Hips (static) - This is going to be a little confusing, because we just made such a big deal about NOT statically stretching before a workout. So, why are we saying you should statically stretch your hips? Because, most people’s hips are very tight and completely over-active.
This is due to the fact that most of us sit for such long periods of time everyday. As a result, we actually want to turn the hip muscles OFF. This will allow the muscles we aren’t using (like the glutes - your butt muscles) to wake up and start working again. This will be the only static stretch we do before the workout. The hips are an area of critical importance. Almost everyone has very tight hips from too much sitting and lack of stretching. Tight hips are a major contributing factor to low back pain, poor posture, muscle imbalances etc...
Kneeling Hip Stretch:
• If necessary, put a pillow on the ground or do this stretch on a soft surface.
• Place one knee on the ground and move your other foot in front of you (the back leg is being stretch is to flex your butt while doing this stretch.
This will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the hip stretch. So, with your back leg, flex your butt cheek (right glute in image above) while feeling the stretch in the hip (in the right hip in the image above).
• Hold for 30-60 seconds then switch.
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Hip Stretch - Variation - If you are unable to put weight on your knees, do this stretch instead.
• Lie on your stomach and grasp one foot.
• Bring your foot toward your buttocks and lift your knee slightly off the ground. You will feel this in your quad and hips.
Piriformis - The piriformis is an extremely important, deep gluteus muscle. A tight piriformis can cause a number of problems including impingement on the sciatic nerve.
Cross Over:
• Lay on your back and place your left foot flat on the wall.
• Cross your right foot over your left knee.
• Keep your right foot straight and your toes pointed to the ceiling.
• Keep your lower back on the ground. You will feel a great stretch.
• To intensify the stretch, you can push gently on your crossed leg (right leg in the image above).
• You can also inch closer to the wall. Just make sure you keep your lower back on the ground.
• Stretch for 2-3 seconds, then move out of the stretch and relax for 2-3 seconds.
• Repeat 10 times then switch.
Calves - Tightness and weakness in the calves can lead to a wide variety of problems. Calf tightness comes from: wearing high heels, people who have twisted or sprained ankles in the past, a lack of calf stretching, etc... When your calves are tight,
it affects the way you walk and move. This can cause a huge amount of issues including knee, hip, and back pain, and in some cases, shoulder and neck pain. Addressing calf tightness is a very important issue. You will notice as your calves
become more flexible and strong that you feel lighter and walk much easier.
Stretch #1 - Straight Knee:
• Lean on a wall or something that can hold your weight and put your right leg a few feet away from the wall.
• Make sure your back foot is pointed slightly INWARD.
• Slowly bend move toward the wall, keeping your whole body straight.
• Stretch your right calf for 2-3 seconds, then push away from the wall slightly to relax from the stretch for 2-3 seconds. Repeat 5 times.
• Then, lean toward the right (this will stretch your inner calf). Repeat 5 times.
• Now, lean to the left. Repeat 5 times.
• Switch and do the left leg.
Stretch #2 - Bent Knee:
You are going to do the same as in Stretch #1, but with a bent back knee. This will stretch a vitally important area of the lower calf and foot.
• Make sure your back foot is pointed slightly INWARD.
• Lean toward the middle, the right and then the left 5 times each.
• Then switch feet and repeat.
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Hamstrings - Most people have tight hamstrings due to a lot of sitting and bad posture. This is one of the factors that can lead to low back pain. Tight hamstrings will also cause you to walk differently which can also lead to other issues.
Stretch #1 - Mobile Lower Hamstring:
• Stand straight up.
• Place one leg on a chair or platform about 1 to 2 feet off the ground
• Bend over from the waist, making absolutely sure you do not round your lower back.
• Keep the leg on the chair straight, and back arched. (You will most likely not be able to bend that far over doing the stretch this way. This makes no difference. Do not get caught up in how far down you are going).
• Curl your toes back toward the knee.
• Move the foot back and forth as if you are waving with it, pivoting on the heel, and keeping the toes curled back.
• Keep the arch in the back. The important thing is to feel the stretch, while moving the foot back and fourth.
• Do this for 30 seconds then switch legs.
• Repeat 3 times each leg.
Stretch #2 - Mobile Upper Hamstring:
• Stand straight up.
• Place one leg on a chair or platform about 1 to 2 feet off the ground.
• Bend the leg on the chair to about 45 degrees.
• Bend over from the waist, making absolutely sure you do not round your lower back.
• Move the hips and glutes back and forth as if you are dancing, keeping the heel stationary.
• Keep the arch in the back. The important thing is to feel the stretch, while moving the hips back and fourth. You should feel it in the upper hamstring, glutes, and piriformis.
• Do this for 30 seconds then switch legs.
• Repeat 3 times each leg.
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Upper Back - In order to strengthen the back, we have to first increase the range of motion by improving flexibility. This is an extremely important area that often gets neglected and must be stretched in order to take the strain off the lower back and alleviate rounded shoulders. We will be doing two stretches for the upper back.
Stretch #1 - Arch Bend:
• Stand up and bring your arms in front of you and try to touch your elbows.
• You will be arching your upper back as far as possible.
• Try to separate your shoulder blades as far from each other as possible.
• Then bring your arms in the opposite direction (behind you) and stick your chest out as far as possible.
• Try to touch your shoulder blades together.
• Repeat 10 times.
Stretch #2 - Wall Slides:
• Stand with your back against a wall.
• Raise your arms and place them flat against the wall.
• With your hands touching the wall, bring your arms all the way up to straight.
• As much as possible, keep your lower back against the wall.
• Try to generate as much motion as possible from your shoulder blades instead of just your arms.