7 Ways to Stretch Your Quads
I used to ignore my quads completely. I hated any exercise that worked them (they burn so much!) and I found it difficult to get a good stretch. What I got away with in my twenties came back to haunt me later. On my personal pain journey, the discovery that stretching the quads can make a difference with hip and back pain really helped a lot.
As you can see in the picture, one of your quad muscles (rectus femoris) originates on your pelvis. When it’s tight, it will pull your pelvis downward in front, which in turn lifts your sitting bones in the back. This has two effects: it makes your hamstrings long and tight, and it deepens the curve of your low back. This generates compression on the bones, nerves, and muscles which causes discomfort or pain. Making matters worse, this anterior rotation of the pelvis makes it difficult for your lower abdominals to function as pelvic stabilizers. All these elements add up to low back pain. And guess what? Front hip pain is also likely to develop.
So…does stretching the quads help? Yes. Absolutely. Stretching every day will, over time, decrease the amount of tension in your muscles and make it easier for you to find good alignment. That’s the short version. The long version is that stretching your quads is, shall we say, “Part of a complete breakfast.” I’d recommend combining the quad stretches with other practices, but for the purpose of this article, let’s just focus on how to stretch the quads. If you’d like to see my instructional video, click here.
*In every option, squeezing the glutes on the side you’re stretching will intensify the stretch and encourage a correction of the anterior rotation of the pelvis.
Option 1, for very tight quads: This option can be done in bed or on the floor. Lay on your back with your knees bent. Bring your feet up as close as you can comfortably to your bottom. Take your feet about as wide as a yoga mat, then bring one knee in to the center and down towards the floor. Move in and out of this stretch 6 times and then hold for 30-60 seconds. Switch sides. Repeat if desired.
Option 2- The starting position here is the same as option 1, but the movement is larger. For some people, it’s possible to grasp the ankles with the hands. It’s not required, though. The takeaway is that the intensity of the stretch is directly related to how close your heels are to your bottom.
Option 3- This one is good for people with arthritis. Sit sideways in a chair and wrap your arm around the back for support. Let one leg hang off the front of the chair and tuck your toes under. Adjust the intensity of the stretch by moving your foot further behind you. The tighter you are, the less you’ll need to move the foot.
Option 4- Is the same as above, but if you want more stretch you can hold your foot. Remember to squeeze your glutes. Pressing the foot into the hand will increase the intensity.
Option 5- This is a standing variation. Make sure you have something to hold on to for balance. Again, squeezing your glutes on the leg you’re stretching and pressing your foot into your hand will both increase the intensity.
Option 6- Not recommended if you have arthritis in your knees. This option requires solid balance and a fair amount of flexibility in the shoulders. If you give this a try, please be sure to keep your upper back straight, resisting gravity’s pull on your head, neck, and shoulders. Keep your chest wide and don’t collapse forward. The same pointers apply here for adjusting intensity: press the foot into the hands, squeeze the glutes.
Option 7- Ok, so this is more of a bonus option. It will stretch the quads on the outer side of the leg (vastus lateralis) and the Tensor Fascia Late (TFL). Same pointers apply here, but there’s one more you can try. Press the inner arch of your foot into your hand as you squeeze your glutes. Yowsa!
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