For good physical and mental health adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week through a variety of activities. Any activity is better than none, and more is better still!
The aim of this class is to help you develop an exercise programme that you can do at home, that works for you and that you can continue long term.
This class will incorporate strengthening, cardiovascular exercise and functional exercises.
Please be sure to check with your therapist or surgeon before performing any of the exercises shown to ensure that they are appropriate for you, particularly if you have been told that you have hip precautions.
No matter what your age or health condition you can have the ability to build & maintain strength.
A strength exercise is any activity that makes your muscles work harder than usual. These activities involve using your body weight or working against a resistance.
Cardiovascular activity, sometimes called aerobic activity, increases breathing rate and makes the heart and muscles work harder.
You will need to be moving quick enough to raise your heart rate, breathe faster and feel warmer. This level of effort is called moderate intensity activity.
If you’re working at a moderate intensity you should still be able to talk but you won’t be able to sing the words to a song.
Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for daily tasks by doing common movements you might do at home, at work or in sports.
By training your muscles to work the way they do in everyday tasks, you prepare your body to perform well in a variety of common situations.
Here are some other useful links with easy to follow exercise programmes:
Use this key to guide you
Tandem stance
• Standing next to a chair for support, place your non-operated leg in front of your operated leg.
• Imagine you are on a tightrope.
• Try to take your hands off the support and maintain your balance for 30-60 seconds.
Single Leg Stand
• Standing next to a chair/wall for support, stand on your affected leg.
• Try to take your hands off the support and maintain your balance for 30-60 seconds.
• Repeat on the other side if indicated.
Star excursion
• Place markers at different points on the floor.
• Stand on your affected leg and take your opposite leg towards the markers.
• Try and maintain balance on your affected leg by using the muscles in your thigh and lower leg.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Balance - unstable surface **Do this exercise with a therapist for the first time**
• Stand on the Airex Cushion /BOSU /Wobble Board.
• Hold on to a chair or surface for support with both hands.
• Squeeze and engage your core and glute muscles.
• Try to stand on your operated leg and maintain balance. If able and safe, release hand from support.
Alternate leg stepping
• Place your foot onto the step and allow weight acceptance through that foot.
• Take leg off the step and put the other foot onto the step.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
• Hold onto something if you need to maintain balance.
Step up
• Stand in front of the step.
• Using hand support as needed on the hand rail.
• Step up onto the bottom step.
• Continue to climb up further steps if you are able to.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Lateral step up
• Stand to the side of the step.
• Hold on to a rail in front of you if needed.
• Squeeze your bottom as you step up sideways on to the step, trying to keep your pelvis level as you drive upwards.
• Gently lower back down to the start.
• Repeat on both legs if indicated slowly and with control.
Eccentric step down
• Stand on the step
• Take one leg in front of you and lower the heel towards the floor by bending the opposite knee.
• Gently step down on to the floor with control.
Sit to Stand
• Sit towards the edge of the seat.
• Bend your knees, and bring heels back slightly squeeze through your bottom to drive you up to standing.
• Try and keep your knees aligned over your big toe as you stand up
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Offset Sit to Stand
• Place your affected leg* further back.
• Squeeze your bottom as you bend your knees in order to stand up.
• Try not to use any hand support.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Hip Slider
• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and soft through the knees.
• Slide one leg out to the side and back in.
• Try and limit movement through the rest of your body.
• Use arm support here to help.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Mini squat/Air squat
• Stand tall with feet hip width apart.
• Squat down by sitting your bottom back and bending your knees.
• Return to the starting position.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Static lunge
• Take one long step forward and bend both knees, lowering yourself towards the floor.
• The front heel stays on the floor and the back heel can lift off the floor.
• Only bend as far as you can, to stand up push through your front heel to straighten the front knee.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Single leg squat
• Stand on your affected leg – take hand support if needed.
• Slowly bend the knee.
• Slowly straighten the knee again.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
This can be any activity that raises your heart rate
• Marching/Jogging on the spot
• Upright bike or recumbent bike
• Fast paced stairs
• Shuttle running
• Step jacks/Star jumps
• Heel flicks or high knee drives
The functional station is goal specific. Think about any goals you may want to achieve over the next 6 weeks. Your therapist can then help you to choose a suitable activity that may help work towards permanent improvements of this activity or task.
Some examples include:
• Bed mobility/washing and dressing
• Getting on and off the floor
• Upper limb strength/mobility
• Pilates/core strength
• Sport specific movements
• Unstable surfaces
• Gait re-education/walking without aids
Glute bridge
• Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet hip-width apart.
• Squeeze your bottom as you lift your pelvis off the floor.
• Lift only as high as you can while maintaining the pelvis position.
• Lower your pelvis down in a controlled manner.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Note: - Don’t let your lower back arch during the lift.
4 Point kneeling – with hip extension
• Set yourself up on all fours.
• Straighten and lift your right leg before alternating with the left.
• This can also be done without lifting the leg and keeping the toe touching the floor.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Prone hip extension
• Lie on your stomach
• Keeping your leg straight, lift your leg as high as you can off the floor.
• Gently lower and repeat with the other leg.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Plank
• Lie face down. Support your body weight on your forearms and toes.
• Tighten your stomach muscles and keep your neck and back in a straight line
• Try and hold as long as you can.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Deadlift
• Stand on the thera-band or hold 2 dumbbells
• Squat down as if you were ‘picking up 2 shopping bags’
• Squeeze through your glute muscles to help you stand up straight.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Hamstring Curl/Leg curl
• Stand in front of a surface to support you.
• Using an ankle weight or a thera-band – bend your knee to lift your heel up behind you
• Hold the position for a few seconds and then straighten the leg.
• Repeat slowly and with control.
Try and complete 2-3 of these stretches at the end of the class independently. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Ask your therapist if you are unsure of which ones to perform.
21-195 © RNOH
Date of publication: February 2022
Date of next review: February 2024
Author:
Page last updated: 16 July 2025