If you tried last week’s drill, you are going to appreciate this week’s (it’s wayyyy easier.) 

Today’s drill helps strengthen the quadriceps, hip flexors, and calves in unison. Repeating this drill teaches these muscles to work together to create one beautiful long line from hip to toe.

Low Standing Leg Lifts combine hip flexion (raising the leg from the hip) with knee extension (keeping the knee straight). It is much easier to flex your hip when your knee is bent, which means it is verrrry tricky to convince the knee to stay straight, especially when you’re feeling tired. Practicing this drill helps us banish that pesky microbend by building muscle memory around the good habits that give us strong, beautiful lines and developing the muscles we need to keep the action clean.

Tap your pointed foot on the ground and raise your leg about halfway to the height of your hip. Squeeze the quadriceps (front thighs) to keep your knee straight. Be sure to turn your lifting leg outward (external rotation) while doing this, but not to a point that you feel clicking or grinding at the hip joint. This is usually less of an issue for the low lifts and more so for the high lifts. Standing leg should be strong with a slight bend in the knee, and hips should be square. Draw belly toward spine to avoid arching. 

This drill can be extremely helpful for beautifying your technique and while challenging, is much easier than the seated variety and can be incorporated into regular training. Remember, it is much easier to think about technique in your warm-up than when you’re clutching the apparatus and trying to work out a tricky move. Develop your good habits and strength while you have time to focus on those details!

If you’re looking for more drills you can do without your apparatus, Fit4Flight includes 5 aerial-specific workouts you can do from home.