Description
Includes in-depth instruction of 25 individual exercises. Note: these don't flow like a routine/workout but are taught one exercise at a time to show important elements of form assessment you can then apply to 10-minute routines or any other movement programs, from yoga to fitness to physical therapy, you might be participating in. Runtime: 2 hours 33 minutes. Tech specs below.
Move your lower body for more strength and mobility and less discomfort or limitations. This course is perfect for anyone who:
- wants to be able to walk longer or pain-free
- feels restricted by the condition of their knees and hips
- would love more freedom of movement, from walking to basic balance
Whole Body Biomechanics are in-depth movement courses that include precise exercise instruction for laypeople, athletes, and movement professionals to help everyone move more and better. “Feet, Knees, and Hips” will help you learn new ways to move your lower body for more strength and mobility and less discomfort or limitations. Watch a WBB Course trailer here.
Includes:
- alignment basics and bolstering techniques to make moves accessible
- 25 exercises, broken down in their own segments for in-depth learning
- two 10-minute exercise routines, one beginner and one advanced
- “Home Gym” lessons on where to fit the exercises into your daily life
- a short routine easily done at your desk in minutes!
These courses teach biomechanics and self-assessment so that you can scale the exercises to your body and your needs. Together our three WBB courses cover the whole body, but you get to pick where you start and how far you want to go.
Tech specs: You can stream these videos online or download them to your computer. If you want to download this title to your iDevice, first download to your computer and then synch to your iDevice via an app like iTunes or Dropbox. Apple only allows direct downloads to its iDevices via iTunes or other approved providers. Alternatively, you can stream on an iDevice and download onto most other non-Apple devices.
Choose the course that addresses whichever areas are decreasing your movement or causing you pain. Unsure where to begin? We recommend working lower body, to upper body, to core.
Sunny (verified owner) –
I love it- the videos are throrough, yet short enough you can fit them in to a busy schedule. And the office flow is amazing! You can get it done quickly, and some of it you can do discreetly at your desk, even if you’re in a cube.
ebonysbills –
I plan to submit more reviews as I go along, but I highly recommend this if it’s in your budget.
I own some of the other DVD’s (when you hurt all over) and have done several of the “alignment snacks”. I personally prefer the “no frills” look and instruction of the alignment snacks videos, to the “professionally recorded “when you hurt all over” DVD, which I find kind of stiff and impersonal. This has the best of both worlds, with professional studio recording but the relaxed and easy, yet informative and interesting, instruction that Katie is so good at delivering.
So far I’m on the “easy” versions of these. I’ve been doing these movements off and on for the past year or so, based off the other DVD’s I have. But this DVD has helped me understand the movements better and clarifies some of the doubts I had on whether I was doing the movements correctly.
Thank you for this nutritious movement folks!! It’s one of my most exciting investments this year (besides shoes of course).
Christy Smith (verified owner) –
I bought this after struggling with major foot and leg pain that had debilitated me. After 2 weeks of following the exercises I had a dramatic change! I can now walk without pain! I have found it is very important for me to continue to do these exercises to keep my feet and legs happy! Movement is vital to health! I recommend this video and others to everyone!
KateC –
I’ve gone through all the exercises in this set, and I’d buy them again in a second! It has really improved mobility and strength in my lower body. I’m a 40-yo woman with no major physical issues, just the usual wear-and-tear from an office job. Specifically, this course has improved the flexibility and strength in my ankles (I used to roll and injure them frequently, and after following this course they have been more stable, and the range of motion during stretching has improved drastically); and general strength, flexibility, and balance throughout my lower body. Overall, I am more in-tune with my body from using this course.
I have been working through this course (I’m doing the Upper Body after this one, and Core after that) at my own pace, which I love. I usually “learn” one exercise per day, and then I’ll add it into both my morning exercise routines and my movements throughout the day. Now that I’ve worked through this entire course, I usually repeat the moves I found most helpful, sometimes I just do one of the Flows included at the end of the course, and sometimes I revisit videos for specific movements. Having access to the entire series gives me flexibility to use and re-use the exercises.
This is my first foray into Katie Bowman’s work, which I found on the advice of a physical therapist I see, so I can’t say how it compares to her other offerings, but I really like how this program is set up. The exercises are described and demonstrated clearly, neither too fast nor too slow. I appreciate the level of detail and suggestions for modifications.
This course was an excellent investment. It has given me tangible improvements in flexibility, balance, and strength, and I will be using these exercises, and revisiting the videos, for a very long time. I think this course is best suited for someone who is fairly motivated to work through all the exercises and incorporate them into their daily movement, and doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles, music, effects, etc. that are in some exercise media. The exercises are very clear, but you need to be motivated and consistent. It’s worked well for me, and I am so glad I found KB right when these videos were released!
Christine Grande –
I really enjoyed the individual videos for each exercise. I’ve read most of Katy’s books, but find it difficult to understand how to do some of the exercises from a written description. The videos really helped me to understand each exercise and make sure I am doing them correctly. Since beginning the course, I’ve noticed a marked improvement in my balance, strength of my calves, and flexibility of my ankles.
Nikki Dunay (verified owner) –
I started your courses December 2018, I think I did the streaming classes first, then bought the whole body mechanics. The course is great in that it is specific to one
body part at a time. I am encouraging my husband to try the course rather than the streaming classes, because of the simplicity. I am not sure if I would change anything.
I went to move your DNA workshop at Kripalu this June, 2019. Doing your online
WBM and streaming classes really prepared me.
I am so thankful for finding nutritious movement. It is quite the journey to track
my alignment progress, there are moments when I am walking and my body “gets It”, not for long, but its fun watch the progress.
I started sitting on the floor to do computer work, which has helped me to squat with less pain. I am 64 and this nutritious movement body shift has come at a great time in my life.
Thank you Nikki
NJ –
I am generally a big fan of Katy’s work but I did not love the format of this offering. It was extremely choppy to move from clip to clip. The office flow is excellent but other than that, this did not offer me what I was looking for. I would recommend her Alignment Snacks (sadly, no longer offered on a standalone basis, bring them back, Katy, there are the best introduction to your work!)
Natalia K (verified owner) –
In 2017 I began having serious knee pain, the result of favouring one leg when I’d broken the other. The exercise regime prescribed by my physiotherapist and executed faithfully was far too much, far too soon resulting in further inflammation and higher levels of pain. When I was unable to walk down stairs or walk more than five minutes at a time, I stopped it all.
In August 2018, I turned to Hanna Somatics to gently and slowly restore some flexibility; by January 2019 my knee pain was substantially reduced. But I still couldn’t walk more than 10 minutes at a time. I knew I needed to get my leg strength back. I have been a Katy Bowman fan for many years, so in February 2019, I bought the video package Whole Body Biomechanics (WBB): Feet, Knees, Hips and started using it in March.
What I Wanted Was What I Got: As of August 2019, my knee pain is an occasional rather than daily occurrence and hasn’t gone beyond a level of 2 on a 10-point scale. If my knee begins to hurt I know exactly which exercises can reduce it to (nearly) zero in minutes. Gotta love that Calf Stretch! I’ve progressed from walking for 10 minutes at a time, to between 30 and 45 minutes. Stairs are no longer a problem. And just to put this in perspective, I’m 70 years old.
What I Like About the WBB Approach –
1. My Pace, My Way: I like having one and only one exercise presented at a time. I can go at my own pace rather than trying to fit into someone else’s idea of what my progress should be. I have learned the hard way that it is best for me to do a few exercises at a time, regularly, than to try to do everything at once.
I was already familiar with many of the ‘easy’ level moves (though not all the tips about how to do them properly). Standing on One Leg with Knee Release continues to elude me. However I’m now doing the majority of the advanced moves.
For some exercises, Katy suggests alternative positions or shifts to accommodate your body. In some cases, I’ve had to develop my own adjustments to the exercise, in order to care for my knee. I am wary of putting weight on it so, for example, instead of doing a Lunge with my knee on floor, I do it standing up (and slowly bending at the knees). Same effect.
2. Sequencing to Keep Me Safe: Having sets of exercises at two levels (easy and advanced) prevented me from jumping into more complex things first. I also sensed that the moves within each sub-category (e.g., feet, or knees) ought to be done, or at least tried, in order. (I’m not sure this was ever made explicit.) When the more advanced ones are presented, Katy gives the rationale for how it builds on particular moves already mastered at the previous level.
3. Helping Me Hit the Target: The Intro Features on alignment and bolstering are very useful, because they help you do the moves correctly. For these movements to make a difference, I knew that I had to learn how to do them right; there is a precision about them. For example, this Quad Stretch is different from what I was used to because it is done while prone rather than standing up. I’ve done such stretches in the standing position with personal trainers and physiotherapists who were quite content for me to twist myself any which way as long as I could get the foot of my bent leg somewhere near my butt. Inflammation anyone?
I wanted to have information on not only how to do a movement but also what I should focus on or avoid during a move. For example in the Quad Stretch clip, Katy gives the explicit instruction to keep your public bone one the floor at all times (and how to accomplish that) and that has made a huge difference in my ability to feel the stretch and, over time, to know that that part of my body is changing in the right direction.
4. A Continually-used Resource: I can play the clip over and over until I get a good sense of what it is about. Believe me, there are so many things going on in the body with ‘just one movement’ that the ability to replay the clip and catch them all is a great feature. I’ve played clips through, done the exercises for a few weeks or a month and then gone back to the video and found subtle things I either forgot, wasn’t quite doing right or needed to be added. So the individual clips have helped me to focus, to gradually incorporate all the subtle aspects of doing that one move, and to avoid cheating. It’s wonderful to have such a responsive resource.
I haven’t used the flows yet. Maybe someday.
Something to Address: While I’m certainly not finished (and already have my eye on the purchase of another of the WBB series), it would be helpful to have some information on weaning. In other words, there are some exercises that lead up to being able to do others. Once they have been mastered and I’m doing the more complex move, can I stop doing their predecessors? I assume so but am not sure. And once I’ve mastered the entire program where do I go from there? Or is there the expectation that doing these correctives is a lifelong process. At the same or a reduced pace?
That said, I’m more than satisfied with the WBB Feet, Knees, Hips. It’s an amazing resource and continues to help me a great deal. It’s been money well-spent.
Christine –
I really enjoyed the office flow, easy and next flows. They are easy to understand, fit into a busy schedule and let you feel revitalized and relaxed right after. If I don’t understand an exercise while doing a flow, I watch the other more specific videos for each exercise and I find them helpful. On the less bright side, I find it a little expensive and would have preferred to have more flows for that price (an hour flow for example). I tried a one-hour virtual class and found it would be so valuable to add one or two of these for students who would like to get a little more than a 10 minute flow.
Vaishali –
I’ve done all three of Katy’s WBB courses and read a number of her books too–I enjoy the accessible and practical approach to movement that she advocates. I also particularly appreciated the thoroughness of these courses in that they go through the body very systematically.
However, I found the courses a little pricey–though there are a lot of videos in them, it felt like a fair bit of the information was repeated, especially from her books. Also, as a movement professional, I found that these courses didn’t really match my expectations; they seem to be aimed more at non-professional or “beginner” movers. Having said that, I did get some ideas about how to teach movement, in particular how to regress movements for those with less mobility. So I would recommend these courses for those who are looking for a comprehensive and gradual entry into healthy movement; or, if you are a movement teacher, to give you teaching tools that help you address a wider range of movement abilities.
andreamost –
I purchased this course (and the other two in the series) after reading a couple of Katy’s books and listening to her blog for a year or so. I started with this one, as I wanted a more structured way to transition to minimal shoes. I started by doing about 3 of the Easy exercises each day, until I’d gone through all of them 3x. I moved on to the easy flow for a week or two, then did the same with the Next exercises. I liked having an individual video for each exercise to start. Once I’d completed all of the inidividual exercise videos at least 3 times, I integrated the 3 different flow videos (Office, Easy and Next) into my day, doing one a day in a rotation. I liked this approach as I could move at my own pace, and just stop work whenever I felt like, pull out my equipment and do a flow. And the exercises have helped enormously with resolving lots of little aches and pains as well as helping me transition my footwear safely. A few things that would make it even better: 1. There are a few exercises that are not in any of the flows. I don’t have time to keep going back to individual exercises, once I’ve integrated the program into my day. It would be great to have the advanced top of foot stretch, for example, in the Next Flow, or toe lifting and spreading in the office flow. 2. I would like to know if some Next exercises are a progression from Easy exercises. In other words, when you get to the Next section, are there any Easy exercises you can let go of?
Maura –
This is such a great resource that is perfect for someone new to moving with Katy, but also great if you have been following for a long time. Since each exercise is presented in it’s own video it is easy to learn or review a particular exercise without trying to remember what class you saw it in. I LOVE the virtual studio for the full class experience but i use this when i have 5 or 10 min to move and want to go over a particular exercise or body part. I did go through the whole program in order when I first got it and it was a great refresher. Even after 6ish year of trying pretty much everything Katy put out I learned new exercises as well as new things about exercises I was familiar with. This would be an outstanding reference for someone putting together their own “workouts”. This course and all of the WBB courses are very similar to the Aligned and Well Dvd’s, but more comprehensive and much easier to use. The videos on bolstering, adding movement to daily life, and short flows are great and really give the student an idea of how they can use the class to individualize their practice.
If you aren’t sure about this I’d try either the movement multivitamin or the virtual studio as a less expensive introduction, but WBB adds such detailed and professionally edited and filmed content that it is great if you really want to refine your understanding and practice.