Side Lying Leg Sweep

Side Lying Leg Series Video

Springload:

SWEEP:
⚪️ 3-4 White ++

PRESS:
⚫️ 1 Heavy spring +/1

Duration:

3 minutes +/-

Regression:

  • move hips up on the carriage
  • lower springload

Progression:

  • Add additional springload

3-POINT SET-UP:

  1. Grab the long black strap

  2. Lay down on your carriage facing the side of the strap

  3. Slip the strap around the arch of your working leg

Body Part • Direction • Action Verb:

Keeping the top leg/working leg fully extended, lift to hip height and sweep back

Range of Motion:

  • From a “bird’s eye view” your body is in one straight line. I like to imagine your sweeping leg as the hand of a clock, with the goal of sweeping to “6pm". As you resist back (drawing the leg towards 3pm or 9pm), ensure the hips do not move or tuck under. This will dictate your range of motion.

 Kinetic Checkpoints:

HEAD:

❌ Laterally flex your neck allowing the side of your head to rest on the carriage (neck collapsing)

✅ Place your hand near your ear and support neck with bent arm, allowing you to keep a neutral neck/spine as you would in a plank (Grapefruit between chin and sternum)

SHOULDERS:

❌ Scapular Elevation of bottom shoulder (shoulder shrugs towards ear, putting stress of cervical spine)

❌ Shoulders rounding forward

✅ Push bottom arm/tricep into moving carriage, engaging the serratus anterior, which will help keep proper allignment

✅ Keep shoulders stacked so that scapular wings are spread wide

HIPS:

❌ Hips tucked and spine flexed (think fetal position)

❌ Bottom hip placed too close to the foot of the moving leg (in accordance with length of femur bone/”quad”)

✅ Keep hips stacked and squared towards side of studio, remaining in a neutral position throughout range of motion.

KNEES:

❌ Flex the knee to kick back in sweep

✅ During leg sweep, leg remains fully extended throughout range of motion

Talking Points:

  • Use the “clock” visual for clients. At most, they are drawing a quarter of a circle with their sweeping leg (from 3-6pm or from 6-9pm). The working leg will never pass the hip as the hips will begin to move/tuck. The majority of clients will not have to hamstring flexibility to align with the hip at the formation of a 90 degree angle, so be sure to work with everyone’s range of motion.

Common Mistakes.