5 popular stretches to increase flexibility

Proper stretching exercises aren’t just useful before a sporting event. Keeping your joints mobile and in shape is an effective way to stay healthy and pain-free. 

There are many ways to stretch your muscles, but not all stretches are the best choice. Some put unnecessary stress on your joints, while others require equipment or advanced activities to function properly. 

In this short article, we will introduce five of his most popular works. First, let’s look at why stretching is important, what types of stretching exercises you can do, and when you should do it. 

Why you need to stretch:

Stretching increases the flexibility of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, allowing your joints to move through their full range of motion. 

Stretching is beneficial for many reasons. Prepare your body for exercise: 

Do some light stretching before your workout to get your body ready, and stretch after your workout to get it ready for the gym session. 

How to relax:

Stretching your muscles has a natural relaxing effect and is used in conjunction with breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. 

Injury recovery:

As part of your physical therapy or light exercise regimen, stretch a few times a day or week to restore range of motion in your joints and remove scar tissue from old injuries. 

Relieve pain:

Tight muscles can cause discomfort, so stretching is an effective way to reduce joint pain, especially as you age.

Split Leg Hamstring Stretch:

This is a good stretch for your lower back and hamstrings. 

Start standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart so your feet from an inverted V shape. Bend at the waist, keeping both knees stationary. Slowly lower your hips until you feel a stretch in the back of your body, especially the hamstrings of your left and right legs. 

Try grabbing your shins and eventually the back of your heels. Go as far as you can, stay in the same position, and breathe. Hold this pose for 30 to 60 seconds.

(Can be done one leg at a time while standing.) 

Samson Stretch:  

This stretch works the hip flexors and shoulders. 

Start in a split leg position with your left knee or right foot touching the ground. The front feet should be at a 90 degree angle to the ground. Sit tall and lean forward to feel the stretch in your hip flexors. 

Raise your arms and interlace your fingers as you lean forward. Reach for the sky. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch sides and work the other hip flexor for another 30 seconds. 

Upward Facing Dog:

This stretch is great for your lower back, stomach, and shoulders. 

Start in the lowest push-up position. Instead of doing push-ups, lift your torso off the ground and keep your feet and hips on the ground. Your body should form a “C” shape with your back to the wall.

Move your ears away from your shoulders and lock your arms. Feel the stretch in your back and abdominal muscles. If you feel able, hold for 30 or 60 seconds. 

Cat Stretch:

This stretch works your lower back, upper back, and neck. 

Start on all fours. Press your hands into the floor and look toward the ground while rotating your spine toward the ceiling (like a cat stretching after a nap). 

Try pulling your locked arms toward each other to create tension in your back. Do this every 5 to 10 seconds. 

Doorway Chest Stretch:

This stretch works your chest, shoulders, and biceps. 

Find the door, place your fingers on the inside panel of the door and walk forward, keeping your hands behind your body. As you keep your arms straight, you should feel a stretch in your side, shoulder and chest muscles. 

Relax and rotate slightly toward the wall in front of you, so that over time your hands come completely behind your body. Hold for 30 seconds on one side and repeat on the other side. 

Stretching Exercises Wraps:

These five static stretching exercises are great because they work the entire body and require no equipment. 

This stretch is useful if you’re an athlete, trying to recover from an injury, or just want to relax. Just two minutes or so a few times throughout the day can be very beneficial. 

If you’d like to connect with an expert, learn more about our pricing options today. If you’re looking for tips on stretching your quadriceps or other stretches that are best for other parts of your body, check out our blog post.

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