How long should a beginner hold the elevated-foot hamstring stretch?

Start on a low surface and hold 30 seconds per side for two rounds. As flexibility improves, raise the surface height rather than adding more holds or reaching harder.

How do I make the elevated-foot hamstring stretch easier or harder?

To make it easier, use a lower surface like a stair step, or keep a slight bend in the raised knee. To make it harder, raise the surface toward hip height once you can keep the leg straight and the hips level.

What makes the elevated-foot hamstring stretch a good choice at the gym?

It needs no floor space and scales easily by surface height, which makes it convenient between sets or right after training. It is a poor choice if no stable elevated surface is nearby; the standing or seated floor version stretches the same muscle without one.

Beginner

Elevated-Foot Hamstring Stretch

Elevating the foot lets gravity and a forward hinge do the work, which is handy when getting to the floor is awkward. The height of the surface scales the intensity, so beginners can start low and progress. Ideal at the gym between sets or after leg day.

Equipment: Box
Body part: Hamstring
Type: Stretching
Browse by muscle: Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus

How to do it

1
Place one heel on a bench, box, or low rail at roughly knee height or lower.
2
Keep the raised leg straight and the toes pointing up.
3
Square your hips toward the elevated foot and stand tall.
4
Hinge forward from the hips, reaching your chest toward the raised shin.
5
Hold at a moderate stretch and breathe steadily.
6
Step down and repeat on the other side.

Tips

Lower the surface if you cannot keep the raised knee straight.
Keep the standing leg soft and both hips level to avoid twisting.
Hinge from the crease of the hip, not by rounding your upper back.

Variations

Common mistakes

Picking a bench or box too high for your current flexibility, forcing the raised knee to bend and the hips to twist off-square.
Letting the hip on the raised-leg side hike up higher than the other, rotating the pelvis instead of stretching the hamstring evenly.
Locking the standing knee out straight and rigid instead of keeping a soft bend for balance.
Reaching toward the shin with the arms while letting the spine collapse forward, instead of hinging with the chest still leading.
Rushing between sides without stepping down fully first, wobbling into the next rep off balance.

Frequently asked

How long should a beginner hold the elevated-foot hamstring stretch?: Start on a low surface and hold 30 seconds per side for two rounds. As flexibility improves, raise the surface height rather than adding more holds or reaching harder.
How do I make the elevated-foot hamstring stretch easier or harder?: To make it easier, use a lower surface like a stair step, or keep a slight bend in the raised knee. To make it harder, raise the surface toward hip height once you can keep the leg straight and the hips level.
What makes the elevated-foot hamstring stretch a good choice at the gym?: It needs no floor space and scales easily by surface height, which makes it convenient between sets or right after training. It is a poor choice if no stable elevated surface is nearby; the standing or seated floor version stretches the same muscle without one.

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