Mobility and stretches
Full lunge leg rolls
- Kit
- No kit
- Works
- hip flexors · glutes · inner thighs
- Also
- hamstrings · quads · deep hip rotators
Full lunge leg rolls are a slow hip mobility drill done from a deep lunge with the back knee down. You rotate the front leg in and out from the hip socket, working the joint through its range rather than holding one static position. It suits warming up before squats, lunges and running, and it also works as a cool-down when the hips feel tight from sitting.
Form
How to do full lunge leg rolls
- 1Step one foot well forward and lower the back knee to the floor, hands on the floor inside the front foot or on the front thigh for balance.
- 2Sink into the lunge until you feel a stretch at the front of the back hip, keeping your chest tall and your front shin roughly upright.
- 3Let the front knee travel out to the side, rolling onto the outer edge of that foot, then bring it back in so the knee drops toward the midline and the foot rolls onto its inner edge.
- 4Keep rolling slowly through that in and out arc, breathing out as the knee travels out and in as it returns, and stop short of any pinching in the hip.
- 5Press back up, swap your feet and repeat on the other side so both hips get the same work.
Watch for
Common mistakes
Moving fast and bouncing through the rotation.
Fix: Slow the roll right down so the hip does the work and you can feel where the range ends.
Rounding the back and collapsing over the front leg.
Fix: Lift your chest and lengthen through the spine, using your hands on the floor for support instead of hanging forward.
Staying in a short, shallow lunge so the hip never opens.
Fix: Step the front foot further forward and slide the back knee back until you feel the stretch across the back hip.
Variations
Easier and harder
Sessions
Put it in a workout
None of the fixed workouts uses it. Pick a workout for your kit, or start today's session on /gym.