ESPN High School Sports

In this “Body Parts” series, Dimity McDowell gets you in playing shape, from head to toe.

Exercises for your: Chest | Biceps/Triceps | Shoulders | Core | Lower Back | Hips | Glutes | Quads/Hamstrings

Body Part: Knees

What they do: The joint that connects your upper leg to your lower leg, the knee is surrounded by ligaments and tendons. “You can’t strengthen ligaments and tendons,” says Michael Lagomarsine, head of strength and conditioning at the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center. “Instead, the key is to build up the muscles that surround your knee.” When the muscles around your knees are strong, you can complete all the movement that the knees absorb impact from — accelerating, decelerating, changing directions and landing from a jump — without worrying that your knees are going to get injured.

Used commonly when you: Sprint downfield in a lacrosse game, land after a header in soccer, change directions quickly in basketball, serve a tennis ball, drive a golf ball, ski moguls, launch yourself off the halfpipe in snowboarding, or otherwise use your lower body.

Three ways to build solid, stable knees:

Goblet Squat

Courtesy of Michael LagomarsineGoblet Squats, front and side views.

How to: Stand with your feet just a bit wider than your shoulders and your toes turned out slightly. Hold a 25-pound dumbbell in both hands, like it’s a goblet, next to your chest. Your chest should be pushed out, and your back should have a slight arch. Engage your core and pretend like you’re sitting down in a chair, pushing your knees out to the side. “When you’re lowered, your elbows should graze against your knees,” Lagomarsine says. Keeping your chest up, stand back up. Do 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Overhead Lunge

Courtesy of Michael LagomarsineOverhead lunges, positions 1 and 2.

How to: Start with feet together and your arms extended straight overhead; if you want, you can hold a pole or bar overhead. Take a large step forward with your right foot, landing on your heel. Slowly lower your body until your left knee is just above the ground. Drive through the right heel to return to standing. “Be sure to keep your core engaged to stabilize your lower back,” says Lagomarsine, who adds that this exercise builds both stability and motor control. Return to standing. Do 10-12 reps on the right leg, then 10-12 on the left to complete one set; do 2-3 sets total.

Single-Leg Step Down

Courtesy of Michael Lagomarsine/ESPNHSSingle-Leg Step Downs, positions 1 and 2.

How to: Stand on a step four to eight inches off the ground on your left leg; your right leg bent 90 degrees, so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. Extend your arms straight in front of you at shoulder-height. Then bend at the left knee and hip, like you were doing a single-leg squat, to lower your right leg toward the ground. Touch the ground with your right heel, but don’t put any weight on it. “Do your best to keep your pelvis level and your ankle, knee and hip in alignment in your top leg,” Lagomarsine says. Do 10-12 reps of 2-3 sets.

Let's hear it for the knees: “Strong legs and knees are important in hockey because I get speed and power from them. I am a forward, so I have to stop and start quickly and my knees help me do that. Strong knees allow me to keep my balance when I fire off a shot. They also help me not get knocked off the puck.” -- Bridget Fehily, freshman left wing on the ice hockey team at Boston Latin Academy (Dorchester, Mass.)

In this “Body Parts” series, Dimity McDowell gets you in playing shape, from head to toe.

Exercises for your: Chest | Biceps/Triceps | Shoulders | Core | Lower Back

Body Part: Hips

What they do: The foundation of the lower body, the hips not only provide a stable platform to connect your upper half to your lower half, but they are also the source of most of your power. “Jumping, kicking, swinging, squatting, running, decelerating: all those motions originate in the hips,” says Michael Lagomarsine, head of strength and conditioning at the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center. “It’s really vital that the muscles of the hips are strong and solid.”

The typical hips-wider-than-knees female alignment puts both joints in a vulnerable position, but by making your hips 3-D strong — hitting muscles that control your forward, backward and side-to-side movement — you can protect both your hips and knees. “If your hips aren’t strong, your knees are more prone to injury,” Lagomarsine says. “When you plant your foot and change direction, the hips absorb your momentum. If you don’t have strength in the hips, the force gets transferred to your knees, which can result in injury.”

Used most commonly used when you: Swing a softball bat or a golf club, fire off a slap shot, run, slow down to kick a soccer ball, lunge for a volleyball, sprint to the other side of the lacrosse field, flutter kick in butterfly, or otherwise move your lower body.

Three moves to make your hips stronger:

Side Walk

Michael LagomarsinePlank and Raise, position 1.

How to: Place both feet inside a medium-resistance band (top), and position it so that it’s stretched across the outside of both ankles. Stand with your feet wide enough so that there’s tension on the band (if it’s too big, wind it around one ankle to pick up some slack). Bend both knees and place your hands on your hips. Keeping your spine straight, take a small step to the left. “You should feel tension on the outside of your hips and legs,” Lagomarsine says. Take 15 steps in one direction, then 15 steps in the opposite direction. Rest for a bit, then do another set; complete 3 sets total.

Plank and Raise

Michael LagomarsineSide Leg Lift, position 1.

How to: Lie on your left side so that your body is in a straight line, feet stacked on top of each other. Rest on your left forearm. Push through your left forearm to raise your hips off the floor while your right hand rests on your right hip. Keeping your core engaged and your hips lifted, raise your right leg, foot flexed a few inches; if your hips sink or you compromise your form, lower the leg. Start with 5 per side and work up to 10. Do three sets total.

Side Leg Lift
How to: Lie on your right side, body in a straight line, right elbow bent and head resting in your right hand. Bend your right knee to a comfortable position. Activate your abs, and lift your left leg, eading with the heel, as high as you can without arching your back or breaking the alignment of your hips. Lower and repeat. Do 15 reps on one side and 15 on the other for one set; complete 3 sets.

Let’s hear it for the hips: “As a soccer player, hips are extremely important. Having strong hips helps me with turning quickly and striking the ball well. For the outside midfield position, where I play, I have to cross the ball a lot; strong hips are essential for successful passes.” -- Lindsay Mooradian, freshman midfielder on the Brookline (Mass.) soccer team

In this “Body Parts” series, Dimity McDowell gets you in playing shape, from head to toe.

Exercises for your: Chest | Biceps/Triceps | Shoulders | Core

Body Part: Lower Back

What it does: A crucial part of the core, the lower back provides stability to your body so that you can generate power as you jump, run, pivot, spike and move.

“Ideally, you want your lower back to be like a pillar,” says Michael Lagomarsine, head of strength and conditioning at the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center. “It is the foundation for a strong body.”

When your lower back is stable, you’re less prone to injury and the rest of your muscles don’t fatigue as quickly because they’ve got a rock-solid pillar supporting them. In addition, the lower back is a major player when you bend, extend or rotate at the waist.

Used most commonly when you: Nail a penalty kick in soccer, complete a tumbling run in gymnastics, throw a shot-put or javelin or discus in track, skate as quickly as you can across the rink to grab the puck, drive a golf ball off a tee, do a back bend in yoga, take a stroke in rowing, or otherwise move your upper body in conjunction with your lower.

Here are three exercises to strengthen the lower back:

Reaching Opposites
How to: Get down on all fours, with your knees lined up over your hips and your hands lined up directly below your shoulders (above). Engage your core and keep your spine straight. Raise your left leg to hip height and right arm to shoulder height at the same time; both of your limbs should be extended (right). Then return to the starting position. Do 3 sets of 12 per side. “Focus on one side at a time,” Lagomarsine says, “or you will lose your stable hip position.”

Deadlift

Michael LagomarsineDeadlift, positions A and B.

How to: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees, push your rear end back and keep your back straight as you grasp either a bar or a set of dumbbells, which is resting on the floor. A standard 45-pound bar can work, but if you have any hesitation, start lighter. Push through your heels to stand up straight; keep your shoulders back and chest up through the whole motion. “You should feel it in your glutes and hamstrings,” Lagomarsine says. “Your lower back muscles help you keep the proper body angle.” Do 3 sets of 10.

Bridge

Michael LagomarsineThe up position in the traditional bridge.

How to: Lie on your back with your arms at your sides, knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Engage your abs and squeeze your glutes, then slowly lift your hips off the ground (right). “Don’t arch your back,” Lagomarsine says. Slowly lower to a point right above the ground, and repeat. To up the challenge, pull one knee toward your chest when your hips are lifted (below). Lower, and alternate between legs. Do 3 sets of 15 reps for the conventional way. If you take the challenge, do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Let’s hear it for the lower back: “A strong lower back is essential to success on the soccer field. All the power that I give the ball while heading it into the net or throwing it onto the field during a throw-in comes from my core and lower back. Core strength also helps me run faster and improve speed and efficiency while changing directions. Lastly, a strong, stable core gives me good balance -- soccer players need to be able to balance on one foot while kicking and shooting the ball.” -- Laura Perry, senior midfield/forward at Brookline (Mass.)