How long should you hold the frog stretch, and how often?

Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, or rock gently in and out for the same duration, and repeat two rounds. Twice a week is enough to open the inner thighs for wide-stance squats without overloading the knees.

How do you make the frog stretch easier or harder?

Make it easier by keeping the knees narrower than a full wide stance and by resting on the forearms with extra padding underneath them. Make it harder by widening the knees further and sitting the hips back closer to the heels once the stretch feels manageable.

What is the frog stretch good for, and who should avoid it?

It opens the short adductors and groin that most standing stretches miss, which directly helps sumo deadlifts and wide-stance squats. Avoid it, or keep the range very small, with a current groin strain or knee injury, since the position loads both the inner knee and the adductor tendon directly.

Intermediate

Frog Stretch

The frog reaches the short adductors and groin that most standing stretches miss, which is why lifters use it to unlock sumo and wide-stance squats. Widening the knees and rocking the hips back gradually deepens the stretch under control. It can feel intense, so ease into range rather than forcing it.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Thighs
Type: Stretching
Browse by muscle: Adductor Longus, Adductor Magnus

How to do it

1
Start on all fours on a padded surface with forearms down if that is more comfortable.
2
Slide your knees out wide with your shins in line and the inner edges of the feet on the floor.
3
Keep your spine flat and gently rock your hips backward toward your heels.
4
Stop where you feel a firm stretch through the inner thighs and groin.
5
Hold or slowly rock in and out for 30 to 45 seconds, breathing deeply.

Tips

Pad your knees well, since the position puts pressure on them.
Keep the shins and ankles in line with the knees rather than letting the feet flare.
Back off the moment you feel any strain at the inner knee or groin.

Variations

Common mistakes

The knees spread wider than the hips can comfortably support on day one, forcing the groin into a stretch it has not earned yet.
Rocking the hips back quickly instead of slowly turns a controlled stretch into a series of small jolts on the inner knees.
The feet roll up onto the toes instead of staying on their inner edges, which lets the ankles twist under load.
A dropped, rounded low back lets the stretch migrate away from the inner thighs and into the lumbar spine instead.
Holding the breath through the most intense part of the hold tightens the hips right when they need to release.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold the frog stretch, and how often?: Hold for 30 to 45 seconds, or rock gently in and out for the same duration, and repeat two rounds. Twice a week is enough to open the inner thighs for wide-stance squats without overloading the knees.
How do you make the frog stretch easier or harder?: Make it easier by keeping the knees narrower than a full wide stance and by resting on the forearms with extra padding underneath them. Make it harder by widening the knees further and sitting the hips back closer to the heels once the stretch feels manageable.
What is the frog stretch good for, and who should avoid it?: It opens the short adductors and groin that most standing stretches miss, which directly helps sumo deadlifts and wide-stance squats. Avoid it, or keep the range very small, with a current groin strain or knee injury, since the position loads both the inner knee and the adductor tendon directly.

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