Lying Glute
Also works: Abductors
A partner-assisted contract-relax stretch for the glutes: your helper pins the knee and ankle across your body while you push against them for 10-20 seconds, then relax as they ease the leg toward your chest. The isometric push is the whole point — it buys range no passive hold gets.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Lie flat on your back with your partner kneeling beside your hip, not standing over your chest.
- Flex one hip to raise the leg, then rotate it so the foot sits over the opposite hip and the shin runs across your body.
- Have your partner take one hand on the outside of the knee and one on the ankle.
- Keep both shoulders and the back of your head on the floor, arms out for stability.
- Agree a stop word before the first repetition, and agree that it stops everything immediately.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Exhale steadily through the 10-20 second push, then take one long, complete exhale as you release. Your partner should only take new range during that exhale.
Before you load it
- Your partner never applies pressure without a clear go-ahead, and stops the instant you say so. Almost every injury in assisted stretching comes from a helper judging someone else's end range.
- Stop entirely if you feel sharp pain in the groin or knee, or tingling down the leg. Contract-relax can drive you past a range your tissue is ready for, which is exactly why the person being stretched holds the veto.
How much, how often
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
No load, only partner pressure. Two or three contract-relax cycles per side, once or twice a week, is plenty. Progress by adding a cycle or a few degrees of range per session — never by having your partner push harder or faster than you have asked for.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
The person on the floor calls every position. The partner moves in small increments, waits for a clear yes, and stops at the first word. If they are not willing to work that way, do a solo figure-four instead.
Use around 25% of your maximum for 10-20 seconds. Maximal pushing at end range risks a hamstring or glute strain and does not increase the range gained afterwards.
Breathe out through the push and take a long, full exhale as you relax. The moment of new range comes at the bottom of that exhale — hold your breath and you will miss it.
The partner's hand on the knee does the pushing; the hand on the ankle only supports and stops the shin dropping. All the pressure on the ankle turns the knee into a lever and stresses the joint sideways.
Move it to the end of the session or a rest day. Before training, use bodyweight squats, leg swings and glute bridges — you want the glute switched on, not lengthened and quiet.
Why bother
Contracting a muscle hard at end range and then relaxing leaves it briefly more tolerant of being lengthened. Pushing against an immovable partner for 10-20 seconds and then letting go typically gains more range in one repetition than a minute of quiet passive holding does.
The rotated position is what makes it a glute stretch rather than a hamstring one. Hip flexed, the foot carried over the opposite hip and the shin across your body puts the hip in flexion plus adduction plus external rotation, which is the combination that reaches gluteus maximus and the deep rotators underneath it.
Where it fits
After training, with a partner who will actually listen to you, two or three cycles per side. It is not an everyday drill and it is a poor warm-up — the range gained is temporary and the isometric leaves the glute briefly less able to produce force. Use the solo figure-four on the days nobody is around.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
Start here instead
Asked and answered
Is partner stretching actually better than doing it myself?
For one-off range, yes — contract-relax with a partner reliably gains more in a single session than passive holds. For range you keep, the difference shrinks a lot, because lasting change comes from regular exposure and from strength through the new range. Use the partner version occasionally and the solo figure-four often.
Can I do this version on my own?
You can approximate it. Set up a figure-four with your hands behind the bottom thigh, push the crossed knee out against your own forearm for 10 seconds, then relax and pull in further. It works, just with less leverage — you cannot brace against yourself as firmly as against another person.
How hard should I push against my partner?
About a quarter of your maximum, for 10-20 seconds, with nothing moving. Harder does not produce more range and does raise the chance of straining something at a long muscle length. If your partner is being shifted around, you are pushing too hard.
My partner keeps pushing further than I want. How do I handle it?
Agree a stop word before you start and make it non-negotiable. Tell them to move in small steps and wait for a yes each time. This drill puts your hip range in someone else's hands, and a helper who treats resistance as something to overcome will hurt you sooner or later.