7 Best Leg Stretches For Tight Muscles, According To Trainers

Plus, a couple ways to prevent those aches altogether.

Whether you’re tight from your last workout or from sitting at a desk all day, here's an idea for you: Do some leg stretches. Why? They’ll help you decrease that pesky, stiff-feeling discomfort and they come with a ton of other benefits, like improving your range of motion and reducing your risk of injury, explains Meg Takacs, NASM-CPT and founder of guided audio coaching app Run With Meg.

Before you roll out your mat, it's helpful to learn about what causes tightness (or even soreness) in your calves, quads, and hamstrings in the first place. Things like sedentary behavior (sitting at a desk all day) or overtraining (such as repetitively doing the same activity) can be the source, explains Raymond Peralta, DPT, senior physical therapist at the Sports Performance Center at NYU Langone's Orthopedic Center. "For example, people who only distance run tend to experience tight hamstrings and calves," Peralta says.

Meet the experts: Meg Takacs, NASM-CPT, is an RRCA-certified running coach and CrossFit trainer. She is also the founder of guided audio coaching app Run With Meg. Raymond Peralta, PT, DPT, is the senior physical therapist at the Sports Performance Center at NYU Langone's Orthopedic Center.

Sore or achy muscles actually have a different root cause and often benefit more from rest periods than stretching, Peralta says. Soreness is caused by microtears in the muscles that occur when we work out, Takacs says. These microtears are all a part of the normal process of muscle-building, she explains, and heal when the body sends nutrients and blood to the sore areas during resting recovery. All that said, stretching can help expedite that process and get your legs raring to go and can sometimes give your overall athletic performance extra oomph.

Static stretching (or, holding a position) should be done post-workout for recovery, Takacs explains. Why? It elongates your muscles, decreasing their elasticity, which can also decrease your power, speed, and agility if done pre-workout, she says.

This makes dynamic stretching (moving through your range of motion) better for the warm-up period. "It's used to prepare your body for strain or impact, elevate your heart rate, and mimic the movements in your upcoming workout," Takacs says.

In general, it's safe to stretch your legs daily, Peralta says, though two to three days per week is plenty, too. However, you should definitely steer clear of stretching at all if you’ve just experienced a swelling-inducing injury, or more than mild discomfort when stretching. If you have medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, don't stretch either, Peralta explains. In all of these cases, it's best to see a professional to guide you through stretching safely.

Now it's time for the specifics. The following are the seven best leg stretches to relieve even the tightest muscles, demonstrated by Takacs and backed by stretching experts.

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Madeline Howard is a writer, editor, and creative based in Brooklyn. Her work has been published in Esquire, Nylon, Cosmopolitan, and other publications. Among other things, she was formerly an editor at Women's Health. Subscribe to her newsletter ‘hey howie’ at madelinehoward.substack.com.

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