Hip flexor line

Couch stretch

Rear knee near the wall, shin up it, torso tall, and breathe. This is the direct antidote to the sitting position: the hip flexors and the fascia down the front of the thigh, opened at length.

How to do it

1. 01Kneel with your back to a wall or couch and slide one knee back into the corner, shin running up the wall.
2. 02Step the other foot forward into a lunge, both hips facing squarely ahead.
3. 03Squeeze the rear glute gently and grow the torso tall; the stretch should bloom down the front of the rear thigh.
4. 04Breathe slowly for one to two minutes, easing taller with each exhale, then switch sides.

Mistakes that waste your reps

• ×Arching the low back instead of standing the torso up; the glute squeeze prevents this.
• ×Chasing intensity; a 6 out of 10 stretch held calmly beats a 9 you brace against.
• ×Letting the hips rotate open toward the front leg.

Where this comes from

Discomfort that eases as you move is normal; pain that sharpens is a stop sign. If this area is injured or persistently painful, a clinician outranks this page.

Written by Kyle Jenkin · updated August 31, 2026 · how we grade evidence

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