Stretches for the Biceps and Quadriceps

Your muscles can become tight after weight training or doing high-intensity workouts. The quadriceps, located at the front of your thighs, are placed under a significant amount of stress during lower-body weight training and running activities. The biceps, which are located at the front of the upper arms, have a tendency to tighten in those who use their upper limbs repeatedly. Stretching the quadriceps and biceps regularly keeps them limber.

  1. Stretching

    • To see significant improvements, biceps and quadriceps stretches should be done at least once daily, but if you’re particularly tight, you can do them several times throughout the day. Fit them in after your workout when your muscles are already warm or take a five to 10-minute walk to increase body temperature before you begin, as you’ll get a better stretch with warmed muscles. When stretching, move into a position where you feel only mild discomfort and then hold that position for 30 seconds. Complete two sets of each stretch.

    Biceps Stretches

    • Increase flexibility in your biceps with the wall biceps stretch and standing biceps stretch. To perform the wall biceps stretch, stand facing away from a wall. Bend forward at the waist and reach back to place your hands on the wall behind you. Try to get your hands close together and make sure your fingers are pointed towards the ceiling. Once your hands are set, bend your knees to lower into a squat until you feel the stretch in your biceps and hold this position. To perform the standing biceps stretch, reach back behind you with both hands and bring your hands together so that your palms are together. Keep your arms straight and rotate your arms so your palms are now facing towards the floor. Then raise your arms up away from your body until you feel a stretch.

    Quadriceps Stretch

    • To target your quadriceps, do the standing quadriceps stretch and the lying quadriceps stretch. For the standing quadriceps stretch, stand on one foot and bring your free foot towards your buttocks by bending that knee. Reach back and grab your foot with the arm of the same side and pull your foot towards your hips. Do the lying quadriceps stretch while lying on your stomach. Bend one knee to bring your foot towards your buttocks and then reach back and grab that foot with the arm of the same side. Pull the foot towards your hips and hold the stretch. Repeat for the other leg.

    Considerations

    • Avoid doing the biceps and quadriceps stretches before your workouts, because this will adversely affect your workout performance. Static stretching before a workout makes your muscles weaker. When you’re stretching, always move in a slow and controlled manner as you get into position. To prevent injury, don't bounce or jerk in an attempt to stretch further.