Supine Froggy Kicks
Supine Froggy Kicks
Muscle Group Stretched: Hamstrings
Muscle Group Strengthened: Hip Flexors, Quads
Type of Stretch: Active Dynamic
Difficulty: All Levels
Suggested Prerequisites: none
This variation of supine leg lifts starts with a bent knee (making it a bit easier to lift the leg), and then adds a quad engagement to straighten the leg to pull it into an active hamstring stretch. This is a great variation for students with weaker hip flexors who have a hard time lifting their leg, as well as flexier students who want a challenge to keep the knee pulled in as the leg straightens.
How To
Step 1
Start lying on your back. Depending on your flexibility, you can vary the placement of your legs for this drill. We’ll have the right leg being our “working” leg (the one that’ll be doing the kicking). In order of increasing difficulty, you could start:
With the left knee bent, foot flat on the floor
Left leg straight, straight leg flat on the floor
Left leg straight, hips elevated on a yoga block (back slightly arched), left foot on the floor
Step 2
Bend the right knee and kick it in towards your chest as much as you can (don’t use your hands to pull the leg - we just want to be using our hip muscles for this).
Step 3
Keeping the right thigh squeezing towards your belly, knee towards your chest, start to straighten the leg. Try to keep the leg as close to your body as you kick the leg straight (it may float away a bit, that’s OK, but your job is to continue to squeeze it in as much as you can). This should feel like a strong contraction in the top of your thigh (quads) and front of your hip (hip flexors), as well as a stretch in the back of the thigh (hamstrings).
Step 3
Once the leg is kicked straight, lower it down to the floor with control.
Repeat for 8-12 reps.
Modifications
Need to make it easier?
Don’t worry about kicking the leg all the way straight. Kick it straight-ish enough that you’re feeling a hamstring stretch, then lower the leg. It’ll be easier to straighten all the way as you get more flexible / stronger over time.
Want to make it harder?
Flex the foot once you’ve kicked the leg straight to add a calf stretch as you lower the leg to the ground.
Start with your hips elevated on a yoga block, and your non working leg straight. Keep the non-working leg straight with the foot on the floor the whole time.
Add ankle weights.
Related Content
Flexopedia: Side-Lying Froggy Kicks
Flexopedia: Supine Hamstring PNF (Hamstrings)
Flexopedia: Supine Hamstring PNF (Hip Flexors)
Blog Post: How to Tell if Hamstring “Tightness” is Nerve or Muscle Tension
Blog Post: Work Your Y-Scale with PNF
