Top ten stretching exercises
Hi!
I thought I would give you an overview of stretching exercises and since I just love top-10-lists here are my favorite 10 stretches. If you run through these you will have stretched most of the main muscle groups in your body. Not all; the human body has around 700 skeletal muscles, depending on how you count. About 200 of these are important for working out.
Stretching is important to prevent training pains and injury. When you have been contracting a muscle for a while you need to stretch it to prevent lactic acid buildup. How long you need to stretch is debatable, but I take at least 30 seconds per muscle. All stretches should be done slowly and carefully. Many of these exercises are basically yoga poses.
1. Quad stretch. This one is important for after you have been doing squats, but also after running or jumping. Take your left foot and try to press it against your buttocks. You may want to use the other hand to lean against a wall or on a chair for support. If you are flexible and this does not stretch your quads enough, lift the leg up sidewards/backwards to obtain more of a stretch. Alternate legs.
2. Piriform stretch: easiest to use a hand to hang on to a doorpost here. Put your left foot on your right knee and bend the right knee as far as it goes "sitting down". This stretches the small piriform muscle underneath the gluteus maximus, the large buttock muscle. This stretch is very useful after jumping or running as this muscle can bunch up and become chronically painful. Alternate legs. If you have a back problem it might be easier to do this sitting down on a chair and trying to bring your nose and foot together.
3. Calf stretch: lean aginst a wall with both hands. Place your left foot a step forward and bend the knee. Place your right foot a large step backwards. Try to put the foot flat; this should not be possible. If it is, step out further. Feel the stretch in the calf. This is excellent after running or jumping. Alternate legs.
4. Inner thigh stretch: sit down on the floor. Place the soles of your feet against each other. Lean over as far as you can (try to not overbend the back) and try to press the knees to the floor. This stretches the muscles of the inner thigh after running or jumping ánd helps you become more flexible.
5. Outer thigh stretch: While still sitting down stretch out your legs fully. Now take your left foot and pull it towards your chest. You should feel this in your outer thigh muscle. Alternate legs.
6. "The Cobra", ab stretch: Lie flat on your stomach. Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width and push your upper body off the floor. Try to look at the ceiling. Useful after abdominal exercises.
7. "Child's pose": Lower back stretch: Sit down on your knees, fold your upper body downwards over your knees and stretch out your arms as far as they go.
8. Cat stretch: combined back/ab stretch. Standing on your hands and knees, alternately curve and bend your back as far as it will go. Do this stretch slowly and carefully to avoid hurting your back.
9. Triceps Arm stretch: place your right hand on your left shoulder behind your head. Use the left hand to press the elbow higher up towards the ceiling. Alternate arms.
10. Shoulder stretch: grab your right elbow with your left hand and press it against your chest, keeping the arm straight. Keep up the stretch for a while, then bend the arm keeping it pressed against your chest. Alternate arms.
There are of course alternative stretches for each of these muscle groups. These are just a couple of my favourites. Hope you enjoy them.
If you have very much training pain or back pain I can recommend this pain relief spray, sent to me by a friend in the States. It is totally natural and really works.
tripleclicks.com
Pain Spray- 4 oz. Bottle— €9.20 (Save 44%!)
I thought I would give you an overview of stretching exercises and since I just love top-10-lists here are my favorite 10 stretches. If you run through these you will have stretched most of the main muscle groups in your body. Not all; the human body has around 700 skeletal muscles, depending on how you count. About 200 of these are important for working out.
Stretching is important to prevent training pains and injury. When you have been contracting a muscle for a while you need to stretch it to prevent lactic acid buildup. How long you need to stretch is debatable, but I take at least 30 seconds per muscle. All stretches should be done slowly and carefully. Many of these exercises are basically yoga poses.
tripleclicks.com1. Quad stretch. This one is important for after you have been doing squats, but also after running or jumping. Take your left foot and try to press it against your buttocks. You may want to use the other hand to lean against a wall or on a chair for support. If you are flexible and this does not stretch your quads enough, lift the leg up sidewards/backwards to obtain more of a stretch. Alternate legs.
2. Piriform stretch: easiest to use a hand to hang on to a doorpost here. Put your left foot on your right knee and bend the right knee as far as it goes "sitting down". This stretches the small piriform muscle underneath the gluteus maximus, the large buttock muscle. This stretch is very useful after jumping or running as this muscle can bunch up and become chronically painful. Alternate legs. If you have a back problem it might be easier to do this sitting down on a chair and trying to bring your nose and foot together.
3. Calf stretch: lean aginst a wall with both hands. Place your left foot a step forward and bend the knee. Place your right foot a large step backwards. Try to put the foot flat; this should not be possible. If it is, step out further. Feel the stretch in the calf. This is excellent after running or jumping. Alternate legs. 
4. Inner thigh stretch: sit down on the floor. Place the soles of your feet against each other. Lean over as far as you can (try to not overbend the back) and try to press the knees to the floor. This stretches the muscles of the inner thigh after running or jumping ánd helps you become more flexible.
5. Outer thigh stretch: While still sitting down stretch out your legs fully. Now take your left foot and pull it towards your chest. You should feel this in your outer thigh muscle. Alternate legs.
6. "The Cobra", ab stretch: Lie flat on your stomach. Place your hands on the floor at shoulder width and push your upper body off the floor. Try to look at the ceiling. Useful after abdominal exercises.
8. Cat stretch: combined back/ab stretch. Standing on your hands and knees, alternately curve and bend your back as far as it will go. Do this stretch slowly and carefully to avoid hurting your back.
9. Triceps Arm stretch: place your right hand on your left shoulder behind your head. Use the left hand to press the elbow higher up towards the ceiling. Alternate arms.
10. Shoulder stretch: grab your right elbow with your left hand and press it against your chest, keeping the arm straight. Keep up the stretch for a while, then bend the arm keeping it pressed against your chest. Alternate arms.
There are of course alternative stretches for each of these muscle groups. These are just a couple of my favourites. Hope you enjoy them.
If you have very much training pain or back pain I can recommend this pain relief spray, sent to me by a friend in the States. It is totally natural and really works.
tripleclicks.comPain Spray- 4 oz. Bottle— €9.20 (Save 44%!)
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