The lower body contains many of the muscle groups that benefit most from regular stretching, particularly for people who sit for long periods or engage in running and other sports. The hamstrings, for example, can be stretched in several positions. A standing forward fold involves standing with feet hip-width apart and hinging at the hips to reach toward the toes while keeping a slight bend in the knees, letting gravity pull the torso down and holding for 20 to 30 seconds. To stretch while lying down, raise one leg toward the ceiling, keeping it as straight as possible, and use a strap or towel around the foot to gently pull the leg closer while keeping the opposite leg flat or bent. A seated hamstring stretch involves sitting with one leg extended and the other foot against the inner thigh, then hinging at the hips and reaching toward the extended foot with the chest lifted and back flat. The quadriceps can be stretched either standing—bending one knee and grasping the ankle behind you, pulling the heel toward the glute with knees together and hips pushed slightly forward—or kneeling in a lunge position with the other foot flat in front, shifting weight forward to stretch the quadriceps and hip flexor of the back leg, particularly the rectus femoris.
The glutes and hip rotators benefit from targeted stretches as well. The figure-4 stretch is performed by lying on your back, crossing one ankle over the opposite knee, and pulling the bottom knee toward your chest, holding for 20 to 30 seconds per side; this targets the gluteus maximus and piriformis. The pigeon stretch, performed from a hands-and-knees position by bringing one knee forward behind the wrist with the shin angled across the mat, extending the back leg straight behind, and lowering the hips toward the floor, deeply stretches the glutes and hip rotators when held for 30 to 60 seconds. The piriformis itself can also be stretched by sitting and crossing one leg over the other, then twisting the torso toward the crossed knee. The 90/90 hip stretch involves sitting with one leg bent in front at 90 degrees and the other behind at 90 degrees, keeping the torso upright and leaning gently over the front shin to stretch the front hip's external rotators and the back hip's internal rotators and hip flexors.
Several other lower body stretches are particularly valuable. The couch stretch, performed by kneeling facing away from a wall with one knee on the ground and the top of the foot against the wall, then stepping the other foot forward into a lunge, creates an intense stretch for the quadriceps and hip flexors of the back leg. The world's greatest stretch combines a deep lunge with thoracic rotation: from a lunge, place the same-side elbow to the inside of the front foot, then rotate the chest open and reach the arm toward the ceiling, stretching the hips, hamstrings, thoracic spine, and groin in a single sequence. The butterfly stretch is performed by sitting with the soles of the feet together and knees falling outward, gently pressing the knees toward the floor with the elbows. The calves require attention to two distinct muscles: stretching with a straight back leg targets the larger, more superficial gastrocnemius, while stretching with a slightly bent back knee shifts the emphasis to the deeper soleus, and both should be stretched for complete calf flexibility.
Ankle mobility is closely tied to lower body function. Ankle dorsiflexion, the ability to bend the ankle so the toes move toward the shin, is critical for deep squat depth, gait mechanics, and reducing injury risk in the knees and Achilles tendon. It can be improved with wall ankle mobilizations—front foot near a wall, driving the knee forward over the toe—along with calf stretches and foam rolling. The knee-to-wall test assesses ankle mobility: place the front foot a set distance from a wall and try to touch the knee to the wall without the heel rising; a distance of 10 cm or more indicates adequate dorsiflexion, while less suggests restricted mobility. Ankle circles, which involve rotating the foot clockwise and counterclockwise through its full range, improve ankle mobility and are especially beneficial for runners and athletes in sports requiring cutting and pivoting. Hip internal rotation, the ability to rotate the thigh bone inward, is needed for proper squat mechanics and walking gait, while hip external rotation is needed for squatting, lunging, and lateral movements; both are addressed by stretches such as the 90/90, pigeon, and seated figure-4.