Single-band stretching is a floor-based routine that uses one band looped around your foot to stretch your hamstrings, hips, and quads, and it travels anywhere. This is outstanding if you are a runner or if you are sitting a lot — we get tight in the hips, tight in the legs, tight in the hamstrings, and this simple routine has gone a long way for me. In this Physical Friday I demonstrate every position, all done lying down with nothing but one little band.
Watch now: press play above, or listen in the player on this page.
One single band — that is it. Any sort of little band works. You loop it around your foot and the entire routine happens lying on your back on the floor, which means you can take it with you anywhere: hotel rooms, the boat, the living room.
It is outstanding for runners and for anyone who sits a lot. Sitting and running both leave us tight in the hips, tight in the legs, and tight in the hamstrings, and this routine targets exactly those areas. It has gone a long way for me personally.
Put the band around your foot, lie down flat on your back, and pull straight back with the leg up. You feel the stretch all the way from your heel cords down to your glutes. Stay there for thirty seconds to a minute before moving to the next position.
From the center position, pull the leg over to one side and hold — you feel it in your hips and hamstrings — and pull up further if you are feeling good. Come back to center, then let the leg fall to the other side and pull it up toward your head as far as you comfortably can. Return to center between each move.
Roll over while keeping the band in your hand and pull. That position opens up your hips and stretches your quads — the front side of the body that the lying positions do not reach. After that, roll back over and hit anything else you feel you need.
Thirty seconds to a minute per position is a good baseline, and you can stay longer in any position that feels like it needs more time. Do the entire sequence on both legs, and spend as much time as you want in each spot.
Here is the routine I demonstrate in the video.
The best stretching routine is the one you actually do, and the band wins because it goes wherever I go. It weighs nothing, fits in any bag, and the entire routine happens on the floor — no rack, no machine, no excuses. I explain how this routine became part of my regular maintenance in the episode, so press play above.
Sitting and running tighten the same chain: hamstrings, hips, and the connective line from heel cord to glute. This routine moves down that chain position by position, including the rollover at the end that gets the quads and hip flexors the lying positions miss. Watch the sequence in the video to see each transition — press play above.
You do not need a mobility class or a rack of equipment to stay flexible. One band and a few minutes on the floor will keep your hips and hamstrings open, whether you are a runner, a desk worker, or a guide between trips.
Grab any little band, follow along with the video, and spend as much time as you want in each position. Press play above to see the full routine.
stretching bands · hamstring flexibility · hip mobility · quad stretching · routines for runners · travel fitness · Saltwater Experience · Physical Friday
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's Physical Friday series I share the workouts, nutrition habits, and mindset tools that keep guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen strong on the water and in the field for life.
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