Gain More Muscle Mobility And Relieve Pain By Performing These Stretches
Stretching and self-myofascial release are critical for your body. Stiff
joints and tight muscles are normal and a daily occurrence. This is where
mobility is a major part.
Mobility is something that improves your overall goals and daily
activities. Exercises like these daily stretching examples change that and
can make a huge beneficial change.
Dynamic stretching increases blood flow and can help muscles with better
performance. Pulls, sprains and tears are also common, so these exercises
can help with muscle recovery as well as tension release.
Your muscles are like a piece of fabric that you’re holding in front of
you, if you were to pull that fabric in opposite directions, it would
stretch up to a certain point. If continued to pull, some of the fibres
would start to break. Given enough force, the fabric would eventually rip
right in half. Your muscles are no different to the fabric.
Taking this into consideration, it proves the importance of
stretching and trying to reach the muscles you wouldn’t naturally think
of.
So to know if the pain is a strain or general fatigue, be sure to stretch
before exercising, after and also with these examples, for those hard to
reach muscles!
1. The Blackburn
TARGETS:
⚫ Shoulders
⚫ Lats
⚫ Start by lying face down on the floor, place your arms at your
sides, elevated above the glutes with your palms facing up.
⚫ Swing your arms towards the top of your head, rotating your palms
so that at the top of the movement, they’re facing down towards the
floor.
⚫ Return to the starting position for one rep.
⚫ Repeat for 4 sets of 12 reps.
2. A Calf Massage
TARGETS:
⚫ Calves
⚫ Start in a tabletop position with your wrists under your
shoulders and knees under your hips.
⚫ Place your left knee on top of your right calf.
⚫ Starting in a clockwise direction, press your knee gently into
your calf muscle and make small circles to massage.
⚫ Change direction.
⚫ Repeat for 3 sets of 30 seconds on each leg.
3. A Dynamic Side Lunge
TARGETS:
⚫ Hips
⚫ Hamstrings
⚫ Start in a wide stance position with your toes angled out.
⚫ Shift your hips back and shift all of your weight to the right
side, lowering into a side lunge.
⚫ Allow your left toes to come off the ground and point up.
⚫ Push through your right heel to shift your weight to the left
side, then repeat on the opposite side for one rep.
⚫ Complete 3 sets of 30 seconds with continuous movement.
4. Cross-Legged Stretch
TARGETS:
⚫ Hip Flexors
⚫ Inner Thighs
⚫ Start by lying face up.
⚫ Draw your knees to your chest then cross your legs over one
another whilst simultaneously grabbing your ankles with the opposite
hands.
⚫ Pull both of your legs towards your chest and back out until you
feel the stretch in your hips and legs.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds.
⚫ Repeat for 3 sets.
5. The Frog Stretch
TARGETS:
⚫ Hips
⚫ Start on all fours on a cushioned surface, with wrists under your
shoulders and knees under your hips.
⚫ Spread your knees wider than hip-width apart, turning your toes
out.
⚫ Slowly move your hips back between your feet to feel a stretch
deep in your hips.
⚫ If it’s too intense, support more of your body weight with your
hands and upper body, and ease back slowly until you gain more
flexibility.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds.
⚫ Repeat for 3 sets.
6. A Hamstring Sit-Back
TARGETS:
⚫ Hamstrings
⚫ Calves
⚫ Hips
⚫ Start on all fours, your wrists under your shoulders and your
knees under your hips.
⚫ Extend the left leg straight out to the left side with your toes
pointing up.
⚫ Send your hips back to the right heel, shifting all of your
weight to the right side.
⚫ You should feel a stretch along the back of your left leg.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side for one
set.
⚫ Complete for 2 sets.
7. The Hip Opener
TARGETS:
⚫ Hips
⚫ Start in a high plank position, wrists under your shoulders and
your core tight.
⚫ Bring your left foot outside your left hand, then weave your hand
around the back of the foot and place it on the left side.
⚫ Lean into your left hip by shifting your weight towards the left
side whilst keeping your right foot in place.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side for 1
set.
⚫ Complete for 2 sets.
8. An Origami Stretch
TARGETS:
⚫ Chest
⚫ Shoulders
⚫ Lower Back
⚫ Quads
⚫ Start in a seated position with your legs extended straight out
in front of you.
⚫ Cross your right leg over your left knee, placing your left foot
on the floor.
⚫ Grab hold of your right knee, then lean back to lie down, pulling
your right knee with you (drop the right shoulder for a deeper
stretch).
⚫ Then, bend at the knee to grab your left ankle and bring it
towards the glutes for a quad stretch.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side for 1
set.
⚫ Complete for 2 sets.
9. Lower Back Knee Drop
TARGETS:
⚫ Lower Back
⚫ Start in a seated position with your knees bent and heels on the
floor in front of you.
⚫ Place your hands behind you, palms down, fingertips facing your
glutes, with a slight bend in your elbows.
⚫ Drop both of your knees to the left side, stacking them at the
bottom of the movement.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds, then repeat on the opposite side for 1
set.
Complete for 2 sets.
10. A Piriformis Massage
TARGETS:
Piriformis (The piriformis muscle is a small muscle located deep behind
the glutes (making it hard to reach) that connects the lower spine to the
femur, functioning at the hip.)
⚫ Start in a seated position with your legs outstretched in front
of you. Using your right hand, pull your left knee up towards your chest
and cradle it in your right arm.
⚫ Your shin should be parallel to the floor.
⚫ Stretch your left arm straight out to your left side and rest
your fingertips on the floor as you gently lean back and to the left onto
the upper/outer portion of glutes.
⚫ Roll around in a circular motion here until you feel the pressure
on the piriformis.
⚫ Once you find it, roll around on it for 30 seconds, then repeat
on the opposite side for 1 set.
⚫ Complete for 2 sets.
11. A Wide-Step Hamstring Stretch
TARGETS:
⚫ Hamstrings
⚫ Start with your feet slightly wider than hip-width distance
apart.
⚫ Cross your right foot over your left as far as possible (there
should be a gap between feet).
⚫ Hinge at the hips to bend over and reach for your right
toes.
⚫ Lower as far as possible, and if you have the flexibility to keep
your legs straight, that will maximise the stretch.
⚫ Hold for 30 seconds then repeat with your left leg for 1
set.
⚫ Complete for 2 sets.
Perform these dynamic stretches everytime you have the chance,
after a though workout! Your joints and muscles will thank you!
