Learn how to stretch your quadriceps by standing on one leg and bending the other leg backward. This is quite simple, but make sure you don’t pull too hard and don’t twist your hips, as this could cause injuries to your knees or ankles.
Find more stretching advice and exercises at Stretching Main.
Execution
- Stand upright and bend one leg backward. Keep your hips parallel and don’t round your back; actually, arch your back slightly.
- Grasp your ankle and pull your heel toward your buttocks. Keep your knees close together and your thighs parallel.
- You can hold the ankle with either one or both hands. Some people believe using both hands can cause pulling too hard and injure the knee or ankle. Of course, you can use both hands, but do not squeeze your knees together.
- Most people use only one hand because they want the other hand free to hold onto something for balance.
Advice
There is one important thing you should NOT do:
Do not relax your ankle or let your toes point upward. Flex your ankle so your toes point down toward the floor, and grasp your foot near the ankle (close to the shin). Do not hold your foot by the toes!
Always warm up before applying the standing quadriceps stretch.
Apply this quadriceps stretch only statically — this stretch is not designed for isometric, dynamic, or PNF stretching.
Suggestions
- The Leg Muscles
- Lunge – Hip Stretch
- Half Side Split Stretch
- Gluteus Stretch
- Lying Waist Stretch
- Standing Double-Leg Hamstring Stretch
- Cross-Leg Hamstring & Knee Stretch
- Standing Wushu Stretchkick Stretch
