Figure Four Stretch

How to do it

1. Lie on your back with both knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee, letting that knee open out to the side to form a figure four shape.
3. Reach both hands behind the thigh of the uncrossed leg and draw it toward the chest until you feel a stretch through the glute and outer hip of the crossed leg.
4. Breathe slowly, exhaling as you draw the leg a little closer with each breath.
5. Hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch sides.
6. Keep the head and shoulders resting on the floor rather than crunching up to reach the thigh, which is the most common fault.

Muscles worked

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