General Stretching Routine

28 May General Stretching Routine

If you are interested in beginning a stretching routine- look no further!   Believe it or not- stretching really DOES make a difference to the way that your body feels and functions.  This basic routine will cover the main muscle groups in your body, and is a great starting point.

•  The best time to stretch is when your muscles are warm- after a 5 minute brisk walk, or after your exercise routine.   Although it is preferable, it is not necessary that you warm up first.
• Stretching should NEVER be painful- you should only feel a mild to moderate stretch in the area that you are targeting.  If you do experience any pain during or after a stretching exercise, stop immediately and seek the advice of a health professional.
• Hold each stretch for around 30 seconds.
• Stretches can be performed 1-2 times per day.
• Don’t be discouraged if you don’t stretch every day- even stretching once a week is better than nothing!

Thank you to www.sportsinjuryclinic.net for the images used in this blog post.

Chest Stretch:

• This stretch is pure gold- by far the stretch that we recommend most often in the clinic!  It is fabulous for people who spend a lot of time with their shoulders hunched forward (all of us)- at a computer, cooking, cleaning, driving, holding babies and children, gardening, the list goes on….
• Stand in a doorway or next to a wall.
• To stretch your right chest area, bend your right arm and place your forearm flat against the wall or doorframe.
• Step your right foot forwards and gently bend your knee to feel a stretch in the chest and front or your shoulder.
• Repeat with the left arm to stretch the left side of your chest.
• Click here for a more detailed video.

Neck Side Flexion:

• Standing or sitting up tall, look straight ahead- do not let your chin drop down.
• To stretch your right neck and shoulder, gently move your left ear towards your left shoulder.
• You can gently place left your hand on your head for extra support.
• Do not let your right shoulder lift up.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in your right neck and upper shoulder area.
• Repeat on the other side to stretch your left neck and upper shoulder area.

 Neck Flexion:

• Begin by either standing or sitting up nice and tall.
• Keep the elbows straight and rest your arms at your sides.
• Bring your chin down towards your chest.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your neck and upper back.

Neck Rotation:

• Begin by standing or sitting up tall with your arms at your sides.
• To stretch your right upper shoulder and neck, turn your head towards looking over your left shoulder.
• Try to keep your shoulders nice and square.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in your right upper shoulder and neck area.
• Repeat on the other side to stretch your left upper shoulder and neck area.

Gluteal Stretch:

• Lie on the floor on your back.
• To stretch your left gluteal (bottom) area, bend your left knee and gently hug it to your chest.
• to increase the stretch, you can gently bring your left knee towards your right shoulder (as illustrated in the picture).
• You should feel a gentle stretch in your left gluteal (bottom) area.
• Repeat with the right leg to stretch your right gluteal area.

Lower Back Rotation:

• Avoid this stretch if you have a history of lower back injury or disc problems.
• If not- lie on the floor on your back.
• To stretch the right lower back and gluteal area, cross your right foot over the left knee, keeping the right knee bent.
• Use your left hand to gently pull the right knee across your body, towards the floor.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in your lower back and gluteal area on the right side.
• Repeat the exercise with the left knee bent to stretch the left side.

Piriformis Stretch:

• The piriformis muscle is a deep gluteal (bottom) muscle that plays a very important role.
• To stretch your left piriformis muscle, lie on the floor on your back and cross the left ankle over the right knee.
• Grip the thigh of your right leg and hug it towards your chest, so your right foot lifts off the floor.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in the left gluteal area.
• Repeat on the other side to stretch the right piriformis muscle.

Adductor Stretch:

• Stand up tall with your feet wide apart and knees straight.
• To stretch the right adductor (inner thigh) muscles, gently bend the left knee, keeping your right knee straight.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in the right inner thigh area.

Hip Flexor Stretch:

• This stretch is so important, especially if you do a lot of sitting.
• To stretch your left hip flexors (muscles in the front of your hip) kneel on the floor with your right leg in front.
• Keeping your back up tall, gently bend your right knee to bring your pelvis forward.
• Make sure that you keep your pelvis square and your back up tall.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in the front of your left hip and thigh.
• Repeat with the left leg in front to stretch the right hip flexors.

Hamstring Stretch:

• To stretch your left hamstring, stand up with your left foot placed slightly in front of your right (as illustrated in the image above).
• Gently bend the right knee and rest your weight on right right upper thigh.
• Tilt the hips forwards as if sticking your bottom in the air.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in your left hamstring (back of the thigh) area.
• To stretch the right hamstring, repeat with your right leg in front.

Calf Stretch:

• To stretch your right calf muscles, stand with your left leg in front of the right close to a wall (as illustrated in the image above).
• Keep the back heel flat on the floor.
• Bend the front leg to lean forwards and keep the back leg straight.
• You should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your right calf area.
• Repeat with the right leg in front to stretch the left calf muscles.

Deep Calf Muscle Stretch:

• There are deep calf muscles that can miss out in a regular calf stretch.
• This stretch is similar to the calf stretch above, but you begin closer to the wall.
• To stretch your right deep calf muscles, put your left leg in front.
• Gently bend both knees.
• It can be hard to feel a stretch on this one- you will most likely feel it closer down towards your ankle.
• Repeat with the right leg in front to stretch the left deep calf muscles.

And there we have it!    I would love to hear your thoughts on how you feel after this routine.

Just a reminder:

• Stretching should never be painful- you should only feel a mild to moderate stretch in the area that you are stretching.  If you do experience any pain during or after a stretching exercise, stop the exercise immediately and seek the advice of a health professional.
• Hold each stretch for 30 seconds.
• Stretches can be performed 1-2 times per day.
• Don’t be discouraged if you don’t stretch every day- even stretching once a week is better than nothing!

Enjoy,

– Clare