Week 1:
Day 1: Short Class 1
Day 2: Class 26
Day 3: Class 28

Week 2:
Day 1: Class 12
Day 2: Short Class 10
Day 3: Class 20

Week 3:
Day 1: Short Class 1
Day 2: Class 26
Day 3: Class 28

Week 4:
Day 1: Short Class 11
Day 2: Short Class 28
Day 3: Class 20

Week 5:
Day 1: Short Class 1
Day 2: Class 26
Day 3: Class 28

Week 6:
Day 1: Class 12
Day 2: Short Class 10
Day 3: Class 20

Week 7:
Day 1: Short Class 11
Day 2: Class 26
Day 3: Short Class 62

Week 8:
Day 1: Short Class 1
Day 2: Short Class 39
Day 3: Class 28

Week 9:
Day 1: Short Class 90
Day 2: Short Class 28
Day 3: Class 20

Week 10:
Day 1: Class 29
Day 2: Class 26
Day 3: Short Class 62

Week 11:
Day 1: Class 27
Day 2: Short Class 10
Day 3: Class 28

Week 12:
Day 1: Short Class 11
Day 2: Short Class 39
Day 3: Class 20

This intermediate program is specifically for the Lower Body: Hips, Knees, Ankles, and toes. We will do 3 classes per week for 3 months. You can space out the sessions evenly throughout your week.

Just a reminder: when training in areas of past injury/pain/dysfunction - it’s really important to keep your intensity levels low at first. The quality of tissue in these areas could be weak, so the amount of stress/force/load these tissues can absorb will be low at first. So keep those intensity levels low initially if you have to, especially during PAILs/RAILs, and then gradually build up over time. Always listen to your body and go at your own pace, and never work in any painful ranges of motion. Discomfort can be normal, but we never want that feeling to move towards a sharp pain, pinch, or twinge.

I hope you enjoy the program!

3 classes per week

This class is all about the Hips. We'll focus on Linear movements like Flexion and Extension.

Equipment Needed: Yoga Blocks. Extra pad for your knee. Also possibly a stick for balance if you need it, but you could also use another prop or the wall.

Time Markers:
0:18 CARs (warm up)
12:12 Hip Flexion PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs + Hovers (Half 90 Base)
36:10 Hip Extension PAILs/RAILs + Passive Range Holds (Half Kneeling Base)
57:06 Finishing CARs

While rotation is king for the hips, it's still very important to train Flexion and Extension as well. These are obvious important areas to address to build strong resilient hips that can endure athletic movements like running, cycling, plyometrics, squatting/deadlifting, and so on. Often times people struggle with hamstring tightness/pulls and psoas/hip flexor issues - this class will be great to address those areas. If Flexion and Extension is a priority area for you, you'll want to program in this class at least 1x a week

For Hip Flexion - it's important to remain pain-free behind the knee. We don't want to feel any pain, tightness, or stretching sensation, behind the knee. Typically that's the sciatic nerve and we don't want to "stretch" that. If you feel any of those sensations, I want you to bend the knee until that goes away. We should be feeling the stretch in the hamstring. From there we can get some good quality work in. Try to maintain your anterior pelvic tilt throughout this drill (like we talk about in class).

For Hip Extension - it's going to be important to maintain your posterior pelvic tilt through both PAILs and RAILs contractions. Keep that in mind as you're setting up. This is cued during the class. If you're feeling any pain and pressure on the knee, you can try to add more padding for the knee, or also remove your foot off the yoga block and allow your leg to rest all on the floor.

Our hips are going to be a tenderized after this one. I know mine was 😈

Enjoy!

Class 12: Hip Flexion & Extension

Knee IR and ER - Rotations GAINS

Equipment Needed: Something to prop your foot up (we're using a balance pad).

Time Markers: 
0:15 CARs (warm up)
3:00 Knee Capsular CARs (Seated Base)
4:30 Internal Rotation PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (Modified 90/90 Base)
25:30 External Rotation PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (Modified 90/90 Base)
45:15 Finishing CARs

Rotation is a fundamental motion of the knee, and it’s critical to the health and function of the joint. Often times in conventional resistance training we prioritize linear movements like flexion and extension, and we neglect rotation - which can be detrimental. To have strong, healthy, and resilient knees, we will need to strengthen both linear and rotational planes. Here we'll breakdown drills for both IR and ER.

This class will be a great option for those who have struggled with knee issues, especially to those who are limited in rotation. If the knee is a priority area for you, you'll want to program in this class at least 1x a week, and you can work up to 2x a week. For anyone with more serious past injuries to this area, it would be wise to listen to your body, and monitor intensities at first. Then you can slowly build up from there, increasing the intensity gradually with each class. You don't have to go full intensity right off the back, it's always best to go at your own pace and then build from there. 

We work 3 rounds of PAILs/RAILs in both bases, but always listen to your body and go at your own pace. If 3 rounds feels like too much, stick to just 2 rounds and slowly build up - or do the 3rd round at much lower intensities. 

Let's get these knee gains!

Class 20: Knee IR & ER

We'll target Ankle Inversion, Eversion, and Dorsiflexion. This will be a slightly more advanced ankle class than past ones, and we feature 3 new bases.

Equipment Needed: In this class we use a slant board, kettlebell, and sticks for balance. Though for all these you can get creative with different props. 

Time Markers: 
0:40 CARs (warm up) 
2:30 Ankle Capsular CARs (Seated Base)
4:15 Inversion PAILs/RAILs (Seated Base)
21:15 Eversion PAILs/RAILs (Standing Base)
38:30 Dorsiflexion PAILs/RAILs (Standing Base)
46:15 Dorsiflexion/Plantar Flexion Kinetic Stretch (Standing Base)
49:10 Finishing CARs

We will work ankle dorsiflexion on the slant board bilaterally, and we'll be straight leg to really emphasize the stretch in the calves down to the posterior ankle. You can also do this movement unilaterally to isolate one side at a time if you prefer. If you don't have a slant board you can prop your foot up against a wall or get a little creative.

For ankle inversion we'll be in a manual block. I personally love blocking with my hands because it allows me to feel the movement with more specificity. A lot of bases are hard to do manual blocks, but this one should be fairly easy to hold.

For ankle eversion we use a kettlebell to prop your foot up, but you don't have to use a kettlebell and you can get creative with different props, or use a ledge.

For all these bases we'll work 3 rounds of PAILs/RAILs. Like always, if after the first two rounds you're feeling taxed, you don't have to do the 3rd round, or you can do it at a much lower intensity. Always listen to your body and go at your own pace, and slowly build up over time.

I hope you enjoy this new ankle class!

Class 26: Ankle Inversion/Eversion/Dorsiflexion

This is an advanced class for Hip IR, ER, and Abduction

Equipment Needed: Yoga Blocks. Ankles weights and tennis balls are optional.

This may be one of our most advanced classes yet, so keep that in mind before joining in.

We'll be working both Hip IR/ER at the same time in the 90/90 position. This is incredibly challenging, so don’t be discouraged if you struggle in the beginning. It will take time and practice to develop the neurological control to initiate both hips at the same time in PAILs/RAILs, and it will take some time to develop the body awareness to learn how to best position yourself in the base - this will take some self exploration and paying around with. 

After our 90/90 base we’ll go into a hip abduction base for some more sweet hip torture.

As always, listen to your body and go at your own pace. While this is labeled an advanced class, you can regress the session by doing less rounds of PAILs/RAILs, or lowering the intensity during PAILs/RAILs and other movements, and opting out of using the weights when the time comes. As always, progressive overload is key, so build up your capacity gradually.

I can’t wait to hear your feedback on this one…my hips were tender city 😈

Class 27: Advanced Hip IR/ER/Abduction

This class is for the Knees: IR, ER, and Flexion

Equipment needed: Yoga blocks. If needed - you can also use an extra cushion for your knee and some sticks for balance.

We introduce a new base setup for both IR and ER to give you more variety from other knee classes so you can pick and choose which base you like the most.

We work 2 rounds of PAILs/RAILs in each base. If you’re more of an advanced student and you’re ready for more volume, you can add an additional 3rd round to the bases if desired. You would simply just pause the video after our 2nd round of PAILs/RAILs and then do another one on your own, then resume the class.

This class will be a great option for those who have struggled with knee issues. If the knee is a priority area for you, you'll want to program in this class at least 1x a week, and ideally work yourself up to 2x a week. For anyone with more serious past injuries to this area, it would be wise to listen to your body, and monitor your intensity and range of motion at first. Then you can slowly build up from there, increasing the intensity and range gradually with each class. You shouldn't go full intensity and push your ranges right away - it's always best to start off slow and then build from there.

Let’s get these knee gains 🧈

Class 28: Knee IR/ER & Flexion

In this class we’ll target Hip Flexion and Extension.

Equipment Needed: Yoga blocks and an elevated surface to place your leg on. Also sticks for balance if needed, but you could use other props for that.

In our hip flexion base I have Christa work in a bent knee position, but you could also work in more of a straight leg position depending on your goals. 

The bent leg position will help you improve your squats, lunges, box jumps and other bent leg movements. The straight leg position will help improve your hamstring ROM/capacity which would carry over to Romanian deadlifts, good mornings, sprinting, etc.

So you have freedman to train your hip flexion specific to your goals, though to be honest it’s always best to be strong everywhere. You could also alternate training in bent leg and straight leg each time you take the class so you can develop greater strength in both.

I hope your hips are feeling buttery after this one!

Class 29: Hip Flexion and Extension

This class is all about rotational capacity of the hips. Targeting both Internal and External Rotation. This class is a shorter version of Class 9.

Equipment Needed: Yoga Blocks

Time Markers: 
0:10 CARs (warm up)
 9:35 Hip IR PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (90/90 Base)
 28:00 Hip ER PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (90/90 Base)
44:45 Finishing CARs

Rotation is the fundamental motion of our joints (excluding the spine). For the hips, there's nothing more important than Internal Rotation, though External rotation is a close second. When you have good rotational workspace you will have better global mobility for the entire hip capsule. A lot of times people will train Hip Flexion and Extension and only gain a little progress, because they haven't addressed their rotational deficits first (IR/ER). If you have a hip IR/ER deficits you will want to program in this class consistently every single week.

For anyone who wants to prioritize hip IR/ER, but the regular classes are too long - you can do this shorter version in replace of that. You won’t get as much work and time under tension, but it may be appropriate for people who lack the ability to schedule longer sessions. Or you can also program this shorter class in addition to the regular class in your weekly routine, which will give you more inputs on possible priority areas. Ideally priority areas are targeted 2x a week, and you can develop the capacity to train it 3x a week as well. Progressive overload should be done intelligently through weeks of training and gradual progression. 

I hope you enjoy the hip butter!

Short Class 1: Hip IR & ER

Ankle and Big Toe Dorsiflexion Gains.

Equipment needed: For the Big Toe we can use two bases, one with zero equipment, one with a little creativity with books or something to elevate the big toe up (as shown in the video)

Time Markers: 
0:20 CARs (warm up)
6:20 Big Toe Dorsiflexion PAILs/RAILs (Standing or Seated Base)
11:53 Big Toe Dorsiflexion Lift Offs (Standing or Seated Base)
13:22 Ankle Dorsiflexion PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (Combat Base)
29:33 Finishing CARs

These are very important joint positions that are often overlooked, especially the big toe. Having good Big Toe Dorsiflexion range of motion with strength and control, is incredibly important for all things dynamic. Example: running, jumping, cutting. It's also a very important joint position to achieve a Sissy Squat. The big toe is asked to flex in these movements, and do so with high amount of force, so it will be important to improve the capacity in this area.

Ankle Dorsiflexion is also very important for those same dynamic movements, but also very important for other movements like squats and lunges. I often see people hammer away at hip mobility drills to improve their squat, and they don't address their limitation in ankle dorsiflexion. Which is incredibly important as a squatter, especially to achieve the deep squat, and many other movements as well. Good ankle dorsiflexion allows you to express movements at the Knee and Hip far more efficiently. If we have limitations in the ankles, areas above and below (foot, knee and hip) will have to absorb more force to compensate. 

For everyone who wants to progressively overload these areas in the future:
Stick to the initial 2 rounds of PAILs/RAILs for at least the first 4 weeks of incorporating this class. After about 4-8 weeks, if you feel ready for more workload, you can increase the overall volume by doing 3 rounds of PAILs/RAILs for each base instead of just 2. This will progressively overload the area, and continue to help you progress steadily towards those buttery gains.

I hope you love the class!

Short Class 10: Ankle and Big Toe Dorsiflexion

This class is tailored towards those who want to improve their middle split, which is a skill that many aspire towards.

Equipment Needed: Yoga Blocks.

Time Markers: 
0:16 CARs (warm up)
7:30 Hip Abduction PAILs/RAILs (Middle Split Base)
19:25 Hip Lift Offs (Middle Split Base)
23:11 Hip Lift Offs + Hovers (Middle Split Base) 
26:03 Finishing CARs

With the middle splits it's all about time under tension, consistency, and progressive overload. It's also about teaching the nervous system how to produce force at these end-ranges.

If the middle splits is a big goal for you it would be good to do this class 2x a week, with an even amount of days in-between for proper recovery. After doing this class consistently 2x a week for 4-8 weeks, you can start doing this class 3x a week if desired. Progressively building up the overall workload towards achieving this skill. Though 2x a week should net some very good gains after some consistent training.

I hope you enjoy the butter!

Short Class 11: Middle Splits

This Class is for Ankle Plantar Flexion & Dorsiflexion

Equipment Needed: Yoga Blocks, and something to prop your foot up (we’re using a balance pad in the video)

Time Markers: 
0:17 CARs (warm up)
6:00 Ankle Plantar Flexion/Dorsiflexion (Seated Base)
17:15 Ankle Dorsiflexion PAILs/RAILs + Lift Offs (Half Kneeling Base)
23:45 Ankle Plantar Flexion PAILs/RAILs (Collapsed Kneeling Base)
31:45 Finishing CARs

Here we’ll introduce our first plantar flexion base, and offer some options to advance your dorsiflexion base. In the class we do 2 rounds of PAILs/RAILs, but if you get to the point in your training where you want to progressively overload this area, and if you’ve developed the capacity over 4-8 weeks or so - advancing to 3 rounds of PAILs/RAILs would be absolutely okay. 

These are very important joint positions that are often overlooked. Having good Dorsiflexion and Plantarflexion is important for a lot of movements, like: Walking, Lunging, Running, Swimming, Biking, Dancing, Jumping. 

If we have limitations in the ankles, areas like the knee and hip will have to absorb more force to help compensate, which can lead to problems at those joints. So make sure to train those ankles to be strong and mobile!

Let's get this butter!

Short Class 28: Ankle Plantarflexion & Dorsiflexion

This class is for the toes and the intrinsic foot muscles 

Equipment Needed: Something to sit on and yoga blocks.

High-quality shoes, low-quality feet. This is a big problem in modern society. We wear overly supportive shoes, we don’t spend a lot of time barefoot, and over time all of our intrinsic foot muscles become very weak, which typically leads to problems and dysfunction in this area. Also having good toe mobility is very important when it comes to running, jumping, and other dynamic movements.

Because this area is typically weak and undertrained, you can limit your intensity on your PAILs/RAILs. Over time, as the tissues become stronger, you can gradually start increasing the tension to apply a little more stress/force. It's always best to start off light and slowly build up, especially in areas that are a little weaker.

Don't neglect those tootsies! I hope you enjoy this class.

Short Class 39: Toes and Intrinsic Foot Strength

This class will help you develop greater end-range control of your knees

Equipment Needed: Yoga blocks and extra padding for your knees. Ankle weight is optional.

We’ll work a series of different end-range control drills for every position of the knee (Flexion, Extension, IR/ER). Movements such as lift offs, passive range holds, and CARs. 

We’re not working any PAILs/RAILs in this class - which is often used to expand range of motion. The movements we’ll emphasize in this class will be to develop greater active control. So we’re teaching the nervous system how to produce and control maximum force at end ranges.

Creating control is just as important as expanded range, and for some people, the control element is even more important. For example, people who are hypermobile, or those who have far more passive range of motion than active. Regardless, having control over your ranges of motion is critical for strength and resilience. 

This class is tough, I hope you enjoy it!

Short Class 62: Knee End-Range Control

This class is an advanced hip circuit. Quick tempo, advanced movements, and extra buttery.

Equipment Needed: Yoga blocks. Tennis balls and ankle weights optional.

In this class we’ll flow through several different movements. If the pace of the class feels too fast, feel free to pause the video and go at your own pace, that’s totally okay.

These movements will be tough and you can choose to make them even more advanced by adding a tennis ball and ankle weights in certain drills like I show in the class - this will place an even greater amount of stress on lines of tissue. 

If you choose to add the ankle weight, start off on the lighter side and then over time you can progressively overload and add more weight. Adhering to progressive overload is key, so don’t go too heavy too soon. In the class, Christa uses 2lb ankle weights. It’s always best to start off light and then gradually build up over time.

I have a feeling you’re going to be tender after this one! Hope you enjoy the buttery gains.