Feet Elevated Clamshells

Instructions

1. Lie on your side with your knees bent and stacked one on top of the other.

2. Position your hips and shoulders so they are stacked vertically.

3. Bend your knees to about 90 degrees.

4. Lift both feet slightly off the ground while keeping your knees bent.

5. Press your feet together or keep them close together.

6. Without rolling your pelvis backward, lift the top knee away from the bottom knee.

7. Open only as far as you can while keeping your hips stacked and your feet lifted.

8. Pause briefly at the top.

9. Slowly lower the top knee back down with control.

10. Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, then switch sides.

Common Compensations

• Do not roll your pelvis backward as you open the top knee.

• Do not let your feet drop to the floor during the movement.

• Do not separate the feet if the variation is meant to keep them together.

• Do not rush the opening or lowering phase.

• Do not let your torso rotate backward.

• Do not shrug or tense your neck and shoulders unnecessarily.

Extra Info

• You should feel this mostly in the outer hip and glute of the top leg.

• You may also feel your core working to help keep your body stable.

• Keeping the feet lifted makes this variation more challenging than a regular clamshell.

• The movement should stay small and controlled rather than opening as wide as possible.

• You should not feel sharp pain in the hip, low back, or knee.