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All Fours Quad Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Start off by balancing on your hands and knees, then lift your right leg off the floor and hold the foot with your right hand. (Doing just this much works your torso and abdominal stabilizers.) Push the foot toward the ceiling (not the buttocks). To add the hip flexor stretch, press your hip down toward the floor. Switch sides.

Bench Hip Flexor Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Lie on a bench, table, or a bed so that your buttocks are right up to the edge. Pull one knee to your chest and lower your left leg toward the floor (your foot doesn’t have to touch the floor; it can hang in the air). Make sure you hold your spine in a neutral position as you do this (don't arch your back). Keep your lowered leg slightly bent for less stretch; straighten it for more. Switch sides.

Chair Leg Extended Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: Hamstrings
Equipment: None

Tips: Sit in a chair and grip the seat as one leg is raised and your foot flexed. Slowly move that leg outward and then back to the center and down. Repeat for your other leg.

Hang Over A Chair

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Stand next to a chair or bench, put your left foot up on the chair or bench. Position your legs in a straddle, about 1½ times the width of your hips. Bend your right knee and lean your torso forward over your legs and hold. Avoid rounding your spine. Place your hands on your thighs for support. Switch sides.

Looking At Ceiling

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Kneel on the floor, holding your heels with both hands. Lift your buttocks up and forward while bringing your head back to look up at the ceiling, to give an arch in your back.

On Your Side Quad Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Start off by lying on your right side, with your right knee bent at a 90-degree angle resting on the floor in front of you (this stabilizes the torso). Bend your left knee behind you and hold your left foot with your left hand. To stretch your hip flexor, press your left hip forward as you push your left foot back into your hand. Switch sides.

On-Your-Back Quad Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: Other

Tips: Lie on a flat bench, table, or the edge of your bed and hang one leg and arm over the side. Bend the knee and hold the top of the foot. As you do this, be careful not to arch your lower back. Pull the belly button to the spine to stay in neutral. Press your foot down and into your hand (not up to your buttocks—which would stress the knee joint). To add the hip stretch, lift the hip of the leg you're holding up toward the ceiling. Switch sides.

On-Your-Belly Quad Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Lie facedown on a mat or a rug with both legs straight on the floor. Bend your right knee so you can hold the foot in your right hand. Lift the foot up toward the ceiling (not to the buttocks) and raise the thigh a little off the floor. To stretch the hip flexor (if you have no lower-back pain), lift the thigh higher and press your abdominals into the floor to maintain torso stability. Keep your chin tucked under (you can rest it on your other hand) as you lift the leg. Switch sides.

Outer Thigh Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: None
Equipment: None

Tips: Place your left hand against a wall and your left foot behind and beyond your right foot. Bend your left ankle and then lean into the wall. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, then switch.

Seated Butterfly Stretch

Stretch Data
Main Muscle Worked: Quadriceps
Other Muscles Worked: Hamstrings
Equipment: None

Tips: Sit up straight while balancing on your sit bones. Touch the soles of your feet together with your feet six to eight inches in front of your hips. (Don’t pull your feet in too close—that’s tough on the knees.) Rest your elbows or hands on your inner thighs (relax your shoulders as you do this) and incline your chest forward. You don't need to round your shoulders to perform this stretch.

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