Shorts Description - Alternative to Lunges

The 4 Moves to Reinforce the Lunge Pattern

1. Heel-to-Toes

• Trains the glutes and quads while isometrically working the muscles that stabilize the front leg in a lunge.

• Also improves the “foot exchange” in walking and running.

• Start with 25 reps each side, work up to 50 reps.

2. Standing Butt Kicks

• Actively works the back leg through hip extension while isometrically engaging the front glute to stabilize the hip complex.

• Basically teaches the body to use both glutes in the lunge, taking pressure off the knee stabilizers.

• 50 reps per side is plenty.

3. Walking Feet

• Performed once the glutes are “pre-fatigued” so they fire earlier in the chain.

• Dynamically strengthens the knee stabilizers laterally (side-to-side) — helping reduce the “wobbly knees” often seen in people with knee pain.

• Do 25 reps left-to-right, then 25 reps right-to-left, working up to 50 each.

4. Forward Tips

• A fantastic move to feel how the glutes alone can lift the torso off one leg.

• Focus on pulling the torso upward by shortening the glutes.

• Start with 15 reps each leg, progress to 30 reps.

• I use this one often because the carryover effects are huge.

How to Use This Routine

• Takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

• As a standalone: do it 2–3x per day or every other day for 6 weeks.

• As part of a full session: perform it 1–2x before your main work cycle to pre-activate the hips and legs.

This primes the muscle firing sequences, improves stability, and enhances everything you do afterward — whether it’s strength, cardio, or functional training.

👉 Bottom line: If lunges bother your knees, don’t ditch them completely. Instead, use these 4 exercises to retrain the muscles, stabilize your joints, and reclaim the benefits of one of the most functional movement patterns there is.

Enjoy!
—Cyn

Training the lunge pattern is an excellent way to functionally stimulate the leg exchange/walking mechanics, stabilize the hip complex in preparation for picking something off of an uneven surface, actively stretch the hip flexors, shift muscular focus in bending from the knees to the hamstrings and glutes, increase metabolic activity/fat burning, reconnect faulty muscle firing sequences between the spine, hips, knees, ankles and feet.

All this being said, if you have knee issues this movement is pretty out of your wheelhouse, as there are certain angles in the movement which shift leverage to the knee joint/ligament areas to stabilize the hips due to the pre existing knee issue. The key to opposing this effect is to train the muscles which over time become atrophied/dysfunctional due to the knee joint taking their workloads to protect the knee. Most, if not all non contact related knee problems (pain over time) can be reversed by reintegrating these dormant muscles. The 4 moves in this video are specifically picked for their efficacy in this matter.

1. Heel - Toes: this is an excellent exercise for learning to incorporate the glute and quadricep muscles while isometrically working the muscles that support the front leg in a lunge pattern. This is also an excellent exercise to the foot exchange during walking or running. 25 reps each side is a good start, work up to 50 repetitions.

2. Standing Butt Kicks: this movement is extremely effective for assisting the lunge pattern as it actively works the back leg through hip extension and isometrically works the front glute to stabilize the hip complex. Basically your body learns to use both glute muscles while in a lunge position, making the full lunge pattern more likely to use them instead of the knee joint stabilizers. Working up to 50 each side is enough.

3. Walking Feet: once the muscles of the glutes are worked and at the forefront of the activation cycle (fatigued muscles kick in earlier) the "walking feet" is used to dynamically work the knee joint stabilizers laterally/side to side. If you notice when people with knee issues bend them they are often "wobbly". This is due to dormant muscle activity forcing the knee joint to take over balance duties of which it is poor at. This exercise helps to reverse that. 25 reps Left to Right, then 25 Right to Left, working up to 50 each.

4. Forward Tips: a fantastic way to feel how a the glute muscles can isolate to lift the entire torso off of one leg. Focus on pulling torso upward by squeezing or shortening the glute muscles. I use this move often because the carry over effects (bang for buck) are many. 15 reps each leg working up to 30 reps.

This routine should take less than 5 minutes to complete. If used as a standalone, do it 2-3X every day or every second day for 6 weeks. If you are using it as part of a full session do 1-2X before the work cycle of your session. This routine will pre activate the hip/leg complex which will enhance what you do after, is why you would use this near the beginning of a hour session for example. Justin

Shorts Description - New to Exercise?

If you have never trained before, this routine works the entire body in a "functional" manner, which basically means the movements carry over into/assist with general movement patterns. This is important as a beginner because when you strengthen general movement patterns, you set your body up for more challenging movements which you will eventually need as the body adapts to the training protocols. These 5 exercises work (in this specific order) 1. The standup-sitdown musculature - making sitting and standing easier. 2. The glute muscles - which become dysfunctional via excessive sitting leading to low back and weak knees. 3. Rotations - coordination, balance and abdominal/low back interaction to make twisting and reaching easier. 4. Wall work - basic arm movements while opposite arm stabilizes/balances entire body, these two movements train the muscles that support upper body posture, relieving pressure through the upper spine, neck and wrists. 5. Footwork - this drill is the most accessible for beginners to learn the concept of "footwork" or moving your feet to exactly where your brain wants. This is a critical skill for trip protection and overall walking mechanics. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Cardio Circuit

Nice little cardio circuit designed around calorie consumption and low impact or high impact approaches to training. Muscular endurance, footwork, coordination, focus, speed and attention to detail are other benefits from these exercises. The routine is meant to be done in order and without rest in between exercises. If you have knee or foot issues always work within the pain free zone and as you skill improves increase the range of motion/intensity. I do this routine 3x in a row with 1 minute rest in between sets trying to keep my technique strict the whole way. 5 exercises 1 min each - Lateral steps, Gliding cross step, Skiing squat, skipping rope, Jack Jumps. Lateral Steps: this movement works best if you think in "3's" as in count "1-2-3" in your head and sync up the steps with that count. Stay soft on feet and when your experience improves increase the range of motion. Gliding cross step: study the video and think "opposite hand touches opposite knee". The cross step to the back is a natural movement so that should come easy. You do not have to touch the floor, I am only showing the full move in the video so if touching the floor is a problem start at the knee and lower the depth as your skill improves. Skiing squat: Easy move, squat no lower than 1/4 and time the arms with the weight shift. Excellent move for timing and coordination. Skipping rope: Only lift the knees as high as your fitness level will allow. This movement gets becomes more tolerable with experience/time so do not be discouraged if it is surprisingly difficult - it gets "easier"! Jack Jumps: Notice in the video I am landing flat on my feet at the wide jump and on balls of feet at the close jump. The arms are also kept straight/locked out and the raise to around the ear height. This exercise takes time to learn so for the first few times jump short with the focus on finding the flat foot.

Shorts Description - Swiss Ball Workout

Swiss Ball functional muscle toning session. 5 exercises that use the Swiss ball to give you a great training session/block in under 5 minutes. When working with a Swiss ball, the recommended ball size is one that when you sit on it, your knees are lower than your hips. I am using a 26inch/65cm ball in this video and most people under 6ft I train this is the perfect size. When doing the Hip Raise (second to last exercise) sometimes the ball can slip backwards when walk your feet forward, causing a small fall to your butt. Only lower as far as the "stickiness" of the ball will allow, and always keep the base of your skull in contact with the ball so if the ball slips, you know earlier. When executing the rotations at the end, the head can be stationary or slightly move with the turn. Stationary head position allows the hip muscles to be more involved and moving the head involves more legs and arms. Please note if you feel dizzy moving the head - keep it still. Moving the head with the ball requires practice. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Resistance Bands session

Resistance Band muscle toning session. 5 specific exercises that utilize the small resistance band to its potential. When doing this workout, your repetition range should be so that you feel the muscle "burn" or cross-recruitment phase of the activation cycle, and then add 5-10 reps on top. This is where the most benefits - muscle tone, fat loss, size increase, etc, occur. Enjoy! Cyn

Inner Thighs fat burner

This inner thigh training session is designed to isolate the area for muscle building, sculpting/definition, muscle strength, fat burning, hip-knee mobility and coordination.

The blue weights are 5kg/11ib.

IF YOU HAVE KNEE PROBLEMS and still want to do this workout, limit the depth of the movement that triggers the pain and work within the pain threshold eventually increasing range of motion as you get stronger. Of course, get professional advice as your issue could also be, and in my experience is most likely technical in origin. A good trainer can provide valuable feedback and you only need 1 session to go over movements you are feeling pain through, you do not need to buy into their system and have ongoing costs, you just need feedback and adjustments to make sure the muscles are doing the work not the joints.

Here are my technical recommendations for the videos exercises; 1. The inner thigh pulse movement is great to begin isolating this are and are very easy on the knees. As you get better increase depth of squat and make sure feet are pointing at a 45degree angle (check video). 2. Squat into soccer kick combo move overloads the muscle and adds a dynamic component to the movement which will increase coordination and speed along with the muscle overload. 3. Weighted stepping side lunges add to the previous exercise buy adding timing, deceleration muscles, and postural integrity by holding the torso upright with the weight. The weight used here is 5kg/11ib. When learning this exercise start slow as in a 2 second count to each side. As you skill increases try lunging further to each side really feeling the muscles through the entire range of motion. Keep the movement range short if you feel knee pain - work within the pain free range. 4. Pulsing inner thigh raises is a familiar exercise in our routines as it is so effective functionally. The muscles and timing this exercise conditions cross over into many everyday movements and is really easy to execute. Do each exercise in order and then repeat 2-3x for a full leg session. Remember to rest appropriately (60-90 seconds) between exercises, I would recommend this routine 2-3x per week for no more than 6 weeks. Use appropriate weights to your experience level - go heavy if you need just stay within the recommended repetition range or you are training a different effect. Each round of this routine should take you around 5-10 minutes to complete. Mix it up with another video and you have a full general training session or do the leg day version. If you are looking to lose weight through exercise, basically the "fat burning" process of the body usually starts after 25 minutes. General conditioning training can be completed in around 20 minutes, but fat burning sessions need to be around 40-60 minutes in duration, regardless of style. Always work on structuring your training sessions according to your goals. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Triceps

5 of the most effective triceps exercises I have found to have the best rewards for time. The black weight is 5kg/11ib These exercises are very safe, designed for repetition ranges of 15-25. The only exercise to adjust would be the triceps pushup - if you cannot do 10 full chest pushups, use the knee on ground triceps pushup position indefinitely. Do the routine 1-3x through and remember to rest appropriately (60-90 seconds) between exercises. I would recommend this routine 3-4x per week for no more than 6 weeks. This routine should take you around 5-10 minutes to complete. Mix it up with another video and you have a full general training session. If you are looking to lose weight through exercise, basically the "fat burning" process of the body usually starts after 25 minutes. General conditioning training can be completed in around 20 minutes, but fat burning sessions need to be around 40-60 minutes in duration, regardless of style. Always work on structuring your training sessions according to your goals. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Legs & Glutes strength session

This leg training session is a challenging combination designed for muscle building, sculpting/definition, muscle strength, fat burning, pelvic floor stabilizer activation, posture improvement, hip-knee mobility and coordination. The blue weights are 5kg/11ib each. IF YOU HAVE KNEE PROBLEMS and still want to do this workout, limit the depth of the movement that triggers the pain and work within the pain threshold eventually increasing range of motion as you get stronger. Of course, get professional advice as your issue could also be, and in my experience is most likely technical in origin. A good trainer can provide valuable feedback and you only need 1 session to go over movements you are feeling pain through, you do not need to buy into their system and have ongoing costs, you just need feedback and adjustments to make sure the muscles are doing the work not the joints. Any questions about how to approach trainers without being sold a 10 year plan just comment and i'll help you out there. Here are my technical recommendations for the videos exercises; 1. The knee squat combo is great to reintegrate dormant hip/leg/glute muscle complexes that deactivate with prolonged sitting. You only need to bend the knees to 30 degrees or less for maximum results, very easy on the knees this one. 2. Weighted side lunges overload the muscles the previous exercise works lightly. The weight used here is 5kg/11ib. When learning this exercise start slow as in a 3-4 second count to each side. As you skill increases try lunging further to each side really feeling the muscles through the entire range of motion. Keep the movement range short if you feel knee pain - work within the pain free range. 3. Kneeling lunges are by far one of the most difficult exercises around, especially doing them properly then weighted. The first few times you attempt this movement expect to be wobbly and a little uncoordinated, especially when the fatigue cycle kicks in. People with knee issues will find this exercise difficult but you can also use a chair, table, bench or whatever you can grab to help you so do this if you need. Work on pushing through the floor with the front heel when standing up - this runs the effort though the hamstrings and glutes more so than the quadriceps. 4. Heel raised goblet squats place the knee in a position where we do not have to overload the knee joint and work full range of motion though the quadriceps independently of the hamstrings. the weight used here is 5kg/11ib in the hands and also under my heels. The height of the heel lift should be no higher than a clenched fist for our intents and purposes. The weight does not need to be heavy for this repetition range. When gaining experience in this movement, control the down phase by counting to 4 then kick into the floor with a 2 count on the up. Basically the tempo in slow on the way down and fast up. 5. Pulsing squats with a 5kg/11ib weight is a familiar exercise in our routines as it is so effective functionally. This muscles this exercise conditions cross over into many everyday movements and is really easy to execute. You do not need a PT to show you this banger! Do each exercise in order and then repeat 2-3x for a full leg session. Remember to rest appropriately (60-90 seconds) between exercises, I would recommend this routine 2-3x per week for no more than 6 weeks. Use appropriate weights to your experience level - go heavy if you need just stay within the recommended repetition range or you are training a different effect. Each round of this routine should take you around 5-10 minutes to complete. Mix it up with another video and you have a full general training session or do the leg day version. If you are looking to lose weight through exercise, basically the "fat burning" process of the body usually starts after 25 minutes. General conditioning training can be completed in around 20 minutes, but fat burning sessions need to be around 40-60 minutes in duration, regardless of style. Always work on structuring your training sessions according to your goals. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Biceps Like Cyn

"How do I get biceps like you"? This question comes up all the time so here is a sample of what it takes. Please understand that it takes at least 3-6 months of consistency to start seeing visual results and around 1 year or 2 to build the musculature to where most people start getting happy with the visual results. I use 5kg/11ib weights. Start with lighter weights and build over time. Bands and cables work ok too. This routine is best done without rest or minimum rest in between exercises. What we are looking for is the muscle burn, and then staying in that zone for as long as possible. What I have found is working within the "burn" cycle or crossover recruitment cycle and then staying in it, gets you maximum benefits/results/bang for buck/payback for time. As far as frequency is concerned, small muscle groups like the biceps can be trained regularly, but I would recommend no more than 3x per week for any individual small muscle group due to low functional crossover. Basically if you train the biceps 3x per you must train the triceps 3x. The triceps offset the biceps shortening/strengthening cycle so please be aware that tactical training is required especially when you pass 40 years. I always recommend seeing a local Personal Trainer once or twice to sort out blind spots in your technique and training philosophy. If you are under 35 you can wing it quite easily but after 40, baseline common movement mechanics/protocols are set into the nervous system. Functional/tactical training with the persons movement future in mind is rarely if ever considered by non professionals. The material I present always has this in mind so it is good to go functionally, you just need to remember to train both sides of the muscle in an isolation protocol. If you require quick advice just comment below. Enjoy! Cyn

Shorts Description - Full body workout

This full body workout combines 5 muscle group pairings into a session designed for fat loss, muscle endurance, cardio respiratory improvement, balance, coordination, rate of contraction/speed, mobility and skill. The weights used are 5kg/11ib each. My recommendations for the exercises are as follows: 1. Squat and push requires timing and coordination to find the bottom of the squat and extend the arms at the right timing. Work the depth of squat as your experience improves and use weights that allow the arms to lock out at the bottom. 2. Sumo curls isometrically work the inner thigh/glute muscle complex and the biceps. This movement is difficult flexibility wise for the groin area but the e=strength improvements are fast. Go deeper as you get better and push your elbows into the thighs while curling to assist the strength process. 3. Gorilla rows work our shoulder/upper back muscles which help with posture maintenance, timing and coordination, low back/hip mobility and conditioning, cardio. Main key for this exercise is to keep the weights close to the body the entire movement. This purposely keeps the frontal muscles out of the chain. 4. Hip raise into triceps extension overloads the hamstring/glute complex which are the group that helps most with "sitting for too long issues", and isolates the triceps muscle which helps with common arm straightening issues due to biceps overstimulation. Use opposite arm to stabilize the elbow to engage the triceps more. 5. Hip raise into chest expansion/dumbbell fly links the hip raise from the previous round and uses a chest fly for the frontal muscles. Only expand the chest weights to where the elbow touches the floor, this is all that is need for this context. Any fitness level can execute this routine but we recommend intermediate-advanced level exercisers use this routine. If you have trouble or joint issues executing any of the movement combinations, this may be a sing to get some professional training or feedback advice from a experienced friend.

Shorts Description - Apartment Friendly Workout

Training in confined spaces is tough for a pro let alone someone starting their exercise journey. These 5 movements are simple in execution and powerful in results. The intention of this routine is to set the trainee up for future movements with minimal space and equipment. When you are starting an exercise regime, your muscles are at their most malleable/adaptable to change. This combination of movements is designed to set you up for future routines that work best with a baseline skillset of - glute stabilization, quadricep activation, arm extension, shoulder mobility and hip flexion.