Yoga Poses That Stretch Your Quads

If you are having back, hip, or knee pain, you should incorporate some quad stretches into your routine. Your quadriceps are the group of four large muscles that make up the front of your thigh. These muscles tend to be tight in athletes, especially runners and cyclists. These yoga poses offer a variety of ways to stretch them. You will need a yoga mat and basic props, such as a blanket and yoga blocks for additional support.

Before you start, warm up with a few rounds of easy poses. If you're brand new to yoga, work with a certified instructor and learn some beginner-level postures, such as Cat-Cow (Chakravakasana) stretches and sun salutations (surya namaskar A). Do not attempt intermediate or advanced poses until you've familiarized yourself with the basics.

Why You Should Stretch Your Quads

Athletes get tight quads from overuse, but this muscle also gets tight from sitting too much. Tight quads can pull your hip bone too far forward, causing an anterior pelvic tilt. This affects the natural curve of your spine, which can cause hip pain and low back pain. Your knees can also be affected. Tight quads affect the normal tracking or alignment of your kneecap, resulting in a painful knee condition called Runner's Knee or patellofemoral pain syndrome.

1

Crescent Lunge (Anjaneyasana)

0:54

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  • Targets: Quadriceps, ankles, hip flexors, core stability, spinal flexion
  • Level: Beginner

Crescent Lunge is a good pose for beginners since you can easily modify it depending on your flexibility. Backing off the depth of the front knee will give you a less intense stretch.

You can increase the quad stretch by bending your back knee and pulling your foot toward your butt.​ Placing a blanket beneath your knee can offer additional support.

2

Hero Pose (Virasana)

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  • Targets: Quadriceps, ankles
  • Level: Beginner

A lot of yoga poses that stretch the quads also incorporate balance and/or back-bending, but not Hero Pose. The goal here is to sit and breathe into the stretch and through any sensations you experience.

To modify this pose, sit on a blanket, block, or bolster. Alternatively, you can deepen the posture by lying back into Reclined Hero Pose (Supta Virasana), which is more advanced.

3

Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)

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Watch Now: How to Stretch Your Hips with Pigeon Pose

  • Targets: Quadriceps, hip flexors
  • Level: Intermediate

Pigeon Pose is a preparatory pose for One-Legged King Pigeon Pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), which requires more flexibility in the quads in addition to a flexible back.

But for purposes of a thigh stretch, focus on finding stability and support in Pigeon Pose. Use props like a block or a blanket under your hip or a bolster beneath your torso to make this pose more accessible so you can hold it for a longer duration.

Research has found that stretches like the Pigeon Pose which improve hip flexibility not only prevent injury, but also improve athletic performance.

4

Sugarcane Pose (Ardha Chandra Chapasana)

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Watch Now: Challenge Your Core with Sugarcane Pose

  • Targets: Quadriceps, chest, balancing, back-bending
  • Level: Intermediate

For those who like to multitask, you can stretch the hamstrings on your standing leg and the quads on your lifted leg by taking Half Moon (Ardha Chandrasana) into Sugarcane Pose. You can even get a little backbend in there too.

5

Dancer's Pose (Natarajasana)

1:12

Watch Now: Strengthen Your Balance with Dancer Pose

  • Targets: Quadriceps, legs, core, balance
  • Level: Intermediate

Dancer's Pose gives the quadriceps of the lifted leg a serious stretch. It also tests your balance and stability.

For an extra challenge, you can work up to King Dancer Pose, in which you hold onto your lifted foot with your hands with both arms raised overhead. However, the basic version of Dancer's Pose can still get the job done.

6

Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

1:32

Watch Now: How to Stretch with Camel Pose

  • Targets: Quadriceps, chest, abdomen, back-bending
  • Level: Intermediate

Camel Pose is a big back-bending posture that can be supported with props. Since your focus here is stretching quads, you can modify the pose by placing your hands on your lower back or sacrum.

​Other options include placing a blanket beneath your knees for additional support and putting a block between your feet to help keep your thighs in alignment. You could also try placing blocks beneath your hands instead of bringing hands to heels.

7

Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)

1:15

Watch Now: How to Do a Bow Pose

  • Targets: Quadriceps, chest, and back muscles
  • Level: Intermediate

In Bow Pose, grasping your feet allows you to draw yourself into a deeper backbend. It also makes for a great thigh stretch.

Experiment between flexing the feet and pointing the toes. Each gives a slightly different stretch, as will changing your grip from the outsides to the insides of your feet.

8

Little Thunderbolt Pose (Laghu Vajrasana)

Little Thunderbolt Pose

Verywell / Ben Goldstein

  • Targets: Quadriceps, chest, abdomen, back-bending
  • Level: Advanced

Little Thunderbolt Pose can be accessed from Camel Pose (above). Bringing your head to the floor results in a deep backbend and also requires very flexible quadriceps.

Doing this pose before you are ready for it could cause injury to the spine. Working on different variations of Camel Pose will offer the same stretch for your quads with less intensity.

This is the most advanced quad stretch in this series, so only attempt it once you're well-practiced with the other poses. A certified yoga instructor can show you how to gradually build your way into this advanced posture.

Bottom Line

Not only does stretching feel good, but a stretching routine is important as it improves circulation and prevents muscle imbalances that can result in injury or pain. Tight quads are caused by overuse, which is often seen in athletes, and by sitting too much. It is important to keep this muscle flexible, as a tight quadricep can pull your hip and back out of alignment, resulting in back pain. It can also affect normal tracking of your kneecap, causing knee pain.

There are also other exercises that stretch your quads, such as the standing quadricep stretch. Yoga is also a good choice as it combines both dynamic or active stretching with passive stretching to improve flexibility and loosen up your muscles. Incorporating these yoga moves into your stretching routine will help your muscles and joints healthy.

4 Sources
Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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  2. Kripa S, Kaur H. Identifying relations between posture and pain in lower back pain patients: a narrative reviewBulletin of Faculty of Physical Therapy. 2021;26(1):34.

  3. Teichmann J, Burchardt H, Tan R, Healy PD. Hip mobility and flexibility for track and field athletes. Advances in Physical Education. 2021;11(2):221-231.

  4. J Physiol. 2018;596(10):1903-1917.

By Ann Pizer, RYT
Ann Pizer is a writer and registered yoga instructor who teaches vinyasa/flow and prenatal yoga classes.