How to REALLLLY Stretch Your Quads (Best Static Quad Stretch!) – ATHLEAN-X™

Eat, Stretch and Train like an Athlete (Step by Step Program)

Quad workouts are mandatory for those looking to build bigger legs. That said, unless you stretch your quads correctly with the right leg stretches, you are likely going to hold back the results that you see in the gym. Fascia can restrict blood flow through a working muscle if it is inadequately mobilized. Likewise, when quad muscle length is short, the range of motion you can achieve in the exercises of your leg and quads workouts will be noticeably compromised.

In this video, I show you how to stretch your quads right using one quick tweak to a standard quadriceps stretching exercise. Normally, people will stretch their legs either standing or laying on their side. When you perform the quads stretch from either of these positions however, you are likely to substitute lumbar flexion inadvertently in an effort to create a bigger separation between the torso and your quads. This gives you the false sense of improved flexibility in your legs when it likely doesn’t exist.

In order to get the most out of your stretching you have to be sure that you maintain a flat lower back. This is actually opposite the techniques that we used in previous videos for how to stretch your hamstrings right. In that case, the pelvis had to stay in an anterior tilt in order to maximally reach the hamstring muscles. Here, you want to posteriorly rotate the pelvis in order to prevent the lumbar extension substitution.

Try the two variations that I show you in this video and see for yourself just how much less flexibility and range of motion you have in your quadriceps muscle. If you find that there is at least a ten to twenty degree difference between the two positions you will want to start adding this stretch to your routine about 3-5 nights per week.

It’s best to perform your passive leg stretches before bed rather than during or prior to your workout. This is the optimal time as it helps to prevent the normal tissue shortening that happens during muscle repair and recovery overnight.

For a complete program that takes your flexibility and functionality to all new levels, head to and get the same exact program being used by elite professional athletes from the NFL, MLB, NBA, MMA, and more.

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