Elephant Walk
oec:elephant-walk
A dynamic posterior chain mobility drill performed by folding forward and alternating knee flexion and extension to stretch the hamstrings and calves.
Generated by gemini-3.8-flash from the sources below. No person has checked this record. Don't rely on it for safety.
Also called: Elephant Walks, Walking Hamstring Stretch, ATG Elephant Walk
How to do it
Setup
- Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and pointing straight forward.
- Hinge at the hips and fold forward, placing your hands on the floor or an elevated support such as a plyo-box, bench, or yoga blocks if your hamstrings are tight.
- Bend both knees slightly to find a comfortable starting position without excessive strain on the lower back.
Movement
- Actively contract the quadriceps on one leg to fully straighten that knee while keeping your heel planted on the floor.
- Hold the lockout momentarily to feel a deep stretch through the hamstring and calf of that leg while the opposite knee remains bent.
- Bend the straightened leg while smoothly extending and locking out the opposite knee.
- Continue alternating legs in a smooth, rhythmic pumping cadence for the desired number of repetitions.
Breathing
Maintain a calm, continuous breathing rhythm throughout the movement, exhaling as you extend into the stretch.
Cues
- Keep heels glued to the floor
- Squeeze the quad to straighten the knee
- Let the upper body relax forward
Common faults
- Lifting the heel off the ground when straightening the leg
- Keep the entire foot flat on the floor to properly stretch the calf and hamstring, elevating your hand support if needed.
- Reaching too low without sufficient mobility, causing aggressive lumbar rounding and pain
- Elevate your hands onto a sturdy box or bench so the torso can comfortably hinge from the hips.
- Bouncing or jerking through the knee extension
- Use smooth, controlled muscle contraction from the quadriceps to achieve full knee extension.
Safety
- Avoid forcing hyperextension of the knee joint if you experience sharp posterior knee pain or discomfort.
- Elevate your hands to a height that allows you to hinge comfortably without excessive strain on the lumbar spine.
Muscles
Joints
- Knee: Flexion, Extension
- Hip: Flexion
- Ankle: Dorsiflexion
Details
- Movement
- Mobility drill, Stretch, Hip hinge
- Modality
- Mobility, Flexibility
- Mechanics
- compound
- Force
- not applicable
- Laterality
- alternating
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- None
- Record
- Repetitions; or Duration
- Load
- none
Sources
- wger: Elephant Walks, by captive0592 (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.