How many reps of the single-leg anterior reach should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Two sets of six reaches per leg, tapping lightly and returning under control each time, is a good starting volume. Track your reach distance and add reps only once both legs land within an inch or two of each other.

How do I scale the single-leg anterior reach for my level?

If balance is shaky, hold a fingertip against a wall while you build the reach, or shorten the tap distance until the pelvis stays level throughout. To progress, remove the wall support, close your eyes briefly at the reach's farthest point, or add a light hold at the bottom before returning.

What does the single-leg anterior reach test, and when is it not useful?

It's a gold-standard screen for standing-leg control and ankle mobility, showing where balance breaks down and whether both legs reach evenly. It's valuable for building single-leg strength and for return-to-sport testing, but on its own it doesn't tell you much if you have an active ankle or knee injury, since pain will limit reach regardless of true stability.

Intermediate

Single-Leg Anterior Reach

This is the anterior spoke of the classic Y-Balance reach and a gold-standard screen for stance-leg control and ankle dorsiflexion. As the free foot travels forward, the standing hip and knee must bend under control while the gluteus medius holds the pelvis level. Use it to build reach distance symmetrically before loading single-leg strength work.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Glutes, Quads
Type: Balance, Functional
Browse by muscle: Gluteus Medius

How to do it

1
Balance on one leg with hands on your hips and the standing knee softly bent.
2
Sit the standing hip back slightly to allow the free leg to extend forward.
3
Reach the free foot straight ahead, lightly tapping the floor as far as you can control.
4
Keep the pelvis level and the standing heel flat throughout the reach.
5
Pull the free leg back to the start under control without touching down.
6
Complete your reps, then switch legs and compare reach distance side to side.

Tips

Let the standing knee track over the toes so the ankle can dorsiflex and lend more reach.
Tap lightly; if you have to plant weight on the reaching foot you have gone past your controllable range.
Keep your chest up rather than folding forward at the waist.
A pelvis that drops on the free-leg side means the standing gluteus medius has given out, so shorten the reach.

Variations

Common mistakes

The standing heel rises onto the ball of the foot as the reach gets longer, giving up the flat, stable base the whole rep depends on.
The free foot drops back to the floor between reps instead of returning under control, throwing away half the balance challenge the drill is built on.
Pressing down hard through the hands on the hips turns them into a stabilizer instead of letting the standing leg do that job on its own.
Reach distance never gets compared side to side, so a real asymmetry between legs goes unnoticed instead of becoming something to train.

Frequently asked

How many reps of the single-leg anterior reach should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Two sets of six reaches per leg, tapping lightly and returning under control each time, is a good starting volume. Track your reach distance and add reps only once both legs land within an inch or two of each other.
How do I scale the single-leg anterior reach for my level?: If balance is shaky, hold a fingertip against a wall while you build the reach, or shorten the tap distance until the pelvis stays level throughout. To progress, remove the wall support, close your eyes briefly at the reach's farthest point, or add a light hold at the bottom before returning.
What does the single-leg anterior reach test, and when is it not useful?: It's a gold-standard screen for standing-leg control and ankle mobility, showing where balance breaks down and whether both legs reach evenly. It's valuable for building single-leg strength and for return-to-sport testing, but on its own it doesn't tell you much if you have an active ankle or knee injury, since pain will limit reach regardless of true stability.

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