Stretching is the most important part of exercise. It keeps your muscles in their best working order, protects you from injuries and enhances your performance as your muscles become more supple. We don’t put enough emphasis on stretching and we should. I think we get too wrapped up in the exercise, hitting our PBs and feeling fitter and stronger that we tend to think once the party is over we don’t need to do anything else. But everyone knows after a good party there’s always some clearing up to do. Stretching is the clearing up after the party part that not many people like doing but it’s essential to returning the equilibrium back to a good balance. If you don’t stretch then you’ll be leaving the waste products behind in your muscles and that will eventually come back to bite you in the form of injuries, pains and aches that you never invited along.
1) Stretch your bum- the Pretzel way!
I have found females tend to stretch their glutes more frequently than males and quite often many males will have tight glute muscles. Whilst this may sound like every woman’s dream, tight glutes can actually equal a lot of problems including muscle imbalances, back pain and sciatica. So it’s important for everyone. Here’s my favourite glute stretch. Do this stretch first before anything else and hold each stretch (one each side) for at least 30 seconds.
Lay back on the floor with both legs out straight. Bend at the knees and bring one ankle across over onto the opposite knee. Put your opposite arm through the hole that has appeared in the middle between your legs and grab the back of the leg. Also grab the back of the leg with the other arm and pull in as shown here (Pretzel Stretch)
2) Don’t forget the little guys
Nestled in our groins are our hip flexors. They’re not really that small but for some reason we tend to forget them, maybe because they’re small in comparison to the other big muscle groups which surround them. These are hugely important for our flexibility because if you have tight hip flexors then chances are your posture will be out causing you all kinds of problems. This may also contribute to you seeing lesser results with your glute exercises. So after you’ve stretched your glutes come up slowly and into the hip flexor stretch. Hold each stretch (one each side) for at least 30 seconds.
You might want to grab something for your knees before you do this but kneel on the floor on one knee and lunge forward at a 90 degree angle with your other leg. Lean forward until you feel it stretch out your hip, you may need to experiment with how far you take your leg forward. Another variation on this stretch is to raise your back foot off the floor, supporting it with your arm. This stretch can be seen here (Hip Flexor Stretch)
3) Hammies
Or hamstrings to others. These can also get very tight and contribute to a whole host of problems, most notably back pain. If you can’t touch your toes and you’re under 60 then you have work to do. If you’ve over 60 and can’t touch your toes then it’s not going to hurt to start doing some light stretching either.
An easy way to start is to sit on the floor with your legs out straight but slightly apart. Bend one leg inwards, keeping the other out straight. Lean forwards down the straight leg and try to touch your toes. If you can’t get there go as far down your leg as feels comfortable and hold it there. Keep your leg flat on the floor at all times and keep up torso up straight to protect your back. See the stretch here (Hamstring stretch)
4) The Lower Back
The area I hear the most complaints about but it’s no wonder really. Most of us forget about our back until it goes wrong and by that stage it’s generally too late. This area is so vital to our everyday! If you don’t have a strong core then you need to start working it because everything comes from here. This also means it needs stretching.
My favourite lower back stretch is the yoga exercise called the Sphinx, although I do look much less endearing than the legend itself when I’m doing this one! Lay flat on your stomach with your arms up by your shoulders, elbows in line with the shoulder.. Lift your torso back but press your hips into the floor so you look like something that resembles the great Sphinx. Don’t be disheartened if you can’t come up high to begin with, you will get better and you’re still stimulating blood into the lower back. See the stretch here (The Sphinx)
Make sure you’re warm before you start stretching your muscles. If you stretch cold muscles then think of what happens to blue tac if you pull it when it’s cold- it snaps! Your muscles are at risk of this too. Always, always, always warm up first!
Tightness in the above areas is generally caused by a lack of stretching, a lack of activity or too much sitting down. If you do a job where you sit for several hours, maybe at the desk or in the car be wary of shortening your muscles. Try to get up regularly and move around to keep using those muscles. Do some exercise regularly.
Many people will also benefit from regular sports massages. I myself have one every 3 weeks to keep my muscles in the best condition. I am also trained in sports massage so regularly see the benefits it gives to people including improved sports performance, a decrease in pain in areas and an increase in mobility. Yoga is also a great way to improve your flexibility and I can offer beginners yoga in the comfort of your own home. If you would like to know more about stretching or any of the services I offer please don’t hesitate to contact me!
via Dilly's Personal Training http://ift.tt/1My7qTI
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