Exercise Comparison
All Fours Quad Stretch vs Quadriceps-SMR
Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in All Fours Quad Stretch
Instructions
All Fours Quad Stretch
Start off on your hands and knees, then lift your leg off the floor and hold the foot with your hand.
Use your hand to hold the foot or ankle, keeping the knee fully flexed, stretching the quadriceps and hip flexors.
Focus on extending your hips, thrusting them towards the floor. Hold for 10-20 seconds and then switch sides.
Quadriceps-SMR
Lay facedown on the floor with your weight supported by your hands or forearms. Place a foam roll underneath one leg on the quadriceps, and keep the foot off of the ground. Make sure to relax the leg as much as possible. This will be your starting position.
Shifting as much weight onto the leg to be stretched as is tolerable, roll over the foam from above the knee to below the hip, holding points of tension for 10-30 seconds. Switch sides.
Verdict
Both exercises target the quadriceps. All Fours Quad Stretch is a intermediate exercise using bodyweight, while Quadriceps-SMR is intermediate and uses foam roll. Choose All Fours Quad Stretch if you have access to bodyweight, or Quadriceps-SMR if you prefer foam roll.