How to Raise Your Leg up to Your Head
Stretch your hips., Stretch your hamstrings., Do turnout exercises., Stretch your leg against a wall.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Stretch your hips.
The hips are ball and socket joints that help your legs move.
Focusing on hip stretching can give you better range of motion in your legs.
There are a number of hip stretches, including the hip flexor stretch, the hip rotator stretch, the floor hip stretch and the hip abductor stretch.
To do the hip flexor stretch:
Kneel on your right knee and put your opposite foot on the floor.
Your opposite hip and knee should rest at a 90 degree angle.
Push your right hip forward until it is over your right knee.
Keep your hands on your hips.
Keep your back straight and your chest pushing forward.
Breathe into the stretch until you feel some tension in your hips.
Hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds.
Release the stretch switch to the other side.
Repeat stretches on each side for a total of 5 times.
Do these sets a couple of times every day. -
Step 2: Stretch your hamstrings.
The hamstrings are the muscles along the backside of your thighs.
There are a number of ways to stretch these muscles; these exercises usually require some resistance or support surface to enable a good stretch, such as a doorway and wall, a table, a ballet barre, or the floor.
To do a doorway stretch:
Lie on the floor next to a doorway.
Rest one leg flat on the floor through a doorway.
Rest the other leg against the wall next to the doorway.
Start inching your body slowly toward the wall so that your leg is pushed against the wall.
You should start to feel some tension in your hamstring muscle.
Hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds.
Release the stretch switch to the other side.
Repeat stretches on each side for a total of 5 times.
Do these sets a couple of times every day.
Once you are able to do this stretch, try other hamstring stretches that require you to move your leg up higher or stretch it further, such as stretching your leg onto a table or sitting on the floor and stretching your hamstrings. , Turnout exercises, also known as “butterfly” or “froggie” stretches, require that your legs bend out to the sides of your body, rotating at the hips.
Turndowns are often performed by ballet dancers, but they are also useful for climbers and other athletes.
They can help improve your leg flexibility.
To do a turnout exercise:
Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together so that your legs form a diamond shape in front of you.
Hold onto your ankles and rest your elbows on your legs.
Gently press down on your thighs with your elbows.
Make sure that your arms are not resting on your knees at all; you can risk knee injury doing that.
Stretch until you feel mild tension in your inner thigh and groin area.
Hold the position for 10-20 seconds and release.
Stretch again for a slightly longer stretch, this time for 20-30 seconds.
Lie back so that your back rests on the floor.
Keep your legs in their position.
Let your knees fall down towards the ground.
Make sure the soles of your feet are still together.
Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.
Repeat this set a few times every day. , After you have improved your flexibility to move your leg upwards, start stretching it against a wall.
Put your foot against a wall and inch your body closer to the wall so that your leg moves upward little by little.
Hold onto a chair or table for balance.
Have bare feet during this exercise, as socks may make your feet a little too slippery.
You can risk injury if your foot slips up too quickly.
Practice with the other leg as well, so that you will be equally flexible on each side of your body. -
Step 3: Do turnout exercises.
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Step 4: Stretch your leg against a wall.
Detailed Guide
The hips are ball and socket joints that help your legs move.
Focusing on hip stretching can give you better range of motion in your legs.
There are a number of hip stretches, including the hip flexor stretch, the hip rotator stretch, the floor hip stretch and the hip abductor stretch.
To do the hip flexor stretch:
Kneel on your right knee and put your opposite foot on the floor.
Your opposite hip and knee should rest at a 90 degree angle.
Push your right hip forward until it is over your right knee.
Keep your hands on your hips.
Keep your back straight and your chest pushing forward.
Breathe into the stretch until you feel some tension in your hips.
Hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds.
Release the stretch switch to the other side.
Repeat stretches on each side for a total of 5 times.
Do these sets a couple of times every day.
The hamstrings are the muscles along the backside of your thighs.
There are a number of ways to stretch these muscles; these exercises usually require some resistance or support surface to enable a good stretch, such as a doorway and wall, a table, a ballet barre, or the floor.
To do a doorway stretch:
Lie on the floor next to a doorway.
Rest one leg flat on the floor through a doorway.
Rest the other leg against the wall next to the doorway.
Start inching your body slowly toward the wall so that your leg is pushed against the wall.
You should start to feel some tension in your hamstring muscle.
Hold the stretch for 15-60 seconds.
Release the stretch switch to the other side.
Repeat stretches on each side for a total of 5 times.
Do these sets a couple of times every day.
Once you are able to do this stretch, try other hamstring stretches that require you to move your leg up higher or stretch it further, such as stretching your leg onto a table or sitting on the floor and stretching your hamstrings. , Turnout exercises, also known as “butterfly” or “froggie” stretches, require that your legs bend out to the sides of your body, rotating at the hips.
Turndowns are often performed by ballet dancers, but they are also useful for climbers and other athletes.
They can help improve your leg flexibility.
To do a turnout exercise:
Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet together so that your legs form a diamond shape in front of you.
Hold onto your ankles and rest your elbows on your legs.
Gently press down on your thighs with your elbows.
Make sure that your arms are not resting on your knees at all; you can risk knee injury doing that.
Stretch until you feel mild tension in your inner thigh and groin area.
Hold the position for 10-20 seconds and release.
Stretch again for a slightly longer stretch, this time for 20-30 seconds.
Lie back so that your back rests on the floor.
Keep your legs in their position.
Let your knees fall down towards the ground.
Make sure the soles of your feet are still together.
Hold this pose for 30-60 seconds.
Repeat this set a few times every day. , After you have improved your flexibility to move your leg upwards, start stretching it against a wall.
Put your foot against a wall and inch your body closer to the wall so that your leg moves upward little by little.
Hold onto a chair or table for balance.
Have bare feet during this exercise, as socks may make your feet a little too slippery.
You can risk injury if your foot slips up too quickly.
Practice with the other leg as well, so that you will be equally flexible on each side of your body.
About the Author
Brian Castillo
Brings years of experience writing about hobbies and related subjects.
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