In our last post we talked about how to “stretch” a muscle by moving through a range of motion actively.  Here we want to talk about static stretching. 


As a reminder, this is good for those people who have been inflexible since the beginning of time.  See the previous post to determine if this is you.

Again, the most common areas that we see tightness are the back of the hips (gluteal muscles) and the quads.  So, including these muscles in your stretches would be helpful. In tight people, we often see calf tightness as well and this would be good to include.

How long should you hold each stretch? Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds, ideally 1 minute.  This helps to induce what we call creep within the tissue.  This essentially is lasting elongation of the collagen fibers. If you hold the stretch less than this amount of time, the muscle can rebound with more tightness.

How many reps? 1-2 reps per stretch

When to do these exercises/stretches? These stretches are best done when warm after exercise, though some people enjoy doing them at the end of the day as a wind-down process before bed.

Below are some examples of stretches:

  1. Quad stretch at the wall: Kneel on the floor facing away from the wall.  Place one foot on the floor in front of you and the other knee will be on the floor behind you.  Then, if you are able to place your foot of the back leg behind you on the wall, place it there.  If not, you can place your foot on a lower surface like a stacked pillow.  Then lift your chest up and tuck your pelvis under so that you are not tilting forwards.  Hold 30 sec-1 min, 1-2x/side

  2. Modified Pigeon: stretch on a bed or table: Place one leg in front of you with your knee out to the side and your foot closer to midline.  This leg will be placed on top of a tall table or bed and you will be standing on the other leg which will be slightly in back of you. Keep your hips facing forwards without rotating to one side or the other. If this is too much of a stretch you may place a pillow beneath your knee of the front leg. Hold for 30 sec-1 min, 1-2x/side.

  3. Calf stretch: stand with your legs staggered and one leg behind you.  For the back leg, keep your knee straight and your heel and toes on the ground.  The knee of the front leg will be bent. Make sure both feet are facing forwards instead of rotating out or caving in to one side.   Hold for 30 sec- 1 min, 1-2x/side