Quad Stretches
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Flexopedia: Quads
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Our quads are the main muscles running along the front of our thigh. Flexible quads allow us to bend our knees, kick our heel towards up butt, and move into deeper hip extension (helpful for front splits and lunges).
Muscle(s) Overview: We have four muscles that make up our quadriceps:
vastus lateralis - runs from the outside of the top of our femur (thigh bone), down the outside of our thigh, attaching to the outside top of our tibia (shin bone)
vastus medialis - runs from the front of the top of our femur, across the front of our thigh, attaching to the quadriceps tendon and patellar ligament (eventually connecting to the top of the tibia)
vastus intermedius - runs from the upper two-thirds of the front of the femur, runs down the front of the thigh and attaches to the patellar ligament (like the medialis)
rectus femoris - starts at the front of our iliac spine (the pointy edge of the front of our hip bone), crosses the front of the hip, runs down the thigh, and attaches to the patellar ligament. It is the only quad muscle that crosses the hip. Because it crosses the hip join and aids in hip flexion (pulling the knee towards the chest), it is also technically considered one of the hip flexors.
Joints Crossed: Knee, Hips (only the rectus femoris crosses the knee)
Primary Movement Focus: Our quadriceps are primarily responsible for knee extension (straightening the knee), but the rectus femoris does also aid in hip flexion (pulling the knee to the chest).
Deepest Stretch In: Our quads get the most stretch when we move in knee flexion (bending the knee), and hip extension (extending one leg behind us, or rotating the pelvis backwards)
Common Antagonist Muscle Pairs*: Hamstrings, Glutes
* An “antagonist” muscle is one that opposes the action of another. Our quads are an antagonist to our hamstrings and our glutes. When we contract those muscles (hamstrings and glutes), our body is smart enough to relax our quads to allow movement to happen.
Thankfully our quads are often less complicated to stretch than some of our other large hip muscle groups. The two main reminders I often offer to students are:
Consideration #1: Be gentle to your knees. Because our quads attach to our patellar ligament (the one that your kneecap sits in), sometimes when students have tight or weak quads, an underlying issue with how their patella tracks when it’s supposed to move, or simply sensitive knees that don’t feel good bearing weight on the floor - it can lead to knee pain. As always, pain isn’t something we want to push through, but that’s especially true for knee pain! If you’re experiencing knee pain in a stretch, try a modified version of the stretch (I offer several ideas), or swap the stretch out completely. If this is a recurring challenge for you, it may be helpful to work with a coach to help determine the source of your knee pain so you can better address the underlying cause.
Consideration #2: Pelvic position matters (at least for your rectus femoris). Our rectus femoris, the longest of the quad muscles, crosses the front of our hip - that means that it gets a better stretch when our hip bones are pushing forwards and/or our pelvis is tilting backwards. If you’re someone who “doesn’t feel” quad stretches often, trying to rotate your hips backwards will help give that muscle a better stretch.
These are a mix of strengthen-while-you-stretch drills for the quads - some of these work to specifically strengthen the quads while they’re in a stretched position, others work to strengthen the hamstrings (while in a shortened position) to help support a deeper quad stretch.
