I was wondering if anyone knew of a quad stretch that stretches both quads at the same time. I have tried kneeling and leaning back (as mentioned in the forums at tnation.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/sports_body_training_performance_bodybuilding/stretching_19 ) but it was pretty hard on my knees and didn’t feel right. Usually I have just grabbed each leg one at a time and pulled back while standing, but would like to do both at once if possible - any ideas? Thanks!
Try a deep foam roll before stretching.
Then focus on them individually. The three in front will tug with hip extension/knee flexion, but you can accentuate each of them using different angles.
Is there any specific reason you want to do both at the same time? The best one I know is the couch stretch but it’s unilateral.
google mobilityWOD couch stretch. It’s not both at once but it’s a great stretch. Just put something soft under your knees
I agree with everyone in that I’m not sure why you “need” to do both at the same time. Anyhow, if you can’t do version mentioned in the other thread, sitting between both legs, give this a shot:
Thanks for these suggestions - I’ll give them a shot. As far as both at once, I figured while looking for a new stretch, would be interesting to do both at once … looks lazy I know, but would be kind of nice (e.g., if I do 3 30 second stretches, doing both at once means that I could use that to do 3 extra stretches for another body part).
[quote]stevens2k wrote:
would be kind of nice (e.g., if I do 3 30 second stretches, doing both at once means that I could use that to do 3 extra stretches for another body part). [/quote]
Flexibility/mobility work should always be about the quality of movement, not how many stretches you can get in a certain time. Even if you wanted to do a full body stretching session, it’s important to focus on the best bang for the buck movements rather than always trying to do a bunch for everything. Unless you have significant flexibility/mobility issues you’re trying to correct, a handful of basic movements should keep you covered and loosen up key areas.
One other way to “sneak in” some flexibility work is to basically superset it into your regular lifting sessions, alternating an exercise with a stretch for a different bodypart. Bench press and quad stretch or squats and chest stretch, for example. Sometimes called “fillers”, it’s a great way to maximize rest periods when lifting.
Dc quad stretch
lean forward into your knees to feel it better
Thanks for these suggestions and the photos - that is a good idea to fit stretching into normal workouts, and the stretch with the bar looks really interesting. I’ll be sure to give all of these a shot.
Are you that busy you can’t spend 90 seconds on a stretch?
Use a belt or long strap of some kind. Wrap the loop around your foot. Put the strap behind your back and over your shoulder and pull. You can do it both standing and lying on your side. The strap also works great for hamstring stretches when lying on your back. Its what I do when i need a good stretch in my quads and hammies.
That’s an awesome idea, I like the strap/towel a lot for hamstrings and will add this to the list to try out for quads.