Heel Sit Stretches

Progressions

1. 01

   Quadruped Heel Sit

   • Begin in a quadruped position with your hands directly under your shoulders, knees under your hips, and the tops of your feet flat on the floor.

   • Slowly sit your hips back toward your heels, allowing the tibialis muscles and front of the shins to stretch as you settle deeper.

   • Keep your hands firmly on the ground for support and to control how much weight transfers to your lower legs.

   • Use your hands to regulate the intensity — push more weight back onto your shins to increase the stretch, or keep weight forward to reduce it.

   • Focus on feeling the tension along the front of your shins and the tops of your feet as you sink back.

   • Hold the bottom position briefly, then slowly return to the starting quadruped position with control.

   • Breathe deeply throughout — exhale as you sit back and inhale as you return to the start.

   • Repeat for the prescribed number of reps, gradually increasing depth over time as the tibialis muscles adapt.

2. 02

   Forward-Leaning Heel Sit

   • Start in a quadruped position with the tops of your feet flat on the floor, hands under your shoulders.

   • As you sit back onto your heels, lean your torso slightly forward, shifting more of your body weight onto your shins and tibialis muscles.

   • The forward lean increases the load on the tibialis compared to the standard quadruped version, intensifying the activation.

   • Keep your hands on the ground but allow more weight to transfer backward and downward onto your lower legs.

   • Control your descent carefully — the increased loading means you need to manage the intensity to avoid overstressing the shins.

   • Pause briefly at the bottom, then return to the starting position by pressing through your hands and knees.

   • Breathe deeply — exhale as you sit back and lean forward, inhale as you return to the start.

   • Repeat for the prescribed reps, focusing on the dynamic stretch and activation of the tibialis throughout each rep.

3. 03

   Upright Heel Sit

   • Kneel with the tops of your feet flat on the floor, toes pointed behind you, and your torso fully upright.

   • Slowly lower your hips back toward your heels while keeping your torso tall and your core engaged.

   • Without hands on the ground for support, your full body weight loads the tibialis muscles, making this significantly more challenging.

   • Control your descent carefully — lower over 2-3 seconds to manage the increased intensity on the shins.

   • Pause at the bottom position, feeling the deep stretch and activation in the tibialis and front of the shins.

   • Press through the tops of your feet and engage the tibialis to return to the upright kneeling position.

   • Keep your spine neutral and chest lifted throughout — avoid rounding forward or collapsing.

   • Repeat for the prescribed reps, using a cushion under your knees for comfort if needed.

4. 04

   Loaded Heel Sit

   • Kneel upright with the tops of your feet flat on the floor, holding a weight (dumbbell, kettlebell, or plate) at chest level.

   • Slowly lower your hips back toward your heels, keeping your torso upright and the weight held firmly at your chest.

   • The added load significantly increases the demand on the tibialis muscles during both the lowering and lifting phases.

   • Control your descent over 2-3 seconds — the tibialis works eccentrically as you lower, resisting the increased load.

   • Pause briefly at the bottom, then engage the tibialis concentrically to press yourself back up to the upright kneeling position.

   • Keep your core braced and spine neutral throughout — the weight should not pull you forward or cause you to round.

   • Start with a light weight (2-5 kg) and increase gradually as your tibialis strength improves.

   • Breathe out as you lower and inhale as you press back up to the starting position.

Common mistakes

• Sitting Too Far Back Too Quickly
• Allowing Knees to Lift Off the Ground
• Rushing Through Tibialis Raises
• Kneeling on a Hard Surface