Posted on: August 16th, 2017
Stretching is great for your muscles. It loosens up tightened areas, helps with flexibility, and can aid your body in recovery after strenuous activity or a tough workout. But sometimes, we may feel silly bending our bodies into crazy shapes in public! And incorrect stretching could actually do more harm than good.
This is our guide for 3 easy and accessible stretches that anyone can do.
- Hamstring Stretch – Your hamstrings are on the back of your upper leg. The classic Sit-and-Reach movement is the easiest way to find them, and doubles as a good stretch to target your hamstrings. Just sit down with your legs stretched straight in front of you and reach for your toes.Other good stretches for this muscle group are sitting with your legs in a V shape and reaching toward the space between your feet. This stretch specifically targets the medial portion of the muscle. Also try lying flat on your back and wrapping an exercise band or towel around your foot. Then take one end in your hand and guide your foot towards the ceiling until you feel a stretch and move your leg across your body gently. This stretch targets the lateral portion of the hamstring, which is typically neglected and more important to stretch.
- Hip Flexor Stretch – Hip flexors are located on the anterior thigh and clear up into the lumbar spine. These muscles move your knees towards and away from your chest. To stretch them, you’ll need to do the opposite of a knee to chest position. The easiest way to stretch this problematic group of muscles is to kneel with one knee on the ground and one foot out in front. Then shift your weight forward and down toward the foot in front and feel the stretch in the leg that is kneeling. Slightly arch your back and rotate your upper body away from the leg being stretched to get in more pull.
- Pec Stretch – The pecs lie over your chest and attach to the shoulder. The easiest way to stretch your pecs is to use a open door frame. Place one hand on the side of the door frame and act as if you are walking through the frame while keeping your hand stationary, pulling your arm back. If you want to cut your stretching time in half, use both hands and stretch both right and left pecs at the same time while leaning through the door frame.