Lower back, hips, knees, ankles and shoulders

Warrior I: Classic

Builds functional standing strength with an asymmetrical stance, strengthening your legs, hips, and core while improving your ability to support your spine under load.

How to do it

1. 1

   Step one foot back into a long stride

   Back foot turned out a little, front knee tracking over the ankle, both hip bones pointing forward.

2. 2

   Level your pelvis before the arms go anywhere

   A gentle tuck of the tail and the lower ribs settling down. The long stride pulls the pelvis into a tilt, and this is what stops it.

3. 3

   Reach the arms overhead only if the pelvis stays level

   Arms up deepens the tilt, so if you cannot hold the level, keep the hands on the hips or take the arms to shoulder height instead.

4. 4

   Bend the front knee to a depth you can hold

   Steady, not deep. Lifting the back heel onto a folded mat, or resting the hands on a chair, both take load out.

5. 5

   Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, then change sides

   Shorten the stride if anything in the front hip or lower back starts to nag.

What to watch for

The lower back doing the job of the hips. As the arms rise, the front hip pulls the pelvis into a tilt and the back arches to compensate, so if you cannot keep the pelvis level, take the hands to the hips and leave them there.

Ways to adjust it

• Short stance
• Hands on hips
• Chair
• Heel elevation
• Arms at 90°

If this one is too much today

Try the gentler version instead. It asks less of you and does much the same work.

• Warrior I: Hands on Hips

Other ways to do this movement

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

• Warrior I: Back to Wall
• Warrior I: Chair Supported
• Warrior I: Hands on Hips
• Warrior I: Short Stance
• Warrior I: Sitting

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.