Couch stretch
Kneeling hip stretch with the back shin against a wall or up on a couch
Kneel with the back knee in the corner where a wall meets the floor, or with the shin propped up on a couch cushion, and plant the front foot in a lunge. Squeezing the glute on the back leg is what drives the hip into extension. Skip that part and the low back arches to fake it. A minute or two per side is the usual hold, with breathing as the pass mark: no full breath, no position yet. Kelly Starrett has been publishing it since it turned up in The 4-Hour Body, and it now shows up in gym warm-ups and desk-worker routines alike.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Kelly StarrettRecommends
Doctor of physical therapy · The Ready State
Calls it his favorite of the vital signs in Built to Move, with the warning that most people find out they are bad at it. Squeeze the glute, then see whether you can breathe there.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show: Dr. Kelly Starrett, The Magic of Movement and Mobility (#664)
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