Rear-Foot-Elevated Hip Flexor Stretch
oec:rear-foot-elevated-hip-flexor-stretch
A targeted mobility stretch that places the rear foot on an elevated surface to dynamically stretch the hip flexors and rectus femoris.
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: Couch Stretch, Rear-Foot-Elevated Quad Stretch, RFE Hip Flexor Stretch
How to do it
Setup
- Place a mat on the floor a couple of feet in front of a bench, box, or wall.
- Kneel on the mat facing away from the elevation, then place the top of one foot onto the elevated surface.
- Step the other foot forward so you are in a half-kneeling position with the front shin roughly vertical and torso upright.
Movement
- Engage your abdominals and actively squeeze the glute of the rear trailing leg to tilt your pelvis posteriorly.
- Shift your hips gently forward and down until you feel a deep stretch in the front of the rear hip and thigh.
- Hold the position while maintaining abdominal brace and glute contraction, or pulse gently in and out of the stretch before holding for several seconds.
- Release the tension slowly, then switch legs and repeat on the opposite side.
Breathing
Breathe smoothly and deeply, exhaling to relax deeper into the stretch without losing core control.
Cues
- Tuck your tailbone
- Squeeze the trailing glute
- Ribs down, don't arch
Common faults
- Hyperextending the lower back to create the illusion of hip extension.
- Keep your abs braced and tuck your tailbone slightly to ensure the extension happens at the hip joint.
- Allowing the front knee to collapse inward.
- Track the front knee in line with the middle toes.
Safety
- Use adequate knee padding to prevent discomfort on the kneecap of the rear leg.
Muscles
Joints
- Hip: Extension
- Knee: Flexion
- Lumbar spine: Isometric stabilization
Details
- Movement
- Stretch, Mobility drill
- Modality
- Mobility, Flexibility
- Mechanics
- isolation
- Force
- static
- Laterality
- unilateral
- Kinetic chain
- closed
- Level
- beginner
- Equipment
- Flat bench or Box or Wall or Chair
- Record
- Duration; or Repetitions
- Load
- none
Sources
- wger: Rear-foot-elevated Hip Flexor Stretch, by Pete-E automation (CC-BY-SA-4.0)
This record: CC-BY-SA-4.0.