Standing Quad Stretch

The Standing Quad Stretch is a simple balance-and-stretch drill you do on your feet. It targets the front of your thigh - the quadriceps - and also gives some length to the hip flexors at the front of your hip.

Start standing tall next to a wall or chair. Shift your weight onto one foot. Bend your other knee and reach back with the same-side hand to grab that ankle or the top of that foot. Keep your knees close together and gently tuck your pelvis so your tailbone points toward the ground.

Pull your heel toward your buttocks until you feel a mild stretch down the front of your thigh. Keep your chest up and your supporting leg steady. Hold the position without letting your bent knee drift forward or out to the side. Switch sides and repeat.

Breathe slowly and steadily through your nose - there is no need to hold your breath. To make it easier, hold the wall or chair with both hands and use a towel or strap around your foot if reaching back is hard. To make it harder, stand farther from support while still keeping a fingertip touch on the wall, but stop if you feel any knee pain.

Fault: The bent knee slides forward or the knees spread apart. Fix: Keep your knees together and line them up side by side, as if you were standing in a narrow hallway.

Fault: You lean forward or arch your lower back. Fix: Tuck your pelvis slightly and stand tall, keeping your ribs over your hips the whole time.

Fault: You pull hard on the foot or feel pressure in your knee. Fix: Use a gentler pull and hold the wall or chair for balance so you are not forcing the stretch.

Fault: You try to balance without support and start to wobble. Fix: Always use a wall or chair for hand support, especially since this is a single-leg balance position.