1-Leg Hover Step-Up

To perform the Hover Step-up, stand sideways (facing the long dimension of the step) on top of a sturdy wide step or box roughly 6-10 inches in height, and dangle your non-working leg off the side of the step. Bend your knee and slowly lower your body until the unweighted foot is just above the floor. Pause for a second before you press back up to a standing position. Keep your weight over your heel, and if you feel any discomfort in the knee, lower the step height to make the movement smaller, press your hips back behind you so the knee does not travel forward of the foot, or try doing the exercise in a mirror to be sure the knee is not wobbling to either side.

ADVANCED VARIATIONS: To make this exercise more challenging both for balance and for strength endurance:

• Hold a dumbbell in each hand
• Hover over the floor for anywhere up to 8-10 seconds to really recruit the quads and challenge the small muscles in the ankles and feet
• Increase the height of the step to add range of motion
• To simulate climbing through boulder fields, add a backpack to your back
• Add repetitions or sets
• Hold a dumbbell only in one hand and change hands halfway through the exercise
• Avoid totally straightening the leg so the quads and glutes stay constantly contracted