Sarah Harradine (thatsquatbot), personal trainer and blogger, is here to talk you through a series of stretches to help you look after your everyday health and make the most of life, in partnership with Simplyhealth. They’re here to support you every step of the way, throughout your training, on event day and beyond.
Today we’re going to talk about specific stretches for your quads and hip flexors. A muscle group that unsurprisingly can become tight and inflexible and cause issues for a lot of runners.
Sitting at a desk can shorten your hip flexors, which makes it tough for them to work as hard as they should do when running. These stretches will help loosen and lengthen this area.
When focusing on specific muscle groups it’s important to remember not to overstretch or bounce your stretch which can cause more problems.
Standing quad stretch
Standing with feet hip-width apart, bring the ‘laces’ area of your foot into the same side hand. Bring the knees together and squeeze your glute to stretch the front of your leg. Use a chair or doorframe for support if needed.
One knee down, arm raised quad stretch
With one knee down, take a step forward with the flat of one foot. Squeeze the glute of the leg with the knee down then reach up with the same arm, angling backwards.
Laydown quad stretch on front
Laying on your back, bring one foot onto the floor with a bent knee. Bring the other foot to the other knee, then grab through the gap, and pull the knee towards you until you feel a stretch in your hip and glute.
Couch stretch
Take the above position in front of a wall. With your back knee on a cushion or ab mat, lift the back foot so it’s against the wall and the back shin is as vertical as flexibility allows. Squeeze the glute.
