A Move You Should Do MONDAY – Front Back Ball Pass

If you liked last week’s move, you’ll love the single leg front back ball pass. Or at least, this one will make you smile as you work through the challenge. If you can muster 6-10 repetitions of this exercise on each leg, I promise you your glutes will be activated. Here’s how to do it:

Stand on one leg as you hold a ball in one hand
Lift up one leg and pass the ball underneath it to your other hand THEN
Hinge at the hip of your standing leg as you pass the ball behind it
Perform 6-10 repetitions on each side
Repeat while standing on the other leg

Why does this matter?

Practicing standing on one leg unlocks a key ankle joint, the subtalar joint. As this joint rocks back and forth to help you keep your balance, it activates two key muscles in your butt: the gluteus medius and the gluteus maximus. These muscles are integral in helping you to push, pull, run, jump, lift, twist and throw during your daily activities.

If you have ever injured or had pain in your foot, ankle, knee, hip or low back, chances are your subtalar joint is a bit stiff, causing the large muscles of your hip and thighs to be inhibited. Long after the pain of the original injury is gone, stiffness in the subtalar joint may cause chronic issues in other joints of the lower extremity.

So give the single leg front back ball pass a try.

Because nobody has time to be in pain.

Until next time…