What are some good leg stretches?

Question

I've been going to the gym about 4 times a week, splitting my workout between cardio and strength training. In order to properly maintain my heart rate for my cardio plan, I have to do that before the strength training. It's not too strenuous, but I do my cardio work 4 times a week and my strength training 3 times a week. Necessarily, one of my cardio days is right after my strength day, and then a day off from both after that. I just started the Strong Lifts 5x5 program, so the weight isn't anything special just yet.

One of the areas I'm deficient in is flexibility. I'm working on that, but due to the amount I use my legs, they seem to stay stiff. In particular, I feel my quadriceps pulling on me for the first minute when I get up and start walking around. They are also an area I don't stretch enough.

I'm interested in more than just stretching the quadriceps, so please provide some insights, tips, stretches, etc. that will help with my leg flexibility. I'd like walking to not feel like my legs are working against me.

Feel free to post multiple stretches in your answers. Extra kudos if you can come up with a complete routine.

Answer 1

Here are a few exercises which would be beneficial to the general hips/legs musculature:

• Lunges - a good staple stretch exercise, which can stretch your gluteous maximus (butt), quads, and hamstrings. Check out this youtube video for a basic lunge. There are many different variations.

  • The side lunge, also shown in the above video, stretches the butt as well as the thights.

• Glute Stretchs - works on the butt, as name says. Can be done standing, sitting, or lying.

• Calf stretches - again, stretches specifically the calf muscle. The easiest to do is probably the standing variation, but you can do this sitting using equipment, or by pulling the end of your foot with your hand if flexible enough.

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In response to a comment by @Berin here, if you want to limber up for squats I would recommend doing what Ripptoe suggests in his Starting Strength book: do squats without any weight whatsoever, just as a stretching exercise. While doing it, keep the following in mind:

• Squats should be done with toes facing approximately 30 degrees out.
• The knees should be parallel with the feet at all times during the squat.
• Do full squats; go down until your quads (the top part of your leg) are parallel with the floor.
• At the bottom, your knees should just be over your toes; if they're too far forward or back, stick your butt out back more.

If you're having trouble keeping your quads over your toes, which are 30 degrees out, he suggests that when you get to the bottom put your elbows against your knees and put your hands together. That should push your knees apart to approximately the correct distance. Maintain that for 10 seconds or so, and then go back up and do it again.

Answer 2

I know there already is an accepted answer to your question but I thought you might find the following link quite useful:

Lower Body stretching

Some of the ones from the link above that I prefer:

1. Hamstring Stretch

   Lie on floor with knees bent. Straighten one leg and slowly pull it towards you, clasping the thigh, calf or ankle. Keep knee slightly bent. Switch legs.

2. Quad Stretch

   Lie down on your side using elbow for balance. Using other arm, slowly pull your foot towards your glutes, keeping both knees together and bent knee pointing down. Switch legs.

3. Inner Thigh Stretch

   Sit on floor with feet pressed together. Keeping abs in, lean forward until you feel a gentle stretch in your inner thighs.

Coming from a kickboxing background, leg flexibility was quite important. I personally found the hurdle stretch, fantastic. I found it great for the hamstring muscle and also the lower back. However as pointed out in the comments there are some arguments against this exercise. Although I personally never had any issues with it. I did it twice a day 5 days a week for about 3 years and it never gave me any bother.