Day 2 swaps the side-to-side stepping of yesterday for a march. The circuit is 20 march steps, 20 front leg raises, 20 march steps and 20 back leg raises, run straight through for one set, then 2 minutes of rest before the next - 3, 5 or 7 sets depending on your level. Everything happens in place and facing forward, which makes this the easiest day of the program to do in a narrow space.
The march step is a high-knee march: lift one knee toward hip height while the opposite arm swings forward, running-style, then switch, one knee up per rep. It gets the blood moving without any impact at all and it turns up on more days than any other exercise here, so learn it well. Between the two march blocks, front leg raises swing a straight leg forward and up with your hands on your hips - the hip flexors and thighs working while the standing leg quietly manages your balance. Back leg raises finish the circuit by sending a straight leg behind you, chest tall, which wakes up the glutes and hamstrings and gives the front of the hips a rest after all that knee lifting.
Drive the knees high on the march and swing the arms - lazy arms make it a shuffle. On front leg raises, keep the leg straight and lift with control rather than kicking; height is less important than not leaning back. For back leg raises, squeeze the glute of the working leg and keep your torso upright - if you have to fold forward to lift the leg, you are lifting too high.
Marching, kicking, reaching back - the legs learned three directions today and your heart kept count.
Make it Harder: On every march step, lift the knee a little higher and pause for a heartbeat at the top before switching legs.
Make it Easier: Rest your fingertips on a wall or the back of a chair for both leg raise exercises and keep the march at a walking pace.
