaps: bridge becomes standing hip extension at the counter; clamshell becomes standing hip abduction — leg out, toes forward, 2s hold, add a rep not load; bird dog becomes a standing reach with the opposite heel lifted. Optional pull, uncounted: a counter row off a waist-height edge.
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