6in Front Step Down: Build More Resilient Joints and Improved Dorsiflexion

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The 6in Front Step Down is an offshoot from its cousin the 'Poliquin Step Down,' which was popularized by the late Charles Poliquin. The main difference here is that in our version, we don't elevate the heel, which in turn challenges our dorsiflexion more.

As opposed to the side step down or the rear step down, the front step down will shift a larger percentage of our mass in-front of us. This will force us to maintain a more upright posture and have more knee flexion (bending) than our other step down variations. You will likely feel more quad recruitment and stress. If you can't reach the floor when performing the exercise, that is ok, just seek steady improvements over time.

The front step down in a phenomenal exercise for learning to properly center your mass over your foot in a biomechanically sound manner. First thing is setting your breathing and bracing, and obtaining good posture/spinal position. From there, begin to bend at the ankle, knee and hip of the working leg, making sure that you maintain your breathing, bracing and spinal position as you do so.

You may experience a lot of wiggling and wobbling as you try to do the step down, this is normal. We encourage you to try and not focus on correcting all the little wobbles, and instead focus on maintaining your center over your foot while maintaining the proper breathing, bracing and spinal positioning that you set up before you begin descending.

If you focus on simply bending the working leg (not trying to reach the non-working leg down to the ground) and staying centered over your working foot, you will find that a lot of the extra movements that are occurring will stop and it will be easier to manage the movement.

Additionally, this balance ensures that the musculature of the lower leg is being recruited properly, so you will get more robust and balanced muscular development, which we believe will help with postural considerations, injury risk, and overall health in sport and life.