The rectus femoris is a shallow muscle in the middle of the front thigh. Speaking of the rectus femoris, it has many functions, including extending the knee joint and flexing the thigh. Of course, there are many ways to relax the rectus femoris. So, how do you relax your rectus femoris at home? Let’s take a look below.
One-leg standing stretch
1. Turn your body to the right, with both legs Close together, raise your head, lift your chest, draw in your abdomen, and let your hands hang naturally by your sides.
2. Move the center of gravity to the right leg, bend the left knee, hold the left ankle with the left hand, and try to bring our calf as close to the thigh as possible, with the knee perpendicular to the ground.
3. You can hold your left ankle with your right hand at the same time, bend your elbows, and stretch the muscles on the front of your left thigh backward to your maximum limit, and hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Relax, return your hands to your sides, return your right foot, shake and relax, and then switch legs.
Kneeling Stretch
1. Starting from your hands and knees, lift one leg off the ground and grab the foot with your hand.
2. Grasp your feet or ankles with your hands, keep your knees fully bent, and stretch your quadriceps and hip flexors.
3. Extend your hips and push hard into the ground. Hold for 10 to 20 seconds, then repeat with the other leg.
Seated stretching
1. Sit on the floor, stretch your legs forward, keep your upper body straight, and place your hands on your sides.
2. Bend your right leg and place the sole of your right foot against the inner side of your left thigh.
3. Stretch your left foot forward as much as possible, bend your left toe inward, and feel the stretch on the inside of your leg.
4. Slowly lean your body back until your elbows are on the ground, make empty fists with both hands, and look toward the sky with your fists facing upwards. Hold this position for 10-15 seconds.
5. Return to the starting position, bend your left leg, and place the sole of your left foot against the inner side of your right thigh. Slowly turn your body to the right, place your right hand behind your hip, and your left hand on the pad outside your right thigh. Relax your whole body after 5 to 8 seconds.
Standing Stretching
1. The stretcher takes a standing position and uses a fixed object to help stabilize. Bend the left knee and bring the heel close to the buttocks. Grab your left leg or foot with your left hand, keep your waist straight, and then carefully bring your heel closer to the middle of your hip rather than to the outside, otherwise it will stretch the knee ligaments.
2. From this starting position, try to straighten your left leg against your own resistance and contract your quadriceps isometrically for 6 seconds. After the isometric contraction, relax, inhale, and when exhaling, bring your heels as close to your buttocks as possible.
3. If your flexibility improves, you will find it easier to bring your heels closer to your hips. If this is the case, then the thigh stretch should be in a more vertical position with the top of the knee pointing toward the ground, while keeping the waist straight throughout to avoid hyperextension of the lumbar spine.
4. Repeat the above actions 2 to 3 times.