MobilityBWMat
Intense hip flexor and quad stretch popularized by Kelly Starrett, using a wall or couch to fully flex the rear knee while extending the hip. One of the highest-yield mobility drills for anterior hip tightness from sitting.
Demo: Dr. Kelly Starrett
Sets
1
Reps
2-3 min hold per side
Rest
30s
Contraindications
Knee pain in deep flexion — pad the knee heavily or reduce range.Setup
Kneeling with the back knee in a wall corner or against a couch, rear shin vertical, rear foot pointing straight up.
Execution
- 1Bring the front foot forward into a half-kneeling position
- 2Squeeze the glute of the rear leg hard and drive the hips forward
- 3Keep the torso as upright as possible — avoid leaning forward to escape the stretch
- 4Hold 2-3 minutes per side, working deeper as tissue relaxes
- 5Progress to torso fully upright once tolerated
Key cues
- Squeeze the butt — this is not a passive stretch
- Stay tall, don't cave the ribs forward
- Breathe long and slow into the position
- Move in and out of the stretch, don't just hold rigid
Common faults
- Letting the low back arch instead of the hip extending
- Leaning the torso forward to reduce intensity
- Not engaging the glute, making it a purely passive quad stretch
- Rear knee sliding out of the wall corner
Tweaks
- Move your hips into different rotations while holding (informed freestyling per MobilityWOD)
- Go upright to increase load through hip flexors
- Move the trailing foot off the wall slightly to regress intensity
Regressions
Muscles
Primary: Hip Flexors, Quadriceps, Rectus Femoris
Secondary: Glutes, Core
Notes
One of the most-cited mobility drills in modern S&C. Named because it was originally demonstrated using a couch cushion for knee support.
Sources
- Couch Stretch for Tight Hips, Knee Pain & Low Back Relief | Dr. Kelly Starrett
- The Couch Series | Feat. Kelly Starrett | MobilityWOD
Attribution: Kelly Starrett / Ready State (MobilityWOD)