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Couch stretch (hip flexors)

2 holds of 45 s per side, alternating sides.

Slot
Mobility
Focus
Mobility
Time
4 min
Intensity
Low
Injury risk
Low
Intervals
4 × 45s on, 15s off
Equipment
Wall, Floor space

How to do it

Kneel with your back to a wall or couch. Slide one knee back into the corner so that shin runs up the wall, and put the other foot flat in front of you with the knee bent. Squeeze your glutes and push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip and thigh. Hold 45 seconds, then switch sides. Do 2 holds per side. Put a cushion under the knee, and back off if the knee hurts.

Who it’s for

Hip flexors, which shorten from sitting and then stop you standing up straight over a high foot. Four minutes and it makes rock-overs feel very different.

Common mistakes

  • Arching the lower back. Squeeze the glutes and tuck the pelvis. Without that, the stretch goes into your spine instead of your hip.
  • Knee pain. Cushion under the knee, and back off if it still hurts. Some knees don’t like this position at all.
  • Going into the deepest version immediately. Start with the shin lower down the wall, or against a couch instead.
  • Holding for ten seconds. Forty-five seconds a side, twice.

How to progress

Move the knee closer to the wall as the range comes. Once you can hold it upright with the glutes engaged and no back arch, that’s the useful version, and it doesn’t need to get any harder.

When it fits

The training periods this exercise fits into in Blok Sessions.

  • Base Lots of easy climbing, good movement and aerobic fitness.
  • Strength Stronger fingers and pulling, with weight you control.
  • Power Explosive moves, momentum and coordination.
  • Power Endurance Keep your power through one hard move after another.
  • Endurance Climb longer before you pump out, by moving efficiently.
  • Performance Peak for a trip or a comp: focus, reading problems, trying hard.
  • Deload Train less, let your fingers recover, keep moving.

Start with a ready-made block

A six-week strength plan with a deload, as a file for the app, and seven short emails on how to run it.