As you begin your fitness journey and put additional strain on your joints and muscles, it is essential to stretch and work on your flexibility. Improving your flexibility will also improve your performance. If you do not work towards becoming more flexible, you have a higher risk of developing significant injuries. Likewise, your range of motion will be significantly reduced. However, this blog offers valuable exercises to improve your overall flexibility.
Hip Flexor Stretch
The hip flexor stretch is a great way to increase mobility and flexibility in your pelvic, hips, and upper thigh area. Your hip flexors are a group of muscles that work together to support standing, walking, sitting, and running. Most hip stretching exercises are beneficial to improving posture as well as balance. There are many different approaches to this exercise. A few common hip flexor stretches include the half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, seated butterfly stretch, and lying hip flexor stretch.
Standing/Sitting Hamstring Stretch
Flexible hamstrings help bend the knee, strengthen the hip, and prevent lower back pain. People use their hamstrings every day. Thus, it is essential to keep these muscles loose and flexible. For example, to effectively do a standing hamstring stretch, you must extend one leg, place it on an elevated surface, bend at the hip, slightly bend the opposite leg, and hold for 10-30 seconds.
Lunges Stretch
Lunge stretches work your quad, glute, and hamstring muscles. This stretch is relatively simple but highly effective for strengthening and increasing the mobility of your lower body. Lunges also relieve spine pain and prevent you from developing lower back problems. A tip to remember when making a lunge is to keep your hips square with your body and chest open. It would help if you also tried to focus on not letting your knees bend past your ties.
Chest and Shoulder Stretch
Stretching your chest and shoulders is essential to prevent long-term shoulder and neck pain. For someone looking to capitalize on their workout routine, regularly stretching your chest muscles will increase your performance in the gym. Your two chest muscles, pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, significantly affect your entire upper body. A few recommendations to improve your chest and shoulder flexibility are the standing wall chest stretch, dynamic chest and front shoulder stretch, and kneeling chest opener stretch.
In conclusion, it is essential to prioritize improving your mobility and flexibility. If you are beginning your workout journey or have been for a while now, injury prevention is not something to take lightly. Email 1jpfit4life1@gmail.com or call (802) 522-6521 for a free consultation to learn more about flexibility. By signing up for a free consultation, we can provide excellent tips to get you started.
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