Front-to-Back Leg Swings

Front-to-back leg swings are a dynamic warm-up drill that prepares the hips before you run, squat or jump. Standing on one leg, you swing the other forward and back through a controlled arc, gradually increasing the range as the tissue warms. Unlike a static stretch, this takes the hip flexors and hamstrings through motion under your own control, which raises tissue temperature and wakes up the muscles you are about to load instead of relaxing them. The standing leg gets something out of it too: it has to stabilise the pelvis while the other side moves, which is exactly the demand of every stride you take. Hold a wall or a rack if balance is an issue, because the goal is a clean, controlled swing rather than a test of balance. Keep the torso quiet and let the movement come from the hip instead of from arching the lower back.