Sitting down, extending one leg, and grabbing your toes is not stretching.
Whether you are a convinced fan of muscle lengthening or not (and you can learn more about the pros and cons of stretching by clicking here), the fact remains that, whatever sport you practice, so many muscles are set in motion that thinking about solving the lengthening with a couple of exercises is just plain wrong.
And then there it is 12 stretching exercises to increase mobility and flexibility from feet to head.
Stretching for the feet
We often don’t think about it, but it all starts from the feet and goes up the muscle chain to the neck and head. So a good stretching exercise program must start right from the toes. Simply kneel down, tuck a pillow under your butt, place your toes flat on the ground, and then sit on your heels for about 10″.
Ankle stretch
They are used for running, walking, but also for doing normal fitness exercises, such as the calf machine or squat. To improve mobility and flexion range, one of the most famous stretching exercises involves positioning yourself in front of a wall, placing the tip of one foot at the base of the wall, extending the other leg, and then pushing the knee of the front leg towards the wall, so as to close the angle between the ankle and the tibia.
Calf stretch
They are the shock absorbers of our body, fundamental for any sport: to increase flexibility and elasticity you can climb a step or step with equal feet and push both heels down, counting up to 15″.
Stretch for the hamstrings (hamstrings)
Typically you bend forward trying to touch your toes with your hands. But to really stretch the hamstrings you can also rest a leg stretched out on a chair (or a gym bench) and lower your pelvis without bending your torso forward, stretching the entire posterior chain of the leg muscles.
Quadriceps stretch
Everyone stretches the quadriceps, and usually before running he stretches by grabbing his ankle and bending his knee until his heel is against his buttocks. But the quadriceps is a very large muscle, which requires a deep stretch that can be achieved by placing the back of one foot on a bench and the knee of the same leg on the ground, and placing the foot of the other leg on the ground with the knee at an angle of 90°. Maintaining the upright position, simply push your pelvis slightly backwards towards the bench for 15″, and repeat by reversing the position of your legs.
Hip flexor stretch
Anyone who spends many hours a day sitting quickly realizes that they lose hip mobility. To regain the full range of movements, you can position yourself with your hands and feet on the ground and your pelvis raised and bent at an angle of approximately 90°. At this point, lift one leg, keeping it extended and rotating the pelvis, bring it upwards, maintaining the position for approximately 10″. Then repeat with the other leg.
Stretching for the adductors
Not only are they the muscles that keep your legs together, but they also connect to the ‘core’, the center of gravity of any movement. Stretching them is simple: you can lie down on the ground near a wall, push your buttocks against the wall by lifting your legs extended along the wall, and then slowly spread your legs while maintaining the position without straining for 15″. It is one of the best stretching exercises to do after running.
Stretching for the piriformis
We spend a long time sitting on the buttock muscles, with the result that they shorten and atrophy and with the consequence of back pain and often also leg pain. To overcome this, you can do specific stretching for the piriformis by sitting on the ground with your legs in the hurdler’s position: the forward one leaning outwards and bent at 90° at the knee, the back one stretched out, and the torso which without bending leans forward. It is one of the best stretching exercises to prevent runner’s back pain.
Stretching for the latissimus dorsi
It’s not just an aesthetic issue: even without doing toning exercises for the upper body, good tone and good mobility of the latissimus dorsi muscles are necessary to avoid shoulder and neck problems. How to stretch the latissimus dorsi muscle? You can kneel in front of a bench (or chair), rest your elbows and push your pelvis back until your elbows, shoulders and hips are in line, as in the prayer position. It is also excellent for back pain from desk and sedentary lifestyle.
Pectoral stretch
Especially for those who train a lot with pushes and pulls (for example on the bench, but also by doing push-ups) the consequence is a loss of mobility and elasticity of the pectoral muscles. You can stretch the pectoral muscles by lying on the ground on your side, keeping your leg extended on the ground and bending the other one at the knee to 90°, stretching both arms in front of your chest and then rotating the arm it does not rest on the ground around the head, keeping it stretched out.
Shoulder stretch
Especially if you do sedentary or desk jobs, your shoulders always end up being blocked or losing mobility and elasticity. An excellent stretching exercise consists of placing your hands against a wall, keeping your arms extended upwards, and then moving back, moving your pelvis away from the wall, lowering your back until your torso is almost parallel to the floor and maintaining the position for 15″ .
Neck stretch
Almost no one thinks about it, but between unnatural positions, stress and stiffness, the lack of mobility in the neck has repercussions in tension that runs through the entire back as well as in possible headaches. The solution is not to repeatedly tilt your neck to the right and left, but to do the ‘cat’ exercise: on all fours on the ground, with your knees and hands supported, arch your back up and down about 10 times.
Photo credits: MisterDavidC via photopin cc
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2024-01-18 10:17:07
#stretching #exercises #toe
