My go-to strength move for busy Moms on the Run.

This exercise is, hands down, my favourite thing to do when I don’t have much time and I want a really big impact. All you need is a little bit of space, and something you can hold in your hands as weights (dumbbells, books, water bottles, etc.). This exercise is included in the running guides (The First 5K Postpartum and Run Strong - 5K), and it’s the one I recommend doing if you don’t have time for a full workout.

So, what is this amazing exercise I’m talking about? Compass lunges with weights, and here’s how you do it:

• stand with enough space to lunge forward and to the side

• imagine you are in the centre of a compass, with North ahead of you

• Option 1: lunge forward with your right leg, and keep your hands at your shoulders holding dumbbells

• Option 2: lunge forward with your right leg, and touch your hands to the floor on either side of your foot

• step back to the centre of the compass while you raise your arms up in the air to do a shoulder press

• repeat for 8 directions of a compass (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, S, NW) - when you are stepping behind you during Option 2, make sure your hands follow the foot that is moving… essentially making you look like a pretzel

• repeat on the opposite leg

• I like to do 3 rounds each leg, and hold some dumbbells in my hands if I have them nearby

That’s IT! Have fun with this, get your kids involved, and enjoy feeling stronger and more powerful when you run!

ps - the general principles of exhaling during the hardest part of the exercise (standing back up), and using your glutes more than your low back, etc. still apply. Start without using weights and add them as you feel comfortable with each of the movements.