In this article you will learn Knee To Chest Exercise Benefits, how to do Knee To Chest Stretches exercise correctly with tips & VIDEO.
The knee-to-chest exercise is an easy way to stretch your lower back, hamstrings and glutes. Stretching these muscles not only makes them more flexible, but also increases range of motion of the joints that are involved in doing this exercise. Furthermore, it helps prevent injury to lower back, hamstrings and glutes, reduces their stiffness as well as sooth tension or pain in these muscle groups.
Experts recommend doing knee-to-chest stretches after doing household cores like gardening or sitting long hours at your desk.
You can do this wonderful exercise first thing in the morning in your bed when you wake up to avoid stiffness. Again you can do it at night. This is the perfect stretch to increase range of motion in your low back and improve mobility in your hips.
Knee To Chest Exercise Benefits
Lower Back
Physical therapists recommend “single knee-to-chest” exercise to patients suffering from lower-back pain as well as a remedy to help the people recovering from lower-back injuries.
Hamstrings
The knee-to-chest exercise stretches your hamstrings, the muscles along the back of your thighs. Hamstrings help you sit, stand, walk and run. A study published in “Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine” in January 2010 issue reported that active hamstring stretches, like the knee-to-chest exercise, increased range of motion and resulted into more long-term flexibility benefits as compared to static hamstring stretches that is the stretches that don’t involve movement.
Glutes and Hip Flexors
The knee-to-chest exercise stretches your glutes (also known as buttocks) as well as the hip flexors.
Sitting for too long can tighten and degenerate your glutes. This is likely to cause pain in your joints like lower back & knees. This happens because the lower back & knees have to compensate for the lack of support from the glutes.
How To Do Knee To Chest Exercise Properly – Tips, Instructions & VIDEO!
If you are a beginner, perform knees-to-chest stretches with one leg only at a time. If you’re able to do it for few days without pain, then progress to lifting both legs at the same time.
Start Position
Lie on your back on the floor. Bend your knees and keep your feet flat on the floor. This is the starting position.
Movements
(i) Leave your left foot in place. Gently raise right bent knee up enough so that you can grasp your lower leg with both hands. Interlace your fingers just under the knee.
(ii) Use your both hands to gently pull your right bent knee towards your chest. Hold it against your chest for 5 to 20 seconds.
(iii) Return to the starting position.
(iv) Repeat this movement with your opposite side. Do this exercise 2–3 times twice a day.
(v) You can increase intensity of the stretch by keeping the leg not being pulled extended straight on the floor instead of bending at the knee.
Watch this video to learn how to do Knee To Chest Exercise properly using correct form & right technique
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