Star excursion
Star excursion
What you should feel?? When performed correctly, you will feel a “burn” or fatigue build up in the muscles of the legs, hip and foot. Under the foot can in some people feel very fatigued but this is normal.
Instructions:
- Start with feet fairly close together
- With one foot, slowly and carefully tap as far in front of you as you can
- Then reach diagonally to the side and then to the opposite side, stretching as far as you can
- Continue with this trying to reach out further each time to challenge your balance
- Go slowly to increase the challenge and try not to let your foot touch the ground in-between positions
Main muscles targeted:
- All muscles of the leg and hips
- Core for stability
- Hip and glute muscles of the leg with the band
Main benefits:
Star excursion is an advanced exercise used to improve the proprioception and the balance ability of the leg (ankle, knee and hips). The movement of the opposite leg is designed to throw off your balance and make the leg on the ground work harder and more dynamically to maintain balance. You can progress this exercise by starting with small reaching and then reaching out further with the opposite leg. The longer you stand on one leg the more the muscles will fatigue potentially leading to more muscular endurance. It will also challenge the proprioceptive ability of the brain which will hopefully improve your ability to balance in every-day life situations.