Who says you can't get a good workout in bed? Most mattresses provide a slightly unstable surface. Similar to using a foam mat or exercise ball, bed exercises may help target stabilizing muscles like your hips, thighs, and butt while working large prime movers. Here are a few you can do at night right before you go to sleep or when you wake up.
5. Single-Leg Glute Bridge
Lie on the bed face up with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. With your hands at your sides, your fingertips should come close to grazing your heels. Engage your core to press your low back against the floor.
From this position, lift your right foot off the floor and extend your leg.
Push off your left foot, engage your core and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips and do a glute bridge.
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Slowly lower your hips back to the floor.
Do all of the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.
4. Side-Lying Leg Raise
Give your medial glutes a workout with side-lying leg raises. This move is similar to the hip abduction, but the fact that you can't tap your heel on the bed as you move your leg laterally takes this exercise up a notch in difficulty.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your side with your hips stacked on top of each other. Flex your top foot so your toe is pointing forward. Lift your top leg as far as you can while keeping your heel slightly behind your body and your toes pointing forward. Bend your bottom knee if you need extra stability. Slowly lower your top leg to return to start. Perform this exercise three times per day for a total of 10 reps per leg.
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3. Four-Way Leg Lifts
Four-way leg lifts strengthen the muscles at the front, back and sides of your thighs.
HOW TO DO IT: Lie on your back. Bend your left knee and place the sole of the foot on the mattress. Keeping your right knee straight and foot pointed toward the ceiling, lift your right leg up at least as high as your left knee. Slowly lower it back down.
Roll onto your right side. Bend your left knee and plant your foot on the bend behind your right knee. Now, with keeping your right knee straight, lift your leg up toward the ceiling, then lower back down. You should feel the muscles in your inner thigh tighten during this movement.
Roll onto your stomach. Keeping your right knee straight, squeeze your buttocks and lift your leg up toward the ceiling. Don't let your hips come off the bed.
Finally, roll onto your left side with your legs stacked on top of each other. Lift your right leg up toward the ceiling, keeping your knee straight. Repeat on the opposite leg.
2. Glute hamstring leg lifts
This exercise is great for targeting the glute and upper-hamstring area. Focus on engaging the buttocks muscles, keeping the core tight and working your body against gravity in a small range of motion.
Lie on your belly with your feet toward the end of the bed.
Slide yourself back until your legs slightly hang off the bed. Your hip crease should be about 6 inches from the edge of the bed.
Place your hands under your head for support if needed.
Engage your core by pulling your bellybutton up off the mattress.
Put your heels together, toes apart, and lift your legs toward the ceiling without arching too much through the back. You should feel this movement primarily in your glutes.
Lower down halfway and repeat 20 times.
1. Supine leg marches
This exercise targets the muscles of the glutes, legs, and core. It’s a variation of a regular glute bridge.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the bed, hands by your side.
Lift your buttocks off the bed until your body is in a straight line.
Without straightening your leg, press into your supporting heel as you lift one leg off the bed. Bring the knee toward your chest until it’s in line with your hips.
Return your foot to the bed and repeat on the other side without lowering your hips.
Repeat for 20 repetitions.
EXTRA Credit: Donkey Kick
If you want to take it over the top, add this one to your bedtime routine too. Start in an all-fours position, with your wrists under your shoulders, knees under your hips, and core engaged.
Kick your right foot up and toward the ceiling, engaging your glutes and using your hamstrings to pull your foot upward.
Keep your core engaged, so you stay stable and don't tip to the left; and stop lifting before you arch your low back. Remember: This is a strength move, not a flexibility exercise.
Do all of the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.
