World Greatest Stretch

Setup

1. 01Start standing tall with feet hip width apart on open floor space.
2. 02Clear enough room to take a long lunge step forward.
3. 03Keep the core lightly braced so the low back stays neutral throughout.

Execution

1. 01Step into a long forward lunge and place both hands on the floor inside the front foot.
2. 02Drop the elbow of the inside arm toward the instep of the front foot to deepen the hip stretch.
3. 03Rotate the inside arm up toward the ceiling, following the hand with your eyes to open the thoracic spine.
4. 04Return the hand to the floor, then rock back and straighten the front leg to stretch the hamstring.
5. 05Step back to standing and repeat on the other side.

Checkpoints

• -Rear leg stays long with the hip extended, not sagging.
• -Rotation comes from the mid back, not from twisting the low back.
• -Front knee tracks in line with the front foot.
• -Each position is held with control rather than bounced through.

Common mistakes

• -Taking a lunge step too short to stretch the rear hip flexor.
• -Letting the front knee cave inward during the elbow drop.
• -Rotating from the lumbar spine instead of the thoracic spine.
• -Rushing the sequence and skipping the hamstring rock-back.