Looking for exercises to stretch your quadriceps? Do you want to know the best techniques and how to perform them correctly? Throughout this article you will find everything you need to gain more flexibility in your legs by learning how to properly stretch your quadriceps.
Stretching the quadriceps is something that people commonly do before or after any sporting event, right? And yes, we are familiar with this movement more than anything by copying from other people.
But in truth, what is the real knowledge we have of stretching exercises for quadriceps, keep in mind that a minimum error in the way of performing them can considerably reduce effectiveness.
For example, there is a mistake that many people often make when performing some of these exercises, and that is to let the knee go forward when stretching. What? Did you think this was correct?
Let’s see below what is the correct technique to stretch the quadriceps both in the classic way and with new stretching exercises that you may not know and that can be very useful in certain conditions.
LET’S SEE WHAT ARE THE QUADRICEPS MUSCLES
We have already seen it in the article ANATOMY OF THE MUSCLES OF THE LEG, but let’s go back to review this muscular area.
The quadriceps make up most of the muscles in the anterior leg area (the front).
And as the name implies, there are four parts: the rectus femoris, the vastus medial, the vastus lateral, and the vastus intermediate.
The rectus femoris is the only part of the quadriceps that crosses the hip, so it must be stretched differently. The vastus lateral, medial and intermediate originate from the femur.
These are inserted into the kneecap through the quadriceps tendon. Even some fibers of the vastus interna are inserted directly into the medial aspect of the patella.
Now that we review a little anatomy, let’s understand how to properly perform stretching exercises for the quadriceps.
STRETCHING EXERCISES FOR QUADRICEPS
STANDING QUADRICEPS STRETCH
This is the most well-known way to stretch the quadriceps. In this case you can place yourself next to a bench or a high surface in order to hold yourself with one hand if you cannot keep your balance.
- Raise your leg from this position and take your right ankle with your right hand, while with your left you support yourself or help you maintain balance.
- Straighten your back, lift your chest up, and pull your ankle back and up slowly.
- If you are able to bring your knee behind you as in the photo, you can focus a little more on stretching the rectus femoris.
- Hold this position for the appropriate amount of time and then repeat with the other leg.
FOR FURTHER FOCUS ON THE RECTUS FEMORIS TRY THE FOLLOWING VARIANT:
QUADRICEPS STRETCH ON THE FLOOR
If you have problems with balance on one leg, it is possible to do this exercise lying on your side. For example, to stretch the right side, simply do the following:
- Lie on your left side, take your right ankle behind you and pull the ankle pressing towards you.
With this exercise you can also include the anterior rectum, for this you should pull the knee back making sure to keep the abdominals contracted and the pelvis blocked. Do not allow your back to arch at any time during the exercise.
You can even try this stretching exercise with your body fully lying on your stomach, let’s see below.
STRETCH QUADRICEPS WITH YOUR KNEES ON THE FLOOR AND ON YOUR BACK
In this exercise, basically, you should sit on your heels, with your thighs slightly apart.
- Keep straight the leg that you are not going to stretch and the other flex it resting it on the floor.
- You begin to tilt the trunk back while holding on to your elbows at the moment you begin to feel how you stretch your flexed leg.
The more you lay the trunk, the more work will be done on the muscle. You may even end up lying completely on the floor on your back, but to achieve this you must gain more flexibility if your quadriceps are very rigid.
BENEFITS OF QUADRICEPS STRETCHING
The quadriceps tend to be shortened in older adults or in those who train and perform a lot of muscle activity on this area.
For example in sports such as weight training, football, basketball or any sport that uses that muscle in excess.
As in general, the great neglect is the rectus femoris, this tends to be particularly shortened and therefore can disrupt the normal mechanics of the joints, making one more prone to injury.
By performing a properly designed stretching routine we can avoid any potential problems on these muscles, from undesirable tears to certain day-to-day discomforts.
- Adductor Stretching Exercises
- Back Stretching Exercises
- The Best Forearm Stretching Exercises
- Exercises for quadriceps stretching
- The Best Exercises to Stretch the Hamstrings
- The Best Exercises for Stretching Calves or Calves