I tried this one simple stretch and it's completely changed the way I recover post-workout

I interview trainers regularly as part of my job. Often, when an exercise comes up repeatedly and is recommended by multiple experts, I’ll end up trying it for myself.

This is exactly what happened when three trainers mentioned the figure-four stretch to me in the space of a week: I had to see what all the fuss was about.

I don’t strength train consistently due to an energy-limiting illness, and when I do, I tend to experience lingering muscle soreness for up to a week afterwards.

I try to counteract this with a good five minutes of stretching after a weightlifting session, but most of my favorite stretches (like half-pigeon, lateral lunge and forward fold) target the hips, calves and hamstrings, but don’t fully stretch the area I focus on most: my butt.

Thankfully, the figure-four is a glute-stretching masterclass, and I was amazed at how much of a difference it made to my post-workout recovery. You can do it seated, but I chose to do a lying version of the stretch.

How to do the stretch

Figure 4 stretching - YouTube

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Time: 30secs to one minute each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Cross your right ankle over your left leg, just above the knee, flexing your right foot.
• Slowly bring your left knee toward your chest, lifting the left foot off the floor and clasping your hands around the back of your left thigh.
• Pull your left knee toward your chest, pausing when you feel a stretch in your right glute and hip.

What I found

I did the stretch after a lower-body workout, and the two mornings following my exercise session. Here's what I found.

I could easily deepen the stretch

By pressing down on the knee of the targeted side, I felt even more of a release in my glutes.

I tend to move progressively deeper into stretches after about 30 seconds, so this was a helpful way for me to up the intensity and make it even more satisfying.

I did this very gently, to avoid over-stretching, feeling a deep release in my pelvis and glute muscles.

It’s really effective for the glutes

I do a lot of hip stretches, as this is a problem area for me, and most of these stretches also target muscles around the pelvis.

However, the figure four stretch targets the glutes directly, which—after a squatting session—is where I need a little extra attention.

I usually struggle with stairs and hills for four to five days after a glute workout, but this time I was back to normal and ready to train again after two days.

It eases early morning stiffness

I tend to wake up with stiff muscles, and this is exacerbated when I do strength training.

But practicing the figure four stretch first thing helped with this habitual stiffness, which meant that I could start my morning with a little more ease and get down the stairs to breakfast without hobbling.