For me, it always feels great to get a stretch in when the muscles are warm. Way back in the day, I went to a workout class once a week, taught by Anne Klein. We would start off with a warm up jog around her neighborhood and then do this stretching routine. It has stuck with me ever since. If I'm in a rush and I miss doing the routine after my run, I do notice that I feel tighter later in the day. It only takes about 3 minutes, so it's totally worth the time.
Thanks to Annie, for filming this in her backyard! It was a chilly 20F out there, but the sun kept us warm.
I describe the stretching routine in the video below, but here are the main stretches in case you don't want to watch the video each time:
Leg swings (3-5), front to back and side to side across the body
Side lunges, move side to side a couple of times
Shoulder stretch- press hand into inner thigh and drop the shoulder down and hold for 5 seconds, switch sides
Stars- reach through the legs, then open up, reaching arms into the sky, opening up the chest (2X)
Quad stretch- hold ankle up to the glute and hold for 10-15 seconds. Stretch your opposite arm out front for balance.
IT band stretch- cross one leg over the other and reach down, switch sides
Glute stretch (2 variations)- place ankle on opposite knee and lower, keeping your knee out to the side and parallel to the ground to make a 4 shape. You can also sit down, cross your foot over the opposite knee, put the foot flat on the group, twist to look over your shoulder and stretch.
Groin stretch- Start in a wide stance, bend your knees and then push your forearms against your inner knees. Hold for 10-15 seconds.
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