The World's Greatest Stretch

If you do only one stretch before a workout, make it... The World's Greatest Stretch!

This functional stretch activates the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and adductors, without fatiguing muscles pre-workout like sustained stretching does.

This is great to do before a walk, run, bike ride, field sport, or session on a cardio machine.

Note: This stretch does not provide a direct warm-up for lateral (side-to-side) activity, so if you're about to play soccer, you'll want to do some side lunges as well!

Here's how:

1. Assume a lunge position, right leg forward.
   
   
   
• Drop your right elbow inside your right knee.




• Tighten your left glute for 2 seconds, to stretch the left hip flexor.





2. Straighten both legs to stretch the right hamstring. Pull up gently on your right big toe. It’s OK if the leg is bent!





• Drop your right elbow inside your right knee.



• Tighten your left glute for 2 seconds, to stretch the left hip flexor.



• Tighten the right quad muscles for 2 seconds, to intensify the stretch.

Switch legs, and repeat on the other side. Do 3 rounds on each leg.