How long should you hold the supine knee-to-chest stretch, and how many rounds?

Hold 30 seconds, release, and repeat two to three times, breathing slowly throughout. It is a good stretch to reach for right after deadlifts or a long day on your feet, not something that needs a fixed daily schedule.

How do you make the supine knee-to-chest stretch easier or harder?

Make it easier by hugging one knee at a time while the other foot stays flat on the floor, which is gentler on a sensitive low back. Make it harder by holding for up to a minute, or by lifting the head toward the knees so the whole spine rounds into the stretch.

What is the supine knee-to-chest stretch good for, and when should you avoid it?

It gently flexes the spine to ease a stiff low back and glutes, and the floor supports the whole body so there is very little effort involved. Avoid pulling hard, or skip it, during an acute disc flare-up, since spinal flexion is not the right direction of movement for every type of back pain.

Beginner

Supine Knee-to-Chest Stretch

Drawing the knees to the chest while lying down flexes the spine gently and gives the low-back muscles and glutes a soothing stretch. It is one of the safest ways to ease a stiff back after deadlifts or a long day on your feet. The floor supports you fully, so you can relax completely into it.

Equipment: Body Weight
Body part: Back, Glutes
Type: Stretching
Browse by muscle: Erector Spinae

How to do it

1
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
2
Draw both knees up toward your chest and wrap your arms around your shins.
3
Gently pull the knees closer until you feel a stretch across the low back and into the glutes.
4
Let your head and shoulders stay relaxed on the floor.
5
Hold for 30 seconds, breathing slowly, and rock gently side to side if it feels good.

Tips

Pull from the arms so the low back can relax rather than working.
Keep the head down on the floor to avoid straining the neck.
Hug one knee at a time if pulling both is too intense for the back.

Variations

Common mistakes

The low back arches up away from the floor as the knees draw in, which undoes the flattening this stretch is meant to produce.
Gripping the shins with white-knuckle force tenses the shoulders and forearms instead of leaving the pull soft and steady.
A held breath during the pull keeps the low back braced right when the goal is to let it soften into the floor.
Rocking side to side with quick, large motions turns a soothing stretch into a jolt through the low back.
Both knees get pulled in hard even when one side of the back feels noticeably more irritated than the other.

Frequently asked

How long should you hold the supine knee-to-chest stretch, and how many rounds?: Hold 30 seconds, release, and repeat two to three times, breathing slowly throughout. It is a good stretch to reach for right after deadlifts or a long day on your feet, not something that needs a fixed daily schedule.
How do you make the supine knee-to-chest stretch easier or harder?: Make it easier by hugging one knee at a time while the other foot stays flat on the floor, which is gentler on a sensitive low back. Make it harder by holding for up to a minute, or by lifting the head toward the knees so the whole spine rounds into the stretch.
What is the supine knee-to-chest stretch good for, and when should you avoid it?: It gently flexes the spine to ease a stiff low back and glutes, and the floor supports the whole body so there is very little effort involved. Avoid pulling hard, or skip it, during an acute disc flare-up, since spinal flexion is not the right direction of movement for every type of back pain.

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