10 Leg Stretches to Do Before a Workout

How to Do a Good Morning

1. Start in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart, core engaged. Place your hands behind your head, squeezing the shoulder blades and engaging the back.
2. With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward at the hips until your torso is parallel to the ground. Your core is engaged and your spine is neutral (back flat). You should feel a stretch in your hamstrings (back of the legs) at the bottom of the movement.
3. Reverse the movement, driving through your heels to stand tall, returning to the starting position (torso upright).

How to Do a Calf Raise

1. Start standing on a flat surface, feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight and core engaged to stand tall.
2. Slowly and with control, lift yourself up onto the balls of your feet, heels rising above the ground.
3. Lift your heels until you feel a stretch along the back of your legs, balancing on your toes.
4. Slowly lower your heels back to the ground, returning to the starting position.

How to Do an Anterior Tib Raise

1. Start standing on a flat surface, feet shoulder-width apart, leaning against a wall. Step your feet out 3-4 inches away from the wall, keeping your back pressed against the wall.
2. Slowly lift your toes towards your shins while keeping your heels on the ground.
3. Hold for a second before slowly lowering your toes to tap the ground as you return to the starting position.

How to Do a Squat

1. Start standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and core engaged.
2. Lower down into a squat position, lowering your hips down parallel with your knees. Drive your knees out toward your outer toes.
3. Drive through your heels to stand tall, squeezing your glutes.
4. As you stand tall, perform a knee drive on the right knee by sending the right knee up in line with the right hip. 
5. Lower the right foot down to the ground and repeat the squat.

Modification: Omit the knee drive and simply perform bodyweight squats.

How to Do a Step Back Lunge

1. Start standing in a neutral position, feet hip-width apart.
2. Step your left foot back into a reverse lunge. Lower your left knee towards the mat, aiming for a 90-degree angle in both knees.
3. Hold for a moment, then drive through your front, right heel to return to standing.
4. Alternate the movement, this time stepping your right foot back into a reverse lunge.

Modification: If lunges hurt your knees, you can sub an isometric lunge hold.

How to Do a Spiderman Step In

1. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, core engaged. Pull your kneecaps up towards your belly, feet hip-width apart.
2. Step your left leg forward, planting it outside of your left hand. Left knee bent, right leg straight.
3. Exhale as you twist through your torse, lifting the left arm and sending your left fingers towards the sky. Drop your hips slightly toward the ground, deepening the stretch.
4. Inhale, dropping the left hand back towards the ground as you step your foot back to the center and return to the high plank position.
5. Switch sides, this time stepping your right foot forward and planting it outside of your right hand. Twist through the torso, reaching the right arm up and hold for a few breaths, relaxing into the stretch.
6. Continue this pattern, alternating sides with each step.

How to Do a Frog Rock

1. Start in a table top position, quadruped on all fours, shoulders stacked over wrists. Spread your knees out wide, knees outside hips.
2. Lower to your forearms, shoulders stacked over elbows.
3. Exhale as you rock your hips back towards your heels, deepening the stretch.
4. Inhale, rocking forward to stack your shoulders over your elbows, returning to the starting position.

How to Do a 90/90 Hip Rotation

1. Start in a seated position, right leg in front of you, left leg behind you and both legs bent at 90 degrees. Create some distance between your front right heel and your back left knee.
2. Right shin is parallel to left shin (flat on the floor). Slowly lean forward, directly over your right shin (avoid leaning toward your right knee, lean directly into the middle of your shin).
3. Think about driving your right knee and left knee into the mat at the same time as you hold this stretch. Hold this position for a few seconds.
4. With each exhale, bring your chest closer to the floor.
5. Shift to the other side so that your left leg is parallel in front of you, right leg behind you. Slowly lean forward, directly over your left shin, stretching the left outer glute and opening the right inner hip.

How to Do a Glute Bridge

1. Lie flat on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Drive through your heels, squeezing your butt to lift your hips up toward the ceiling. Keep knees in line with hips.
3. Hold this position for a moment, then slowly lower your hips down, hovering just above the mat.

How to Do a Cossack Squat

1. Start in a wide forward fold, feet outside hips, toes pointing forward, fingertips touching the mat.
2. Shift your hips back and to the left. Left leg creates a 90-degree angle, and the right leg is straight.
3. Rotate your right leg open, so your toes point up towards the ceiling. Feel a stretch in your hips (inner thighs). Then bring your toes back to the mat.
4. Shift to the opposite side, crawling your fingers over to the right as you sit back into your right hip. Right leg at a 90-degree angle, left leg straight.
5. Rotate your left leg open, pointing your left toes up towards the ceiling.

Modification: Omit pointing the toes toward the ceiling and perform alternating lateral squats.