Active Straight-Knee Hold in Split

activatehipintermediateQuadriceps (hold front knee straight)

Content last reviewed: 2026-07-06

Active Straight-Knee Hold in Split — start/setup and end/loaded positions — Left: start / setup position. Right: end / loaded position.

How to do it

Sit tall on the hips with the front leg straight ahead, hands down for support.
Keep the toes relaxed to start.
Pull the kneecap up hard, locking the front knee straight.
Let the heel lift slightly off the floor as the quad contracts.
Hold the contraction, then relax and repeat.

Form cues

Pull the kneecap up hard — lock the knee straight
The heel should lift slightly as the quad fires
Hold the active contraction; keep sitting tall

Dosage

Frequency: daily
Volume: 3–4 sets × 5–10 s holds each leg
Builds the active straight-leg you need in a split.

Muscles worked

hamstrings — anatomical illustration — hamstringsAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

quadriceps — anatomical illustration — quadricepsAnatomical illustration derived from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Stretches: hamstrings

Strengthens: quadriceps

Target muscles

Hamstrings Quadriceps

Wall-Standing Postural Exercise One-Joint Hip Flexor Stretch (Supine, Knee to Chest)Standing Door-Frame Hip Flexor Stretch (Posterior Pelvic Tilt)Craniocervical Flexion (Deep Neck Flexor Activation)Isometric Cervical Retraction PIR / PFS for the Hip Flexors (Iliopsoas & Rectus Femoris)