Hips and lower back · 60–180 seconds per side

The figure 4, for the deep hip rotators

The muscles under your glutes are hard to reach standing up. Lying down, they are straightforward.

Crossing one ankle over the opposite knee makes a rough figure 4 and puts the deep rotators at the back of the hip on stretch. These muscles sit underneath the glutes, they are difficult to get at any other way, and they get tight in people who sit a lot.

How to do it

1. 1

   Lie on your back with both knees bent, feet flat

   Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh, just above the knee, and let that knee fall open.

2. 2

   Reach through and hold behind the supporting thigh

   Thread one hand through the gap between your legs and clasp behind the thigh of the foot that is still on the floor.

3. 3

   Draw that thigh gently toward you and hold

   The stretch belongs at the back of the crossed hip. Hold for a minute or more — deep muscles need time, not force.

Make it easier

Sit on a chair and simply cross one ankle over the opposite knee, letting the knee drop. Same muscles, no floor required — the library's seated version. Or rest the supporting foot against a wall so your arms do nothing at all.

Make it harder

Use a strap around the supporting thigh so you can hold the position for several minutes without your arms tiring.

The mistake that undoes it

Pressing down hard on the open knee. The stretch comes from drawing the supporting leg in, not from forcing the crossed knee toward the floor.

This region is close to the sciatic nerve. If it produces pins and needles or symptoms travelling down the leg, come out of it and speak to a clinician.

Also called figure 4 stretch, reclined figure 4, piriformis stretch. Drawn from the clinically authored Vinys exercise library. Read how the method works. General movement guidance, not medical advice.