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.