Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Hamstring Muscles and Quadriceps Muscles (Thigh Muscles)

‘The body never lies.’ ~ Martha Graham

The next foam roller exercises that we will learn involve the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps muscles. If you have no problems in this area, you may jump to the bottom of the page to see a complete list of my foam rolling articles.

I treat foam rolling as an intuitive process just like yoga. I emphasize the body-mind connection and the metaphysical reasons for why you hold your stress in certain muscle areas.

Scroll down the page to jump straight to the foam roller exercise video and hamstring stretches and quadricep stretches if you desire to skip the muscle information.

Hopefully you have first read Foam Rolling for an overview of body rolling on a foam roller. A simple technique for self myofascial release is accomplished by foam roller exercises. Self myofascial release is a great way to keep your muscles supple, elongated and free of stress knots or 'congestion' as I like to call it. If you read Foam Rolling, I describe the body-mind-soul benefits of this activity.

Foam roller exercises help you stretch, elongate and treat your muscles. Athletes rely on the foam roller to roll out muscle knots and get them back in the game. This self myofascial release technique helps you avoid more expensive treatments provided by massage therapists and physical therapists. You can now be your own therapist when you do your foam roller exercises!

The release of muscular tension often brings about emotional release as well, as you learn to focus on the areas of soreness and make the process of the foam roller exercises more meditative. It is another way for you to learn how to ‘feel it and heal it’ as I like to call it. Emotions do affect our bodies, so please see How Emotions Affect Our Body if you desire to learn more about this body-mind connection and how you can heal your body, mind and soul.

Energy, stress or congestion that is brought about by strong emotions that have not been released, are stored in specific and metaphorical areas of our body. Foam roller exercises and stretches help us find this congestion to relieve it.

If you need a roller for these foam roller exercises, or are thinking of upgrading your old one, I recommend the Premium Textured EVA Foam Roller from Power Systems. The one I purchased is the best I have to date. It is nice and cushiony on the outside, but firm on the inside for effective foam rolling. It also has a textured surface to stick to my yoga mat better. It is pricier than the cheap ones, but worth every penny.

The Function of the Hamstring Muscles

The muscles of the thigh are perhaps another group of muscles that are better known and a part of our every day vocabulary. The powerful thigh muscles are a vital part in walking, running, biking and every activity that utilizes the legs. The hamstrings, on the back of the thigh extend the leg at the hip and flex the knee. The muscle is actually a group of three muscles, the bicep femoris, the semitendinosis and the semimembrinosis and are the work horses in the extension of the leg.

Any activity that requires sprinting or sudden bursts of leg movement involves the hamstring muscles. Sprinters in such sports such as track and field, soccer, football, basketball and the like are often sufferers of hamstring injury. Beware if you are a weekend warrior that plays sprinting sports. Also beware if you are a new martial artist and new to kicking movements. Also keep in mind that any force that suddenly extends the legs or overextends at the knee may cause hamstring pulls. People over the age of 65 and whose primary activity involves walking are also at risk. So are growing children.

Tight, pulled or injured hamstring muscles are the result of:

• Overuse of the legs in sports that require kicking, jumping or sprinting
• Suddenly performing sprinting, jumping or kicking activities without acclimation to the activity
• Lack of stretching of the hamstring muscles
• Over-strengthening of the quadriceps muscles in the front of the leg that causes an imbalance in relation to the hamstring muscles.
• Poor conditioning that results in muscle fatigue or one leg stronger than another.

The Function of the Quadriceps Muscles

The quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh flexes the leg at the hip and extends the knee. The quadriceps muscles are the ones that give the thigh the beautifully developed shapeliness that body builders, athletes and just about everyone loves. Because of this, and because the quadriceps muscles are naturally stronger than the hamstring muscles, over development of the quads may lead to tight hamstring muscles.

The quadriceps muscles are actually a group of four muscles, the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius, the vastus lateralis and the rectus femoris.

The quadriceps muscles are used in conjunction with the hamstring muscles and the causes of their injuries are essentially the same as in the hamstring muscles, so please see the above list.

If you have a slight strain or tightness in the hamstring muscles or quadriceps muscles, the RICE procedures should work well for you: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. You should not perform foam roller exercises until the pain is almost gone, or you could re-injure your muscles. Please see the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for information on what to do if you injure your hamstring muscles or your quadriceps muscles in your thigh.

Meditate on the Meaning of the Hamstring Muscles and the Quadriceps Muscles in Your Life

The body metaphor (See Developing Intuition by Using Your Body) for the muscles of the thigh, like the muscles of the buttocks and hips may involve the metaphor of moving forward, or the fear of moving forward. This therefore involves the future and one’s desire or lack of desire to move towards the future. It may also involve the ‘kicking around of ideas,’ for your future or ‘jumping ahead of yourself’ or ‘overextending yourself.’ Isn’t it amazing how may body metaphors that one can come up with that we use all the time! We never give it a second thought! But where did they originate? Can you come up with your own that states your own truth?

For men, the muscles of the thigh may represent powering yourself forward in a forceful manner, as your legs are much stronger than a woman’s. If men are physically active it is easy for the quadriceps muscles to overpower the hamstring muscles and become tight. The quadriceps muscles may become sore and be full of congestion if the mind’s biggest goal is to power forward in life and into the future. If you are driven, your issues may be manifested in the thigh muscles. Often the powering forward is in a manner that is rigid and not supportive of the rest of the leg, especially the knee.

The hamstring muscles and the quadriceps muscles in conjunction with one another largely control flexibility at the knee and the knees may become sore if the quads try to over power the leg. Overuse of the leg in any activity may cause sore knees. Knees classically represent flexibility and the ability to bend and flex. If your knees are rigid and sore, it is suggested that you are rigid and inflexible as well.

I am more of a driven, goal-oriented person, and my quadriceps muscles are often sore at the head of the vastus medialis on the inner part of the knee. My sartorius muscle (also in the front of the thigh) is also involved in the inner aspect of the knee. I suppose that makes me inflexible as well! In the foam roller exercises video I show you how to ensure that you hit this area when foam rolling the quadriceps muscles. Some days it is all I can do to love myself and love my energy when I overuse my forward moving power and my inner knees get sore! I have often been told that I walk with determination. Is it any wonder that this emotion is manifested in my legs? Is my impatience speaking through my Body Window??

When you do your foam roller exercises for the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps muscles, meditate on the meaning of these sore areas in your life and what it may represent for you.

Create positive affirmations for health when you do your foam roller exercises and your hamstring stretches and quadricep stretches. Say the following positive affirmations for health that speak to you, if you have problems in this area:

• I am flexible in all things in my life.
• I bend and flow with ease.
• I trust the process of life and embrace the future with hope.
• I release control and let the God/the Universe guide me.
• I move carefully and slowly forward, trusting that all I need to know will be revealed to me.
• My legs are supple and flexible.
• I believe the future holds all good things for me.
• I believe in my ideas for the future. I believe that abundance and happiness are my reality.
• I have time for all things that have meaning in my life.
• I move at the speed of the Universe with my heart as my guide.
• I love and trust myself to find my own truth!

Personalize and Adjust the Foam Roller Exercises:

As with all foam rolling you can adjust the amount of pressure you place on the muscle by how far you sink your weight into it. Make sure you do both sides equally to maintain your body balance.

When you roll the muscle, if you sense a spot or knot that is sore, hold the pressure of your weight over that area for a while, about 20-30 seconds, or as long as you wish. B-r-e-a-t-h-e as you sink into the sore spot. If it is too painful that you cannot breathe, ease up on the pressure. The deep breathing is the signal to your body that you are in the relaxed state and eventually the muscle will release as long as you are able to deep breathe.

If the pain is so great that you have to hold your breath, the opposite effect will occur. Your muscle will tense up and become even more painful. So only apply as much pressure that you can continue to deep breathe! Also do not roll the muscle area too vigorously at first or you may cause bruising and more soreness to occur. Go slow if you are new to foam roller exercises.

Really notice your body and how it feels when you do the foam roller exercises. Feel the pull, the stretch, the discomfort and sink into it. Breathe deeply as you sink farther into it. Let go. Let the tension go, let the stress go and let the muscle release. When the muscle releases, so may your emotions and your pent up energy release! So may your need to control and hold the tension! Let the feeling and the release come! Feel it and heal it! It will do you body, mind and soul wonders!

I will give the foam roller exercises in two parts:

First I will give you a brief description of the movement in writing for those of you who function best with your left, detail-oriented brain.

Second is a short video of the movements. There is no voice-over on the video, so as you watch, I will force you to use your right brain, the sensing, feeling part of your brain. The right brain perceives images and spatial relationships. It is the part of the brain that you most often close down, in our left-brain, detail and language-oriented culture. (See Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance for more explanation of right brain vs. left-brain functions). No voice-over will also aid you in going inward when you do your foam roller exercises.

Feel free to vary the exercise in any way as your intuition moves you!

Foam Roller Exercises for the Hamstring Muscles and the Quadriceps Muscles:

• For the hamstring muscles, sit on the foam roller with the roller under the back of your thighs and your arms behind you with your hands on the floor for support.
• Pushing off with your hands, roll down the upper part of the back of the leg just to the knee and back up.
• If you wish, cross one leg over the other at the ankle to increase the pressure on one side. This cross over is not depicted in the video for the hamstring muscle rolling because it requires a lot of skill and balance and a lot of abdominal strength. My intuition does not lead me to this exercise for myself, but if you are up for it and feel you need to apply more pressure to the hamstring muscles, go ahead and try it!
• For the quadriceps muscles, lie on the foam roller with the roller under the front of the top of thighs.
• Place your arms under your upper body, like you were going to do a push-up, with your hands on the floor.
• Push off with your arms to roll down the upper leg just to the knee, and back.
• Do not roll over the knee joints.
• To increase the pressure on one side, cross your one leg over the other at the ankle and foam roll only the quadriceps muscles on the bottom leg. This increases the pressure nicely and is not as hard to do as with the hamstring muscles.
• To get the inside of the quadriceps muscles at the vastus medialis head, bend your right knee and place your right foot on your left ankle. This position looks like Peter Pan flying through the air!
• Push off with your hands and roll down the inside of the quadriceps muscles, taking care not to roll over the knee, but targeting the bottom, inside head of the vastus medialis.
• As always, to increase the pressure and the stretch, sink harder with your weight into the foam roller.

I have added another short video to show you how to foam roll the vastus medialis head of the quadriceps. I have trouble with the inside of my knees, and I can manage the knee pain with this exercise. It also targets the sartorius and to a lesser extent the adductors.

• Lay on the floor, parallel to the foam roller.
• Bend up your right knee and and rest it inside of the thigh, just above the knee on the foam roller. Keep your leg bent.
• Place most of your weight on your left elbow, that will be the leverage point for the movement.
• Roll up and down the vastus medialis muscle.
• If you lean your body weight toward the inner and upper part of the knee, you can target the vastus medialis instead of the adductors (groin muscles).
• Straighten the leg, so it is almost perpendicular to your body, to deepen the stretch.

You can also follow up with hamstring stretches by doing yoga stretches. The best hamstring stretch is the Downward Dog.

I also love the Standing Forward Bend, for a standing hamstring stretch and the Seated Forward Bend, for a seated hamstring stretch.

For quadricep stretches you can do yoga stretches like the Modified Dancer's Pose and the Modified Pigeon Pose. Really pull up on the back leg for the quad stretch.

Foam Rolling and exercise stretches are a great way to stretch your body and 'stretch your mind’ and heal your body-mind-soul. It is the metaphor of creating space in your life, by creating space in your body! Make these exercises and stretches a part of your intuitive movement to create health and healing of your body-mind-soul!


May your path to self-discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and hamstring stretches and quadricep stretches and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing through self myofascial release begin! May you always 'jump for joy' as you use you thigh muscles!

Related Foam Rolling Articles that You May Enjoy!:

• Foam Rolling
• Myofascial Release ~ The Self-Emptying of Body-Mind-Soul Kenosis
• Using Your Foam Roller for Developing Intuition.

Foam Roller Exercises for the Lower Body and Lower Back:

• Lower Back (Lumbar Spine).
• Hip Muscles that Focus on Opening Your Hip.
• Iliopsoas (Hip Flexors).
• Piriformis and Gluteus Muscles (Hip Muscles).
• Iliotibial Band (IT Band) and Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL) Muscles (Side of the Thigh).
• Adductor Muscles (Groin Muscles of the Inner Thigh).
• Gastrocnemius Muscles (Calves) and Anterior Tibialis Muscles (Shins).

Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Body and Upper Back:

• Upper Back (Thoracic Spine).
• Shoulder Muscles that Focus on Opening the Shoulder.
• Trapezius Muscles.
• Latissimus Dorsi (Muscles in the Side and Back).
• Pectoral Muscles that focus on Opening your Chest.
• Upper Arms ~ Biceps and Triceps.
• Forearms ~ Brachioradialis, Wrist Flexors and Extensors.

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