I did the shin box stretch for a week — here’s what happened to my flexibility and balance

a woman doing a hip mobility test — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

I’ve been doing more stretching in recent months, and not just because I feel a responsibility to practice what I preach. As the years roll by (and they seem to be picking up the pace), stretching becomes increasingly important for better flexibility and balance, and to relieve the pain caused by muscle and joint stiffness. It can also help prevent strains and muscle damage. We should all be stretching at least two or three times a week, if not daily.

Most of us think about our legs and back when it comes to maintaining flexibility and range of motion, but we often neglect our hips. One of the most effective stretches I have done to work this area is the 90/90 hip stretch, so when my editor challenged me to take on the shin box stretch for a week, I felt (once I found out what it was) supremely confident I could do so with little effort. I was, as I so often am with these challenges, effortlessly wrong. When will I learn? Next time. For sure.

What is the shin box stretch?

This dynamic movement targets both internal and external hip rotation. It also works the glutes and the core. The stretch is called the “shin box” because, in start position, your shins form a part of a sort-of box shape, if you squint and use your imagination. It is not, perhaps, the best-named move I have ever performed. Or attempted.

How do I do it?

Use a mat for this stretch, as it can be hard on the knees, and make sure you have plenty of space.

Begin by sitting on the mat, with your right leg bent in front of you at a 90-degree angle, with the outside of your leg on the mat (this achieves external rotation).
Position your left leg on the mat behind you, at the same angle, and in internal rotation (the inside of your leg will be on the mat). You may not be able to achieve the 90-degree angle with one or both legs. Don’t worry about this; just get as close as you comfortably can.
Face ahead and, with your core and glutes engaged, drive your hips forward to lift your upper body. At the top of the move, your weight will be on your knees, and you should feel a stretch at the front of your hips.
Return to the start position with control, landing softly on the mat. Repeat five times.
Keeping your feet in contact with the floor and, sitting tall, switch sides using a windshield-wiper motion so the inside of your right leg and the outside of your left leg are on the floor (you may need to use your arms to achieve this). Repeat the move five times from this position.

Shin Box Switch - YouTube

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I did the shin box stretch every day for a week and this is what I learned

The main thing I learned is that I cannot do it properly. This was the first Tom’s Guide challenge in which I failed to reach a point where I was happy with my form and felt I had improved over the week. I found it extremely difficult to maintain an upright position or switch sides without using my hands to steady myself. With my right leg in external rotation, my torso leaned to the right (albeit slightly), and with my left leg in external rotation, I leaned to the left.

Oddly enough, given my less-than-ideal start position, I found it reasonably easy to rise up onto my knees and lower again, though I did not feel any pleasing stretch from this part of the move, and could not do it from the full 90-degree position. Also, I have rarely felt as clumsy as I did when I switched sides.

I tried this move at home (on a yoga mat), in the gym, and in a hotel room. I was never comfortable, but the extra space and carpeted floor in the hotel room did help… a little.

I don’t know why I found this move so troublesome. My partner, who regularly does yoga, did it with enviable ease, so perhaps I’m not as flexible or as strong through my core as I thought. By the end of the week, I was marginally less awkward, but the move did not sit well with me, nor I with it. Admittedly, I felt some looseness in my hips after my efforts but by no means enough to convince me I should add this one to my list of stretches.

Some moves work… some don’t

I go into all of these challenges with a positive attitude, if not “can-do”, then “will-do, eventually”. I always come away from them with useful information about my strength, flexibility or mobility, and sometimes I’m so impressed with a move that, years later, I still do it (for example, good mornings, a challenge I did in 2022). In a few cases, I’m not unhappy to end the challenge and, once in a rare while, the move simply does not work for me. Such was the case with the shin box stretch. You may find it does the job and becomes part of your stretching routine, but if you try it and it doesn’t appeal, or you’re not yet ready for it (this is considered an advanced move), then simply try something else.

If you want to work on your external hip rotation, try the frog stretch, the clamshell or the butterfly pose. For internal rotation, try the hip sleeper stretch or the half frog, and if you want to work on internal and external rotation at the same time, I highly recommend the 90/90 hip stretch mentioned above.

I would have far preferred to finish the week knowing I had mastered the move, or at least reached a degree of adequacy, but it wasn’t for me. And so, on to the next one. I will definitely be thinking outside the box.

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John is a writer and editor based in London. He was worked for magazines such as Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Women’s Health and Cosmopolitan. A keen runner, what he lacks in ability he makes up for with enthusiasm and excuses.