Stretch And Flexibility

If you want to prevent injuries and improve your range of motion, you have to preform stretches and flexibility exercises.

GENERAL
STRETCHING
1. Flexibility
2. Range of motion
3. Circulation
4. Relieves stress
5. Prevents injury
6. Posture
7. Coordination
A. As we grow older our rom decreases, because we don’t stretch.
B. Don’t over-stretch too far or vigorously.
C. Warm up before.
D. Do them after workout.
E. Target your quads, hams, lower back, chest, shoulders, and hips.
F. Begin holding stretches for ten seconds, and work your way up to 30-45 seconds.
G. Relax and breathe throughout the movement.
H. If you feel pain, then you have gone too far.
I. Do static stretch, this is when stretch to your farthest point and hold it without bouncing; bouncing can cause micro-tears to the muscles.
WHEN TO STRETCH
A. BEFORE
To simulate nuerological awarenss.
B. DURING
To provide blood to working muscles.
C. AFTER
1. As a cooling down method.
2. As a recovery method.
3. To regenerate after a workout.
CHEST
CHEST STRETCH
BORGES 1. Stand straight w/ knees bent.
2. Feet shoulder width apart and toes forward.
3. Clasp hands behind back.
4. Extend arms away from your back.
5. Push your chest forward.
6. Hold for ten seconds.
CORNER PECTORAL
1. Stand facing a corner wall.
2. Place hands on the wall above your head.
3. Keep your feet about two feet back from the corner.
4. Lean forward to create a stretch.
5. Hold for ten seconds.

 

BACK
LYING TRUNK TWIST
BORGES 1. Lie on your back, hands on the side, and knees bend.
2. Twist your knees toward the side, while keeping  them together.
3. Let your hips twist too.
4. Hold for ten seconds.
OVERHEAD LAT
1. Place hands together.
2. Raise palms slowly over head.
3. You will feel a stretch in arms, shoulders or upper back.
4. Hold for ten seconds
PRESS-UPS
MANOCCHIA 1. Lie flat on your stomach.
2. Press up into an upper body push-up.
3. Don’t lift your hip of the ground.
4. Hold for ten seconds.
THORACIC BRIDGE
1. Begin the position sitting on your but with feet bent.
2. Lift into a bridge on all fours.
3. Reach your left hand across you body.
4. Return to the starting position
5. Repeat on other side
6. Hold for ten seconds.
KNEELING CAT CAMEL
1. Get on your knees with your butt on your ankles.
2. Your arms should be under your shoulders.
3. Round your back and inhale your stomach.
4. Reverse the move by extending your back and exhale your stomach.
KNEELING T-SPINE ROTATION
1. Get on your knees with your butt on your ankles.
2. Place one hand on  the ground, and the other behind your head.
3. Rotate your elbow to the opposite elbow.
4. Reverse the move with your elbow always pointing to the ceiling.
5. Repeat on other side
6. Hold for ten seconds.

PAGANO

LOW BACK STRETCH

1. Lie on your back and bring your knees over your chest.
2. Separate your legs, inhale, and place your hands on the thighs.
3. Curl your hips up slightly off the floor, bring your knees up toward your shoulders and exhale.
4. Hold for ten seconds.

FULL BACK BEND

1. Begin in an incline position.
2. Reach your arms overhead, and straighten your legs.
3. Rolling the ball down your spine as you arch over it.
4. Reach your arms towards the floor.
5. Hold for ten seconds.

 

SHOULDERS
CROSS-BODY
BORGES 1. Stand straight w/ knees bent.
2. Feet shoulds width apart and toes forwards.
3. Bend your arm at the elbow, and extend across you body.
4. Hold your elbow w/ the other hand.
5. Hold for ten seconds
MANOCCHIA
UPPER BACK
1. Stand in an upright position.
2. Straighten out one hand and bring it across your body.
3. Use you free hand to pull you cross hand closer to your chest.
4. Hold for ten second
PAGANO
ANTERIOR
1. Place one arm behind yout back.
2. Use the other arm to hold your wrist.
3. Slow pull your arm across your back.
4. You should feel a stretch in the front shoulder.
5. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

 

ARMS
BICEPS
BORGES 1. Stand straight w/ knees bent.
2. Feet shoulders width apart and toes forward.
3. Straighten arm parallel to the floor w/ palm facing up.
4. With your other hand grasp your fingers and pull back towards your body.
5. Hold for ten seconds.
TRICEPS OVERHEAD
1. Stand straight w/ knees bent.
2. Feet shoulder width apart and toes forward.
3. Straighten one arm to the ceiling and bend at the elbow.
4. Grab elbow w/ the other hand and hold.
5. Hold for ten seconds.

 

 

LEGS
BORGES
HAMSTRING
1. Lie on your back.
2. Clasp hands or towel behind your knee.
3. Slowly pull your knees towards your chest; keeping the leg straight.
4. Try to get the bottom of your foot to face the ceiling.
5. Stop when you feel a stretch in the back of your thigh.
MANOCCHIA 6. Hold for ten seconds.
HAMSTRING
1. Kneel on one knee
2. Straighten your other leg in front of you.
3. Bend at the hips.
4. Hold for ten seconds.
ABDUCTOR
1. Stand with legs wide apart.
2. Bend hip at 45° angle
3. Lean to one side and bend the knee.
4. Come back to the middle.
5. Repeat on other side
6. Hold for ten seconds.
GLUTEUS
1. Stand straight.
2. Cross your ankle above your knee.
3. Perform a one-legged squat
4. Extend your arms forward.
5. Hold for ten seconds.
QUADS
1. Lie on your side
2. Pull your knee to your chest with the hand you’re laying on
3. Use your top hand to slowly extend your heel and hip backward
4. Stop when your knee is downward
5. Hold for ten seconds
ILLIO-TIBIAL BAND
1. Stand up straight and cross one leg over the other
2. Keep you back leg straight and bend the front leg slightly
3. Bend at the hip and reach your fingers to the ground
4. Hold for ten seconds
ROONEY
BALL FOOT ROLL
1. Place your toes on a hard ball.
2. Apply pressure by pressig down on the ball.
3. Roll forward until your heel is now on top of the ball.
4. Reverse the move.
5. Do 20 reps on each leg.
ILLIO-TIBIAL BAND FOAM ROLL
A. The IT band begins at the top of the hip and runs down the side thigh to the knee.
1. Lay in a side blank with your elbow bend for balance
2. Place a foam roller below your hip.
3. Roll it down to your knee.
4. If there is any soreness, stop and hold the position to limit soreness.
5. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

 

STANDING GASTROCNEMIUS
1. Stand and support youself with both hands against a wall.
2. Bring hone foot behind your body and keep your chest and back leg at a 45-degree angle to the wall.
3. Slowly move your hips toward the wall, while keeping the heel of your back feet on the floor.
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
STANDING QUADS
1. Stand on one leg, while bring the foot up behind the hip.
2. Keep the knee under the hip.
3. Use your hand to increase the stretch.
4. Keep your upper body in an upright position.
5. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
SOLEUS/HIP FLEXOR
1. Get into a lunge position wiith hands up against the wall.
2. Your knee facing the wall must be far enough that the heel
lifts off the ground when you lean forward at the hip.
3. Slide the back knee barkward to stretch the hip
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
BRIDGES
INNER THIGH
1. Your starting position is in a deep squat.
2. Extend your leg to the side w/ toes pointing up.
3. Lean forward until you fell the stretch down the inside of your thigh.
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

 

PAGANO

SEATED HAMSTRING STRETCH

1. Sit on the edge of a chair.
2. Bend one leg 90 degrees, and straighten out the other.
3. Lean forword from the hip untill you fell a stretch in the back of your thigh.
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

INNER-THIGH STRETCH

1. Sit on the floor with the soles of your feet touching.
2. Your knees pointing east to west.
3. Lean forward using your elbows to push down on your thighs.
4. Keep your hands on ankles.
5. Hold for ten seconds

CALF AND ANKLE STRETCH

1. Start in a push-up position.
2. Place your right shin over yor left calf.
3. Lift your hips to the sky.
4. Rock back to make your heel touch the floor.
5. Rock forward onto toes.
6. Perform 10 slow reps.
7. Repeat on other side.

 

HIP
KNEELING HIP FLEXOR/QUAD STRETCH
BORGES 1. Get in lunge position.
2. The back foot knee is on the ground.
3. Drop your hips back until you feel a stretch.
4. Keep the front knee leg in-line with the ankle.
5. Reach back and pull the bend leg towards your butt.
6. Hold the ten seconds.
HIP
MANOCCHIA 1. Kneel on one knee.
2. Bent you other knee at a 90° angle.
3. Raise your hands over your head and hips forward at the same time.
4. Hold for ten seconds.
HIP/LOW BACK
MANOCCHIA 1. Sit with legs outward.
2. Bend one leg over the straight leg.
3. Make sure the bent leg is flat on the ground.
4. Wrap the opposite arm around the bent leg knee.
5. Twist your torso in the direction of the bent leg.
6. Use your other hand for support with palm on the floor.
7. Hold for ten seconds.

 

ROONEY
PIRIFORMIS FOAM ROLL
A. The piriformis is found in the buttocks.
1. Sit on one side of you butt cheek on a foam roller.
2. Place the foot on the side you’re sitting on over the other leg.
3. Roll your but over the roller to find tender spots.
4.   Hold the position to limit soreness.
5. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
HIP INTERNAL & EXTERNAL ROTATION
1. Sit on the floor and bring the sole of one foot to the inside of your
opposite thigh.
2. Bend the other leg to your butt.
3. Lean forward or towards either side to increase the stretch.
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
SEATED GLUTE
1. Sit back in a chair or on a bench.
2. Cross your ankle over your knee.
3. Bend forward at the hip.
4. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
LATISSIMUS
1. Kneel and place your palms on the floor.
2. Walk your hands forward until their are extended.
3. Lower your head and chest to the floor.
SIDE PLANK W/ BOTTOM-LEG RAISE
1. Begin in a low side plank.
2. Lift your bottom leg out and up to you chest.
3. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.
BRIDGES
HIP OPENER
1. Place your ankle over your knee.
2. Reach through and clasp your hand behind your leg.
3. Pull both legs towards your chest.
3. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

SHIN BOX BRIDGE

1. Begin with knees bent at 90 degress and arms straight behind you.
2. Extend your hips and straighten your arm overhead.
3. Repeat on other side. 10 reps for ten seconds.

DYNAMIC FROG

1. Begin on all fours.
2. Slide your knees out to the side.
3. Sink your hips between your knees.
4. Support your upper body on the forearms.
7. Hold for ten seconds

HIP BRIDGE WITH REACH

1. Lie on your back w/ knees bent at 90 degress.
2. Keep your feet flat on the floor.
3. Push through your heels to engage your glutes to lift hips.
4. Lift your arms and shoulders off the floor and reach across you chest.
5. Tap the floor of the opposite shoulder.
6. Return to starting position and complete all reps.
7. Repeat on the other side.