We all know stretching is good for us, but do we always stretch before an activity? What about after?
Believe it or not its just as important, if not more important to stretch after your workout.
Here are some stretches to get your body moving..
Note: All running stretches should be performed for about 10 seconds or so.
Arm Stretches
- Stand upright and try to reach the back of your left shoulder with your right hand. Use your left hand to help push your right hand farther back. Do the same with your other hand/arm.
- Put your right arm in the air and bend it so that your elbow is behind your head. With your left hand behind your head, grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull left. Switch.
Hamstrings Stretch
We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.
Quad Stretches
We call these stretches “Flamingos”. Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
- We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.
Quad Stretches
- Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
- Stand with your legs apart and bend down, as if you were performing a squat. Place both palms down on the floor and use your elbows to stretch your legs outward. You will definitely feel the burn.
Groin Stretch
- Sit on your butt and place the soles of your feet together, so that they are touching and stick your knees out to the sides. Try to move your feet as close to your groin. Initially, you will not be able to get as close, but will with time. It will also help to try and bend down to touch your nose to your feet too, but definitely more advanced.
Hip & Lower Back Stretches
Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
Sit on the ground with your right leg crossed over the left. Grab and hug your right knee, so that you feel the back of your leg (lower butt) stretch. You can also put your left arm over the right knee and twist your body clockwise. While stretching your lower back, you can crack your back as well. Switch to stretch your left leg.
Calf/Achilies Stretch
- Get in a push-up position, but place your right foot over your left foot and stick your butt up in the air and flatten your left foot. Depending on how high in the air you stick your butt and how flat your make your foot, you will feel your calf muscle stretch. Make sure you don’t pull your calf muscle this way, but also be sure that you do feel a burn in the first place. Do the same with your left calf.
If you follow these stretches (more or less in that order), you will help lengthen and strengthen your muscles, allowing a better range of motion for your arms and legs. All this, in turn, helps you perform better and run faster at runs and races, without doing much else.
We call these stretches “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
We call these stretches “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
We call these stretches “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
Sit on the ground with your right leg crossed over the left. Grab and hug your right knee, so that you feel the back of your leg (lower butt) stretch. You can also put your left arm over the right knee and twist your body clockwise. While stretching your lower back, you can crack your back as well. Switch to stretch your left leg.
We call these stretches “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
We call these stretches “Hurdles”. Position so that you are going to do a butterfly stretch, except straighten your left leg and using both hands, try and touch your left toe. Do the same with your right leg.
Put your right arm in the air and bend it so that your elbow is behind your head. With your left hand behind your head, grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull left. Switch.
Hamstrings Stretch
We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.
Quad Stretches
We call these stretches “Flamingos”. Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
Put your right arm in the air and bend it so that your elbow is behind your head. With your left hand behind your head, grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull left. Switch.
Hamstrings Stretch
We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.
Quad Stretches
We call these stretches “Flamingos”. Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
Put your right arm in the air and bend it so that your elbow is behind your head. With your left hand behind your head, grab your right elbow with your left hand and pull left. Switch.
Hamstrings Stretch
We call this stretch “hang”. Standing upright, simply bend over forward and let your arms hang down. Your knees do not have to lock, but make sure to keep your legs straight. If you have never done this stretch before, you probably won’t get close enough to touch your toes. But if you hang long enough, you will get closer (and by doing this stretch more often, you will become a lot more flexible). Repeat with your right leg over your left leg and then with your left leg over your right leg.
Quad Stretches
We call these stretches “Flamingos”. Standing upright, bend your right leg back and hold your right ankle with your hand. To help maintain your balance, find a nearby wall or a running partner, or grab your ear with your free hand to counterbalance. Repeat with your other leg.
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