OVERALL GOAL OF CRESCENT LUNGES

• The crescent lunge pose stretches the groin area and opens the hips
• Strengthens the legs (mainly the QUADS and GLUTES) and lengthens the spine
• Helps improve your balance and coordination and build mental focus.

HOW TO TRUE-CUE (UPRIGHT VERSION)

• Call it: We’re going into Crescent Lunge
• Set it Up: Step one foot forward and one leg back. Bend into the front leg, extend the back leg, and…
• HOLD
• Kinetic Cue: Your front foot is under the barre, pressing all corners down. Your knee is in a straight line on top of the foot. Your back heel is lifted and your knee is extended. Your hips are square and your torso is stacked on top of the pelvis. Core is engaged, shoulders relaxed, and hands reaching for the barre.
• Movement: We’re softening that back knee and then extending it. Soften and reach…
• Modifications/Challenges: If there’s too much tension in the front knee or your low back, hinge at the waist. Any discomfort at the front of your hips, step your back foot in a little closer. Challenge is to step your back foot closer to the center of the room and sink lower. Balance challenge, bring your hands to your heart or towards the sky.

OTHER HELPFUL CUES

• “lift the lower belly and draw your ribs in”
• “Press the heel back and lift through your inner thigh”
• “squeeze your inner thighs together to engage the pelvic floor”
• “If there’s too much tension in the front knee, hinge at the waist so your glutes can take some of that tension from your quads.”
• “This posture is not only strengthening the lower body but is also stretching that hip flexor and improving our balance!”

COMMON CORRECTIONS

• Clients’ feet are too close together, causing the front knee to lunge over the ankle. Encourage them to step their foot under the barre, direct their knee into a straight line over their ankle, and scoot their back foot further away. Or if there’s instability there, encourage them to work up higher and/or hinge at the waist.
• Hips are turned out or unlevel. Check that the back heel is straight up over the ball of the foot (this is the main culprit!) and encourage them to squeeze into their inner thighs.
• When clients hinge forward, they tend to round their upper back and shrug their shoulders. Use your hands on corrections to pull the shoulders back and encourage them to keep their chest open.

In my last video, I discussed changing the crescent lunge to an upright position to engage the quads more than the glutes and why that is (see instructor IG).

In the video I discussed the concept of movement arms and force vectors. This is not something you need to talk about with your clients, just wanted to give you a visual representation of how that works. Instead, if you have time you can say one of the following (or put it in your own words):

• “Working upright requires more work from the quads to stabilize the knee”
• “Hinging forward evens the tension between the knee and hip joints so you can feel more stable” 
• “feel the fire in those quads by working upright, and even more by lifting your arms up”
• “hinge forward to let those glutes help you out if there’s too much tension in the knee”