Help in understanding the Vertical Frog Stretch

Hi,

 

I can't really understand this stretch. I tried different positions but I'm not sure I'm doing this right (actually I'm pretty sure I'm not).

 

A couple of questions:

• Should my extended leg and glutes be fully on the floor?
• How important is the angle of the extended leg? Should I try to keep it totally open at 90 degrees or is it a little less still ok? What about the angle of the bent leg?
• Where should I "feel" this stretch the most? I guess this might depend on where I'm most tight, but some tips would be very helpful.

I see it is isolating one leg at a time in a deep squat position. Same as the frog stretch, one leg at a time, except... vertical

Does this mean that you should feel the stretch more in the bent leg than in the extended one? If so I've been doing it all wrong..

Coach has previously stated that this is a stretch for the bent leg.

It helps me to visualise the position of the legs in a frog position and then try to achieve this in the vertical plane with the one leg.

That means that the bent leg knee is rotated out and the hips pushed forward to try to create a straight line.

Once that is achieved, you will see in the follow-along video that the stretch can be deepened by extending the straight leg further out to the side.

These cues have enabled me to feel the stretch in the right place (bent leg), but it is not as intense as the normal frog as you don't have the floor to leverage against

I interpret this stretch the same as Michael Taylor.

 

Imagine this: sit down with both feet directly in front of you, but with one leg straight and the other bent until your shin is perfectly vertical. So basically like this photo, but with your bent leg closer to you:

 

 

 

In this position, you likely don't feel a stretch in either leg.  If you start rotating your bent leg around to point the other direction, though, you'll start to feel a stretch.  In the completely sitted position I feel it in both legs, though predominantly the bent one.  I would then raise myself off the ground until I feel it only or almost only in the bent leg.

 

The goal in the final position, I believe, is so that you could go up against a wall and have your body flush against it.

Thanks guys! I'm going to use all these cues in my next session and post here about it

It's a completely different beast done the right way, but it certainly feels more like a good stretch rather than just tension on the extended knee like I was experiencing before!

So should we start these in the seated position?

 

If I try to squat down into it (like into a deep Cossack squat), I do not have the flexibility to have my foot flat on the ground - my heel is raised.  What should I do?

 

This is also limiting the depth of my side to side squat, I can't even get close to Orench's depth......

Initially starting from a seated position is fine.  

 

As long as it does not become a lifelong habit!  

 

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer