Lower back, hips, knees and ankles

Low Lunge: Supported Chair

The most accessible lunge: chair support creates an upright position that opens your hip flexors with minimal demand on your spine, suitable for almost everyone.

How to do it

1. 1

   Set a sturdy chair against a wall in front

   The chair is what makes this the most accessible version of the lunge, so make sure it cannot slide before you put any weight near it.

2. 2

   Kneel, step forward and rest both hands on the chair

   The back knee stays down, with a blanket under it if you like. With the hands high, your torso comes up tall instead of leaning towards the floor.

3. 3

   Stay upright and ease the hips forward a little

   Being upright keeps the demand on your spine low and puts the sensation in the front of the back hip. Let the chair carry a little weight through your hands, not most of it.

4. 4

   Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then change sides

   A shorter step makes it milder again, and a blanket under the back knee lets you stay comfortably for the full time.

What to watch for

Leaning your weight forward into the chair until your chest drops towards it. That loses the upright shape this version exists for, and it can shift the chair. Keep the shoulders stacked above the hips and the hands resting rather than pushing.

Ways to adjust it

• Short stance
• Blanket under back knee

Other ways to do this movement

Every version below is the same movement set up differently, so one of them usually suits. See all Low Lunge versions in one place, ordered from gentlest to strongest.

• Low Lunge: Classic
• Low Lunge: Movement
• Low Lunge: Short Stance
• Low Lunge: Small Range
• Low Lunge: Twist
• Low Lunge: With Blocks

Before you try it

Move within a range that stays comfortable. Stop if this brings on sharp pain, dizziness, or symptoms that travel down an arm or a leg, and speak to a clinician before repeating it.

From the clinically authored Vinys movement library.