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Straight Vertical Lunge

The Straight Vertical Lunge stretch is an intense hip-flexor and hamstring stretch and evolves into the full front splits for those who are ready.

  • Type Of Exercise: Flexibility
  • Muscles: Hips, Quadriceps, Hamstrings
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Equipment: Body Only

Straight Vertical Lunge (Right Side)

  1. Begin in a lunge position, right knee in front, bent to 90-degrees, facing away from a wall.
  2. Place your left shin against the wall and ensure it is completely vertical.
  3. Sit up straight, and scoot back until your glute touches your rear foot.
  4. Now straighten your front leg completely and engage your quad.
  5. Squeeze your glutes and core to achieve a posterior pelvic tilt (PPT).
  6. Keep the PPT and slowly move your glute forward off of your heel to increase the stretch.
  7. Slide your front foot forward the same distance that your glute moved.
  8. Hold this vertical lunge stretch for time.
  9. As your flexibility improves, work to get your rear thigh lower, closer to the floor, eventually ending in a front split with a vertical rear shin.
  10. Repeat the stretch on the opposite leg.
  • Exercise: Standing Single Leg Pike
  • Type of Exercise: Flexibility
  • Muscles: Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Equipment: Body Only, Yoga Block
  • Exercise: Bent Vertical Lunge
  • Type of Exercise: Flexibility
  • Muscles: Hips, Quadriceps
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Equipment: Body Only