Elephant Walks: Master This Hamstring Mobility Exercise

Learn how to perform Elephant Walks to improve hamstring flexibility and relieve lower back tension with our step-by-step guide.

How to Perform

  1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hinge forward at the hips to place both hands flat on the floor or a raised surface.
  2. Maintain a slight bend in both knees while keeping your palms or fingertips firmly in contact with the ground throughout the movement.
  3. Slowly straighten one leg by engaging your quadriceps while keeping the other knee bent and your torso relaxed.
  4. Hold the position for one second when the leg is fully extended before returning to the starting bent-knee position.
  5. Repeat the straightening motion on the opposite leg to complete one full repetition.
  6. Continue alternating legs in a rhythmic walking motion while focusing on a deep stretch in the hamstrings of the straightening leg.

Common Mistakes

  • Lifting the palms off the floor or surface during the extension
  • Holding your breath or tensing the neck and shoulders
  • Bouncing aggressively instead of using a controlled range of motion
  • Forcing the knee to lock if you feel sharp pain instead of a stretch

Muscles Worked

Primary movers

  • Hamstrings

Stabilizers

  • Lower Back
  • Calves
  • Glutes

Related Guides

Hamstrings · Legs