The Best Quad Stretches to Improve Flexibility and Relieve Soreness
If you’re into running, hiking, cycling, HIIT, yoga, and more, you’re probably no stranger to quad soreness. Our quads, or quadriceps femoris muscle, consist of the four large muscles at the front and sides of the thigh that move us forward and keep us still, from sprinting to jumping to standing in place. It’s important to strengthen and properly stretch our quads to prevent injury, relieve soreness, and perform our best in our sports of choice.
If you’re feeling soreness in your quads, you want to improve your quad flexibility, or you want to tune up your lower body to keep yourself in tip-top shape, we recommend this series of quad stretches and moves to keep you feeling good before or after a workout. Jump right into this thorough quad warm-up, followed by 10 deep quad stretches you can do post-workout or on rest days to feel loose and limber.
Warm Up for Your Quads
If you’re getting ready to hit the mat hard, warm up with this sequence from Calvin Corzine’s Quad Release class. Try this before working into our deep quad stretches below.
Low Lunge with Pelvic Tilt
Kneel on your mat with your right foot forward. Instead of moving deep into the lunge, back out of it so your hips are stacked above your left knee with your right knee above your ankle. Calvin recommends this advice for getting the perfect pelvic position: “Imagine you’re wearing a big belt and it says something really important on it. In this position, you want to shorten your front body and look down a little like you’re trying to read what the belt says. Once you do that, you create a little tilt in the pelvis and you’ll feel a lot more work through the front of the leg.” Release and switch sides.
2. Standing Leg Lift and Extension
Stand on your mat with your feet hip-width apart. Reach your arms out to your sides and make two fists, squeezing them tight. Lift your right knee as high as you can towards the ceiling, then straighten your leg out in front of you. Then, bend your knee and set your foot back down on the mat. Switch sides.
3. Standing Side Leg Lift and Extension
In the same standing position with your arms out to your sides, raise your right leg, but this time out to the side. Try to lift your knee really high towards your armpit, and while keeping your knee raised high, extend your leg out. Bend your knee and release your leg back down to the mat. Switch sides and repeat.
4. Long Lunge
Get back into a Low Lunge, but this time, you’ll have a longer stance. Let your hips sink down to the floor, and take your foot out past your right knee if you’re looking for a deeper stretch. Keep your chest lifted and try to draw your inner thighs towards each other for an added stretch. Hold for a few breaths, release, and switch sides.
5. Janu Sirsasana Lifts
Bend your left leg with the bottom of your foot touching your right inner thigh. Lift your chest slightly, just one or two inches. From here, without letting your chest move, engage your right leg and lift it up slightly off the mat. Release and switch sides.
10 Deep Quad Stretches to Improve Flexibility and Relieve Soreness
1. Standing Quad Stretch
Stand on your mat and brace yourself with a wall, chair, or countertop if needed. Bend your knee and grab your ankle, pulling it in toward your glute until you feel a comfortable stretch in your quad. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the other side.
2. Bound Tiger Pose
Get into Tabletop Pose on your mat. Extend your right leg behind you and bend your knee with the sole of your foot facing the sky. Reach your left arm back to grab the inside arch of your lifted foot and kick your lifted leg higher as you lift your chest high. Switch sides.
3. Reclined Hero Pose
Kneel on your mat and separate your feet until they’re wider than your hips and you can sit between them. If you’re uncomfortable, try placing a rolled towel or blanket under your feet. Slowly recline back onto your mat, first propping yourself up onto your hands, then maybe coming down to your forearms or back. You may want to try this first with a bolster behind you until this deep stretch feels more comfortable.
4. Low Lunge with Quad stretch
Starting in Low Lunge with your right leg forward, bend your left leg and take your left heel into your glutes. Reach back with your left hand and grab your inner left foot or ankle. You can also use a strap to grab hold of your foot. Switch sides.
5. Half Frog Pose
Start in Sphinx Pose. Bend your left leg in toward your glutes and reach back with your left hand to grab your toes. If your flexibility allows, take it deeper by pulling your heel inwards, slowly rotating your left fingers forward, and pointing your left elbow straight up toward the sky. Release and switch sides.
6. Pigeon Pose with Quad Stretch
Begin in Pigeon Pose with your right leg forward. Bend your back left leg and reach your left arm back to grab your left foot and pull it toward you for a deep quad stretch. Release and switch sides.
7. Sugarcane Pose
Begin in Half Moon Pose with your right leg as the standing leg. Once you feel steady, bend your lifted left leg, bringing your left heel toward your glutes. Reach back with your left hand to catch hold of the top of your left foot. You can also try this with a block underneath your right hand for added height. Switch sides.
8. Dancer Pose
Start in a standing position on your mat with your feet together. Bend your right leg, bringing your right heel into your glutes. Reach your right arm back and grab the inner arch of your right foot or ankle. Reach your left arm up to the sky and draw your thighs in toward the midline. Feel free to stay and test your balance, or kick your right leg up to the sky and reach your chest forward. Continue drawing your legs into the center. Release and switch sides.
9. King Cobra Pose
Start on your mat in a prone position on your belly. Bring your hands underneath your shoulders and draw your shoulders away from your ears. Bend your knees and straighten your arms, lifting your head and chest up. Make sure to engage your abdominals throughout the pose. To release, lower your legs, chest, and head back down to your mat.
10. Twisted Bow Pose
This Bow Pose variation combines the best of Bow with the Half Frog you practiced earlier. Learn how to do Twisted Bow Pose in this in-depth tutorial on the blog from Briohny Smyth.
Looking for more quad stretches? Check out these deep stretches for your quads and hip flexors, or practice along with Calvin Corzine’s full Quad Release class on Alo Moves. Try it free for 14 days.
