After a good workout, nothing is more beneficial than stretching. It’s the best you can do for your hard-working muscles as it helps them stay flexible and strong. You can also increase mobility and range of motion and improve recovery time.
Experts agree that you should stretch without exercising regularly. Of course, it’s even more important if you’re straining these muscles on a regular basis. Here are some of the most effective stretches you can do after training:
Standing forward fold
Gravity is used to naturally stretch your legs and back, so any type of forward-looking fold is very effective after a workout. There is no sensation of force or pull, unlike sitting or lying down. You are literally “letting go” and gravity allows you to do all the work for you.
Start from a standing position, bend forward and turn your arms to the floor. It doesn’t matter if you touch the floor. It just stretches your muscles naturally. If your hands do not touch the floor, place them on your lap or simply hang them to relax your entire upper body with your feet.
Keep your legs stretched and unlocked, and bend your knees slightly. This will prevent you from overloading the tendons behind your knees. Hold here for at least 1 minute, breathe well and feel hamstrings, calves, and hip stretches.
When you’re ready to finish the stretch, bend your knees and slowly return them to their original position.
Downward dog
This incredible yoga pose stretches your entire back and legs. It can be used by anyone from beginners to advanced users.
Place your hands under your shoulders, activate your feet, and start from the board position. Push your hips up and push diagonally backwards to straighten your legs. You should feel the entire spine stretched.
Keep your shoulders away from your ears and push the ground away to feel your neck muscles relax. Use your shoulders as a force to stretch your back muscles.
You can hold it here or bend one paw and then the other, alternating “take the dog for a walk” every few seconds. Hold the dog facing down for at least 1 minute and take a deep, long breath that feels stretched.
Runners lunge
Whether you’re just doing aerobic exercise, focusing on squats, or playing tennis, it’s important to stretch these leg muscles. The runner’s rush is a very efficient stretching exercise that tackles the hamstrings, calves, and hips. You can also get a deeper stretch each time you breathe.
Place your hands under your shoulders and your knees just below your hips, starting on all fours. Place one foot between the palms and extend the other foot back. Lifting the knee off the floor activates the quadriceps.
Use your palm and the base of your hind toes as a force to push yourself off the ground and stretch it deeper. Keep your spine straight and open chest for at least 30-60 seconds, then switch legs.
There is a hamstring stretch on the front leg and a quadriceps and calf on the hind leg. Take a deep breath and focus on stretching each leg as much as possible.
Hip flexor stretch
The hip flexor is the muscle at the top of the quadriceps. They are responsible for the flexion of your feet, that is, they help you lift your feet. Due to our modern and sedentary lifestyle, our hip flexors tend to be tightened more than necessary. This can overcompensate your back and cause back pain.
Most exercises, especially those done on leg days, don’t really work either. In fact, these types of routines tend to put more stress on the hip flexors without increasing range of motion.
That’s why adding hip flexor stretches after a workout is so effective. It can improve both blood circulation to these muscles and their function.
Start with the runner’s rush and drop your back knees to the floor. Lift your torso and place your hands on your front knees. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly, lowering your hips and keeping your front knees away from you.
You should feel the stretch of the hip flexors as well as the quadriceps. The more you sit down, the harder you stretch. Hold for at least 1 minute, carefully lift the torso to finish the pose, then repeat with the other leg.
Shoulder stretch
No matter what kind of training you did, your shoulders were definitely involved. Stretching them can relieve tension in the neck, the space between the shoulder blades, and the entire upper back.
Start from a standing or sitting position, extend your arms forward, and then interweave your fingers. Inhale heavily, then press the interlaced fingers to stretch the entire upper back.
You can drop your head toward your chest to increase neck stretch, or simply look forward. Hold for 1 minute, then lie down on your arms to fully relax your shoulders.
Triceps stretch
Another important upper body muscle group that we tend to forget to stretch is the triceps brachii. This variation also helps to open the chest and stretch the entire front of the body.
Start from a standing or sitting position and lift one arm toward the ceiling. Bend your elbows and drop your arms behind your head.
When trying to grab the fingers of the other hand, bend the other elbow and tilt it behind your back. As shown in the video above, if you can’t touch it, you can grab a shirt or use a towel instead.
After a large inhalation, use your finger connections or the force of grabbing the shirt to open your elbows and fully expand your chest. Feel the stretch of your triceps and your entire chest as you exhale. Hold for at least 30-60 seconds.
If you’ve been exercising for a long time, you’ve later heard how important it is to stretch those muscles. Regardless of the type of exercise routine you have just completed, these six basic positions help your muscles recover and maintain flexibility and strength.
