Stretch of the Week: Reclined Cobbler’s Stretch

For the third week of January we will be performing an inner thigh stretch called the Reclined Cobbler’s Stretch.

You may recall seeing different variations of this through the past two years of this weekly stretch blog (it’s a favorite of mine). With this variation you will need some wall space. It is a very relaxing stretch, but if you have difficulties getting up and down from the floor, please pass this week up.

How to perform:

1. Lay on the floor in front of a wall. Swing your legs up on to the wall and scoot as close to it as you can get, as shown in the “side view” photo. Depending on how tight the hips and legs are, you may have some space between yourself and the wall – this is okay.

2. Bend your knees and place the soles of your feet together. Bring your heels toward your pelvis as close as you comfortably can. From here, engage the abdominal muscles by bringing your belly button to the spine. Press your heels together to get the thighs to widen a bit more. You can press your hands into the thighs and drag them slightly to the outside of the thighs to assist in a slightly deeper stretch, as shown in the “front view” photo. Keep the shoulders relaxed as you do this.

3. Stay here for up to five minutes. Then, gently bring your knees together and roll to the side. Use both hands to press yourself all the way up.

This is a great stretch to do before bed, as it can help calm the mind. Enjoy!

If you want to revisit stretches from previous years, click here to see every weekly stretch that has been posted since this blog series started two years ago.

Interested in learning more? Email me at rachel.lackowski@athletico.com

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