How to Do a Figure 4 Stretch

Tight hips can be a real pain in the behind, but the figure 4 stretch can improve flexibility and mobility in your hips, gluteus muscles, and piriformis — a small muscle that can become inflamed when your hips are tight.

This hip stretch can be helpful any time you feel sore and tight after exercise. Ideally, the figure 4 stretch should be performed after a dynamic warm-up or during a post-workout stretch, says Tom Biggart, a physical therapist and strength coach in the greater Boston area.

Here’s how to perform the figure 4 stretch — and how to work it in your routine.

How to Do the Figure 4 Stretch

Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee and keep your right foot flexed.
Bring your left knee toward your chest. Reach your right hand through your legs and interlace your fingers just below the crease of your left knee on your hamstring.
Using your arms, pull your left knee toward your chest, pausing when you feel a stretch in your right glute and hip.
Hold this position for at least five breaths (though you can hold the stretch for up to two minutes) then release and repeat on your left side.

Want to change the intensity of the figure 4 stretch? One of the easiest ways is to change the angle at which you bend the knee on the leg you’re stretching.

“More knee bend will increase the stretch, and less knee bend will decrease the stretch,” Biggart says.

You can also interlace your fingers in front of your shin instead of behind the knee for a deeper stretch.

Figure 4 Stretch Benefits

The figure 4 stretch can help keep your hips and glutes healthy and mobile. According to Biggart, the figure 4 stretches the following muscles:

Piriformis
Gemellus superior
Obturator internus
Gemellus inferior
Obturator externus
Quadratus femoris

This group of muscles helps to rotate the thigh outward at the hip joint. “One stretch plus six muscles equals warm and fuzzy feelings,” Biggart adds.

In particular, the stretch you feel deep in your glutes is a muscle called the piriformis, which runs from the base of the spine to the top of the femur and helps with hip rotation and stability.

Because of its close proximity to the sciatic nerve, problems with the piriformis muscle (like swelling, tightening, or muscle spasms) can irritate the sciatic nerve and cause pain and discomfort in the hip and buttocks — a painful condition called piriformis syndrome.

“Keeping the piriformis mobile can reduce irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve,” Biggart says.

Figure 4 Stretch Variations

Want to get even more out of the figure 4 stretch? Try one of these variations.

1. Sitting figure 4 stretch

Sit on a chair with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee and keep your right foot flexed.
Keeping your lower back in its natural arch, gently press your hand down on your right knee and hinge at your hips to lean your chest toward your knees, stopping when your right glute and hip start to feel a stretch.
Hold for at least five breaths, then release the stretch and repeat on the opposite side.

2. Seated figure 4 fold

Start in a seated, straight-leg position. Bend your right leg and cross your right ankle over the left thigh, creating a figure four position with your legs.
Keep your glutes firmly planted on the ground as you hinge at the hips and lean forward until you feel a stretch in your left hamstring and glutes. Be sure to lead with your chest and keep your back flat.
Hold, and then sit up and switch legs to repeat on the opposite side.

3. Seated figure 4

Sit with your knees bent and the soles of your feet on the floor.
Lean back slightly and place your hands on the floor behind your hips to provide support and balance.
Lift your right leg and place your right ankle just above your left knee.
Press your hands into the floor to bring your chest toward your knees until you feel a stretch in your right hip and glutes, and hold.
Release the stretch and repeat on the opposite side.