If You Only Do One Stretch, Make It This One

Flexibility coach Liv Townsend explains why (and how) this stretch gives most “bang for buck”:

The longest lunge

Not all stretches give the same return, and if only one stretch were allowed for life, then in Liv’s opinion, “the longest lunge” would be the most effective choice for overall mobility.

There are three reasons:

1. Maximum value: it stretches multiple tight muscle groups at once, primarily your hamstrings on the front leg and your hip flexors on the back leg, with optional shoulder and latissiumus dorsi involvement if your arms are raised.
2. Progressive overload: unlike many stretches, the longest lunge can be made harder over time by lengthening your stance or adding external load, allowing flexibility to improve through the same principles used in strength training.
3. Active stretching: the muscles being stretched are also contracting, meaning they are strengthened in the lengthened position, which makes flexibility usable and functional rather than passive.

How to set it up: start in a low lunge, slide your back knee backwards and your front foot forwards conservatively, keep your hips square, tuck your back toes, lift your back knee, and keep your torso upright.

What to focus on: squeeze your glutes on the back leg, press your front foot into the floor, think of your back thigh lifting away from the floor, and keep your pelvis low while maintaining control.

By the numbers: hold for 10 seconds, pause briefly, repeat three times per side, perform the sequence two to three times per week, for a total of about 3–4 minutes per session.

As with any exercise, consistency is key, and in this case, consistent practice leads to particularly rapid and noticeable improvements in mobility, faster than most traditional stretching routines.

For more on all of this, plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Can’t Do The Middle Splits? Two Anatomy Tricks To Get You Deeper In Seconds

Take care!