The seven TRE™ exercises
The TRE™ exercises are designed to fatigue the leg muscles, particularly those around the pelvis, in a way that activates the body’s natural tremor mechanism. Exercises 1–6 fatigue the muscles; exercise 7 is the floor series where you activate and regulate the tremors.
Read through all the exercises first to understand the sequence, then practise with this guide nearby for reference.
The self-regulation fatigue scale
Throughout the exercises, we use a simple 1–10 scale to gauge muscle fatigue:
| Level | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | No fatigue |
| 6 | Mild fatigue, muscles working but no pain |
| 10 | Maximum fatigue |
We aim for level 6: the muscle has been sufficiently stressed when mild fatigue is experienced. This is enough to activate the tremor mechanism without overworking the body.
If you experience pain at any point, stop or modify the exercise. Fatigue is expected; pain is not.
Overview of the sequence
The seven exercises follow a logical progression:
- Ankles — Warm up, enliven the feet, establish body awareness
- Calves — Fatigue the calf muscles through heel raises
- Thighs — Fatigue the quadriceps and glutes, stretch hamstrings
- Adductors — Stretch inner thighs and lower back
- Hip flexors — Open the front of the body, stretch the psoas
- Quadriceps — Key fatigue exercise (wall sit), followed by recovery stretch
- Tremoring — Activate tremors in lying position
The full sequence takes approximately 15–20 minutes for the exercises, plus 10–20 minutes for tremoring and rest. As you become familiar with the exercises, you may move through them more quickly.
The exercises involve standing on one leg, stretching, and lying on the floor. If you have physical limitations, injuries, or health conditions affecting your ability to do these movements, consult a healthcare provider and consider working with a Certified TRE™ Provider who can offer modifications.