Stretching should be done at the conclusion of every workout.  It serves as a nice post-workout cooldown and also helps reduce muscle soreness the next day.  Regular stretching helps alleviate postural issues and joint pain by realigning soft tissues, improving circulation, and restoring tissue elasticity.  This, in turn, promotes nutrient exchange throughout your body and healthy synovial fluid around your joints.

The stretches below can be performed once or twice, depending on how much time you have and your flexibility goals.  The key is to hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds. To learn why this is important, refer to my article on lower body stretches.

Triceps Stretch

Target: triceps

1.    Sit tall on your mat, legs crossed in front of you.  This is your starting position.

2.    Extend your right arm straight overhead.  Keeping the upper arm in position, lower your hand down towards your back.

3.    Grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull towards your head.  You should feel this stretch down the back of the upper arm.

4.    Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.  Slowly release your right elbow and drop your right arm.  Repeat on the left arm.

Tips: You don’t need to tip your body to get deeper into the stretch – just move your right hand closer to your right shoulder (as you’re stretching the right side).

Shoulder Stretch

Target: deltoids

1.    Remain seated cross-legged on the mat.  Bring both arms down to your sides.  This is your starting position.

2.    Extend your left arm across your body directly underneath your chin.  Place your right hand on the outside of your left arm, above the elbow, and press against your body.  You should feel this stretch in your left shoulder.

3.    Hold for 20-30 seconds before switching arms.

Tips: If you feel any pain in your shoulder during this stretch, please stop immediately.

Back Stretch

Target: mid- & upper-back muscles

1.    Remain seated cross-legged on the mat.  This is your starting position.

2.    Round your back forward as you sweep your hands in front of your body and clasp them together.  Press your palms away from you.  You should feel this stretch right across your shoulder blades.

3.    Hold for 20-30 seconds.

Tips: You can raise and lower your arms by varying degrees to play with how this stretch feels.

Chest Stretch

Target: pectorals

1.    Remain seated cross-legged on the mat.  This is your starting position.

2.    Bring your arms behind your back and clasp your hands together.  Pull away from your body as you squeeze your shoulders back and your shoulder blades back and down.

3.    Hold for 20-30 seconds, then release.

Tips: You should feel this stretch across your chest and shoulders.

Biceps Stretch

Target: biceps & the smaller muscles of the forearm

1.    Remain seated cross-legged on the mat.

2.    Extend your left arm straight out in front of you and bend your wrist so your fingertips are pointing up and your palm is facing away from you.

3.    With your right hand, gently pull back on your left palm.  You should feel this stretch along the underside of your upper arm and forearm.  Hold for 20-30 seconds.

4.    Without switching arms, rotate your left arm so that your fingertips are now pointing down and your palm is still facing away from you.

5.    With your right hand, gently pull back on your left palm.  You should feel this stretch along the biceps and forearm. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

6.    Repeat each stretch on the right arm.

Tips: Be careful not to straighten your arm too much, which is called “locking” the elbow joint.  Just relax your arm and focus on the muscles you’re trying to stretch without forcing it.

Stretching can be uncomfortable for some people, so just push to your individual comfort level.  You should feel a slight pulling sensation in the muscle(s) you’re working, but it should not be painful.  If you’re unsure about a particular stretch, simply skip it and move on.

Share

Stretching should be done at the conclusion of every workout.  It serves as a nice post-workout cooldown and also helps reduce muscle soreness the next day.  Regular stretching helps alleviate postural issues and joint pain by realigning soft tissues, improving circulation, and restoring tissue elasticity.  This, in turn, promotes nutrient exchange throughout your body and healthy synovial fluid around your joints.  And all it takes to reap these benefits is five minutes at the end of your workout.  I think we can all handle that!

The stretches below can be performed once or twice, depending on how much time you have and your flexibility goals.  The key is to hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds, which will feel like a long time (especially if you’re new to stretching!).  Just think of your muscles as elastic bands.  If you stretch the band wide and quickly release it, you won’t have elongated the band at all.  If, on the other hand, you stretch the band and hold it there for a period of time, when you finally release it you will see a change in the size of the elastic.  This change might be small, but it will be there nonetheless.  If you repeated this experiment over time, you’d see the band gradually expand in size.  This is what we aim to accomplish with stretching your muscles (besides all the fantastic benefits I listed above).

Spend the time going through each of these stretches at the end of your workout and you’ll be sure to see improvements across all areas of your life!

Lower Back Stretch

Target: erector spinae muscles, with some hip/glute and upper back involvement

1.    Set up your mat and lie on your back, legs out straight in front of you.  This is your starting position.

2.    Pull your right knee into your chest while keeping your left leg extended.  Hold this position for a few seconds before progressing.

3.    With your left hand, slowly pull your right knee across your body to the left and let your knee drop towards the floor.  Extend your hands out to each side to form a “T” with your upper body.  Turn your head to look towards your right hand.

4.    Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.  Slowly return the right knee to the center and switch legs, extending your right leg and bringing your left knee into your chest.  Hold this position for a few seconds before progressing.

5.    Repeat the cross-over, this time to the right with your left knee.  Look towards your outstretched left hand.  Hold for 20-30 seconds before returning to the center again.

Tips: Focus on your breathing to relax into this stretch.  Turning your head to look at the opposite hand includes your upper back into the stretch as well.

Hamstring Stretch

Target: hamstrings

1.    Remain on your back on the mat, but bend both knees and place feet flat on the floor (standard crunch position).

2.    Extend your right leg straight up, driving your heel up towards the ceiling.  With both hands, grab behind the leg (either above or below the knee, but not directly in back of the knee) and pull towards you.  You should feel this stretch all the way down the back of your leg.

3.    Hold for 20-30 seconds before switching legs.

Tips: Pressing your heel up towards the ceiling lengthens the hamstring muscle and allows you to progress deeper into the stretch.

Cross-Legged Stretch

Target: hips and glutes

1.    Remain on your back on the mat, knees bent, feet flat on the mat.  Cross your left ankle over your right knee (as if you were sitting cross-legged on a chair).  This is your starting position.

2.    Keeping your left leg crossed over your right, lift your right foot off the floor and pull your right leg towards your chest.  In this position, your right leg is still bent to about 90 degrees and your left leg is still crossed over your right knee (see picture).

3.    Extend your left hand between your legs and your right hand around the outside of your left leg.  Grab your right leg below the knee with both hands and pull towards your chest.  Relax your head and shoulders on the mat.

4.    Hold for 20-30 seconds before switching sides.

Tips: You can raise and lower your right foot in varying angles to play with how this stretch feels.  You will mostly feel some pulling across your left hip and down into your glutes on the left side.

Butterfly Stretch

Target: inner thighs, groin

1.    Sit up on the mat and bring the soles of your feet together.  The bottom of your right foot should be pressed against the bottom of your left foot and your knees will tip away from each other.  This is your starting position.

2.    Grab your lower leg, ankles, or feet (depending on your flexibility level) and lean forward.  You will feel the stretch on the inside of your upper legs as well as your lower back.

3.    Hold this stretch for 20-30 seconds, then release.

Tips: If you have trouble with this stretch, simply extend your legs out further in front of you until you can comfortably sit and reach forward.  Don’t worry about your feet touching each other, just try to keep them facing one another.  Each time you repeat the stretch, try to bring your feet a little closer to your body.

Hip Flexor Stretch

Target: hip flexors, quadriceps

1.    Bring yourself up to a kneeling position on the mat.  Place your right foot on the mat in front of you while remaining on your left knee.  This is your starting position.

2.    Push your hips forward until you feel a pull down the front of your left leg.  Keeping your upper body upright, lift your left arm overhead and towards the right.  This extends the stretch down your left side and into your hip flexors.

3.    Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds.

4.    If you wish to stretch the front of your leg a little more, you can try this variation: Bring your left arm around behind you and grab your left foot.  Pull your foot towards your butt.  This extends the stretch into the belly of the quadriceps muscle (see second picture).  Again, hold for 20-30 seconds.

5.    Repeat on the right, bringing the left foot forward.

Tips: Make sure you step your front foot out far enough so that your knee forms a 90 degree angle when you push your hips forward.  If your knee juts out over your toes, you are putting excess stress on the knee joint.

Stretching can be uncomfortable for some people, so just push to your individual comfort level.  You should feel a slight pulling sensation in the muscle(s) you’re working, but it should not be painful.  If you’re unsure about a particular stretch, simply skip it and move on.

Share

Besides its efficacy as a flexibility test, the cobra stretch is a popular yoga pose.  Not only does it feel great as an abdominal stretch, the cobra helps keep the lumbar spine limber and preserves elasticity in the surrounding muscles and connective tissue.  Retaining flexibility in our lower backs is vital as we age; it helps reduce low-back pain (a very common condition) and reduces the risk for back injuries.

To perform this test, lie face down on an exercise mat.  Place your palms and forearms on the mat in line with your shoulders, as shown in the first picture.  Your upper body will be slightly lifted off the mat as you lean on your forearms.

From here, press your palms into the mat and extend your arms as much as you can while keeping your hips in contact with the floor.  Relax your lower body as you press away from the mat, as demonstrated in the second picture.  Pay attention to the distance between your hips and the mat – ideally, you would like to remain in contact with the floor as your arms become fully extended.  Rate yourself according to the table below.

Although this is a mild stretch, it is still very important not to overextend yourself.  Stop the movement immediately if you feel any pain in your back.

Share

The sit and reach test measures the flexibility of your lower body, specifically your hamstrings and lower back muscles.  Because this movement involves stretching, make sure you have properly warmed-up your muscles before undertaking this test.  Performing the step test, push-up test, and plank hold prior to the flexibility tests would accomplish this nicely.

You will need a few materials for this challenge: a mat, masking tape, and a yard stick.  To begin, set up your mat and apply a piece of masking tape across the top ¼ of the mat – essentially dividing the mat into 2 sections.  Align the 15-inch mark of your yardstick with the masking tape (numbers 16 and higher should be pointing towards the smaller section of the mat).  The picture to the left illustrates this set-up.

Next, sit on the mat facing the smaller section and line your feet with the 15-inch mark and the masking tape.  Keeping your legs straight (and not allowing your knees to bend!), reach forward along the yardstick as far as you can.  Just be gentle! You never want to force muscles into a stretched position.

Make note of what number your fingertips reach and perform the test a second time.  You’ll then compare your highest number with the standards below for you age and gender.  As before, A is excellent, B is good, and C needs improvement.

Tomorrow’s post (and the last test in this series!) will be for upper body flexibility: the Cobra Stretch.

Share