Exercise · form guide
Couch Stretch (Hip Flexor)
- Primary muscle
- Hip Flexors
- Also works
- Quads
- Equipment
- Wall or Couch
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Tempo
60–90s/side
Sitting all day shortens hip flexors. Tight hip flexors = anterior pelvic tilt = lower back pain.
Sets & reps
General programming defaults by goal — not specific to this lift. Pick the row that matches yours.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4–6 | 3–5 | 8–9 | 3–5 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 8–12 | 7–9 | 90–120 s |
| Endurance | 2–4 | 15–25 | 6–8 | 45–60 s |
Form
Cues
- Back knee against wall, top of foot on wall
- Front leg in deep lunge
- Squeeze back glute hard — pelvis tucks under
- Hold 60–90 seconds
Common mistakes
- Letting hip jut forward instead of glute squeezing
Injury notes
Mandatory for desk workers. Daily.
Progression
Build hold time to 2 min/side.
Indian gym reality
Standard equipment, available in most Indian gyms. Focus on form quality over load.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- Zero-equipment variant works — see the home version below.
Home & hostel version
Bulgarian split squats with a chair for the back foot work for months, then load them with a backpack.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Frequently asked
What muscles does Couch Stretch (Hip Flexor) work?
Primarily Hip Flexors · Quads. Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Couch Stretch (Hip Flexor) per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
What if I'm training at home in India?
See the home & hostel version above. Bodyweight variants of every major pattern exist and progress for months if you're intentional about it.
How often should I do Couch Stretch (Hip Flexor)?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.
Get Couch Stretch (Hip Flexor) programmed for you
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