Kate engages your hindquarters!

Kate’s Equipilates™ ‘Monkey Squat for Riders’ Exercise

This exercise helps riders ‘find’ and activate their gluteal muscles. Our gluteals are instrumental in the front-to-back balance of our hips (gluteus maximus) and our right-to-left symmetry (gluteus medius) in the saddle.  

​How to do it?

1.  Stand with feet hip distance apart with your spine aligned. Imagine you have a helium       balloon gently pulling you up all the way through your spine, from your feet to the crown of your head. Set your centre and gently engage your deep abdominals to provide stability throughout the movement

2.  Breathe in to prepare and as you exhale flex your hips and knees imagining you are trying to sit on a chair behind you whilst simultaneously lengthening your arms in front of you to help maintain balance

3.  Breathe in and begin to gently squeeze your bottom muscles and as you breathe out
continue to squeeze your bottom muscles straightening your hips and knees, returning to
standing

Repeat 10 times

Watch Points

• As you move down into the ‘squat’ position make sure you keep your knees in line with your middle toe  - if your knees are pulling towards each other try placing a ball or balloon lightly between your knees to maintain good alignment
• Don’t let your knees come forwards and over your toes – glance down, can you still see your feet? If this is challenging start with a small squat gradually building up until you can achieve a deep monkey squat
• If you feel your lower back ‘joining in’ it is likely that you are ‘dipping’ your lower back or have allowed your pelvis to move into an anterior tilt. Try and keep your pelvis in a neutral position – your back will appear flat – as you move down into the squat position flexing only at your hips
• Try to maintain your spinal alignment – not allowing your chin to poke forwards or your ribs to lift or your pelvis to tilt

Variations
To further challenge your balance once in the squat position raise both heels off the floor, keeping your heels lifted as you exhale return to standing. Once standing gently lower your heels to the floor.

To add a further challenge you could tie a resistance band (or loop) above your knees pushing put into the band as you squat down, make sure you keep the same distance between your knees through the whole monkey squat movement.

Another amazing version is to hold the quat for 20 seconds, and then when you return to standing perform a 'Roll Down' exercise.  After this, squat and hold for 20 seconds again and alternate the Roll Down and squat three more times.  Feel how much more flexible you are!  Click HERE to see the 'Roll Down' video.

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