Archive for category STRETCHES
Upper Body Stretches
Posted by Laurie Stilwell in STRETCHES, Upper Body Stretches on July 25, 2011
Stretching the upper body is just as important as stretching the lower body. It can be so relaxing and calming after a tough upper workout to take a few minutes to stretch.
Not only is it enjoyable to stretch, but it is IMPORTANT to stretch. Keep your body long, lean and protected against injuries by taking the time to stretch.
Let me start by showing you a few upper body stretches that are easy to do and fairly self- explanatory.
On the bottom left I am stretching my mid and rear shoulder muscle. Actively pull the straight arm as far back as you can. Be sure to switch arms.
On the bottom right I am stretching the front of my shoulders and chest muscles. With both stretches I am consciously breathing into the tension and making sure I can feel a gentle tug in the desired area.
- Shoulder Stretch
- Front of Shoulder and Chest Stretch
The next 2 stretches I am going to show you will also stretch your shoulders, but mainly your chest muscles.
On the bottom left I am holding on to something stable behind me while I lean my body forward. Notice my feet are placed a bit behind me as well. My chest is pushing forward, in front of everything else. On the right bottom I am isolating my shoulder and chest muscle one side at a time. Notice how I am twisting my torso away from my arm. This allows me to really take the stretch deeper. Be sure to switch sides.
Chest and Shoulder Stretch
Isolated Chest and Shoulder Stretch
Hip Flexor, Inner Thigh, Calf and Achilles Stretch
Posted by Laurie Stilwell in Hip Flexor, Inner Thigh, Achilles and Calf, STRETCHES on July 19, 2011
I want to focus on some parts of the lower body that often get skipped or forgotten when it comes to stretching. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I think many people don’t stretch these areas because 1) they simply do not how or 2) they think these smaller areas are not as important. As a Scottsdale personal trainer, let me stress that ALL parts of the body need stretching, so because of that I am going to show you some basic stretches to isolate these tricky areas.
The first one featured is for the hip flexor muscle. The hip flexor muscle is made up of three other muscles… your rectus femoris(green), psoas major(blue), and illiacus(red).
The hip flexor is SO important to stretch. Most peoples' hip flexors are very tight because they are constantly being overused and over contracted due to our "sitting society". The hip flexor muscles are highly activated in a seated position.
Study the picture below. Begin in a kneeling lunge on the floor and really push your hips forward while keeping your upper body upright and drawn back. Raise the arm of the leg that is in back. Keep that arm back by your ear. In the picture below I am feeling the stretch in my right hip flexor.To make this a little deeper, lean back more with your upper body, and pull your arm(while keeping it straight) back farther and really PUSH your hips farther FORWARD. Hold for 30 sec- 5 minutes and be sure to switch sides.
Hip Flexor Stretch
As a Scottsdale personal trainer, I find that the muscle that gets the least amount of "love" is the inner thigh(adductor). Many people have no idea how tight this muscle is until they actually stretch it. This muscle is easy to stretch it and is very relaxing to do so.
Below is the butterfly stretch. Connect your feet together as close as possible and draw them in close to your body. Simply hold this for 30 sec- 5 min. DO NOT BOUNCE! If you want to feel this stretch deeper then lean your chest forward over your legs.
Butterfly Inner Thigh Stretch
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