Couch Stretch - Position 1

Couch stretch position 1 has more emphasis on the quad and knee. The effects of this stretch are going to come from trying to get as tall as we can. The more upright you can get (without extending the lower back), the more you can demonstrate your flexibility in the anterior chain - knee, hip and quad.

To get into this stretch, you want to get into knee flexion and place one shin up against the wall (or couch). You will then bring the other leg up into that lunge position with your hip and knee at 90/90 degrees. Next, you will bring your body up, keeping your rib cage down over your pelvis (think slightly bracing the abdominals). Activate, fire or squeeze your glute. To increase this stretch, you will continue to bring your butt back towards your foot. You don’t want to get into hip extension as much as you can with position 1.

If you are really tight and this is too much for you, you can bring your knee away from the wall (see the second video) - you can play with how far off the wall you need to come. You still want to stay tall and control the rib cage, keeping it over the pelvis and not extending at the low back.

3-5 sets at 30 seconds per side