Side Lunge

Wide stance, sink into one bent knee while the other leg stays straight. Deep adductor stretch.

· 2 min read

yoga · adductor · hip · standing

The lesson

  1. 1

    Stand wide

    Feet about a leg-and-a-half apart, toes turned out slightly.

  2. 2

    Sink over one foot

    Bend that knee deeply, hips dropping down and over the foot, knee tracking over the ankle.

  3. 3

    The straight leg stays planted

    That foot stays flat on the floor the whole time. It's what holds the stretch in your inner thigh — lifting it is the cheat that empties the pose.

  4. 4

    Shorten the stance if you need

    Tight inner thighs mean a narrower stance, not a lifted heel. Hands together at your chest or framing the bent-knee foot.

Side Lunge

How to do it

Stand wide, feet about a leg-and-a-half apart, toes turned out slightly. Bend the right knee deeply, sinking the hips down and over the right foot. The right knee tracks over the right ankle. The left leg stays straight, left foot fully grounded, left toes still pointing slightly forward and out. Hands can come together at the heart for balance or frame the bent-knee foot. Hold, then switch sides.

Why it's good for runners

Adductors get short in runners — they fire constantly to stabilize the femur against forward gait, but they almost never get loaded into long ranges. The straight-leg side of a Side Lunge is a direct, weight-bearing adductor stretch; the bent-knee side is a hip socket opener. One shape, two of the most neglected tissues in a runner's body.

Common mistakes

Don't lift the straight leg's foot off the floor to make the stretch deeper — the whole point is the grounded foot, which is what holds the stretch on the inner thigh. Don't let the bent knee collapse inward; it tracks over the ankle. And if the adductors are very tight, shorten the stance so you can still ground both feet.

Related

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Triangle

Wide stance, front leg straight, reaching long over it. Hamstring, adductor, outer hip and side ribs in one standing shape.

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Warrior II

Wide stance, front knee bent over the ankle, hips and chest facing the long edge of the mat, arms reaching front and back.

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Sit up against a wall, swing the legs up it, and stay. Three shapes in one position — straight, wide, soles together — and you never come down between them.

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