Summary The ONLY 3 Stretches You Need for Better Flexibility (Youtube) www.youtube.com
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n/a If you're feeling a little stiff and you want to improve your flexibility but you don't have a great deal of time on your hands to dedicate to you'd lengthy program, then the good news is that I have just 3 stretches that you need to improve your flexibility, and I'll share with you why everything else isn't actually necessary. So, let's get into it. The first of the stretches is placed first on purpose because the benefits of this stretch carry through into the other 2. I love it because it tackles so many muscles in 1 go which makes it perfect for when you're short on time. So, come to sit onto your bum, feet a little bit wider than your hips, and lean yourself back onto your hands with your fingertips pointing outward.
n/a From here, lift your bum off the floor towards a reverse tabletop position. You want to think of tucking your tailbone under and engaging your bum muscles as if you're trying to flatten out the front of the hip. But don't worry at all if it's not actually flat. That doesn't matter. Press your chest up towards the sky and this might be where you choose to stay.
n/a If you've got a bit more flexibility to play with here, next step 1 foot back a little underneath your bum before pressing your weight forward as if you were going to try to tap your knee to the floor. And again, it doesn't matter how far the knee goes, it just matters the direction that you're sending it in. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, maybe take a little pause if your arms are tired before switching to the other side. So, why do this 1 first? What difference does it actually make?
n/a If you try this stretch with the variation of stepping back with the foot, you'll notice that it's also stretching the soles of your feet, an area which is commonly neglected in stretches, but is an absolute game changer. Trouble is, it can feel pretty uncomfortable. So, let me explain why it's worth putting up with. Aside from improving blood flow, maintaining healthy foot arches, and helping improve our balance and stability, stretching your feet also has a great impact on the flexibility of the rest of the body due to this little thing called fascia. Quite simply, fascia is a thin layer of effective tissue which encases everything within the body.
n/a Our muscles, our organs, our bones, it's all connected like 1 big spider web. Loosening up the fascia through stretching the soles of the feet has an impact on the rest of the fascia in the body helping you find more flexibility in your other stretches to come. So if that foot tuck variation was too much for you in the first stretch, just take a few moments to sit onto your heels before moving on. That first stretch tackles a lot of lengthening into the front of the body. So number 2 is targeting the back of the body, the side that allows us to bend, squat, and fold, and can help reduce the chances of back pain.
n/a For this 1, I want you to grab a stick, a strap, or maybe even just a rolled up pair of socks, something that you can hold into your hip crease as you then come down into a low squat. Your feet should be a little bit wider than your hips but keep your toes mostly facing forwards. This is already quite a tough position to get into. So you'd need something to make this a little bit more accessible, slightly elevate your heels with something. Weight plates or books do a great job of this.
n/a So from here, without dropping your stick, strap or sock, press your hips up to the sky whilst your hands stay on the floor. You could hook onto the front of your toes or feet for stability if you prefer. And yes, that might mean for many of you that your legs do not straighten. Don't go thinking you're the only 1 because it's fully intended this way. We do not need to straighten our legs in order to stretch the hamstrings so stay true to that sock which will help you keep good form.
n/a So alternate between a low squat and your forward fold for around 60 seconds pausing in each for a few moments and this is going to stretch your hamstrings, your glutes, and your lower back. So before we look at the final stretch, why is it that these are the only 3 stretches you need? There are many ways that we can stretch a muscle, many different yoga postures or moves that we can make that will all stretch any given muscle we want to target. But simply put, they all do the same job just in a different way. Variance is great for enjoyment or challenging us in other ways such as building strength, balance or coordination but these aspects are not essential for flexibility improvements.
n/a Simply doing these 3 stretches, perhaps when you wake up or perhaps before you go to bed, will make a world of difference to your flexibility. So, with our first 2 stretches we have stretched the feet and ankles, the quads, the hip flexors, the wrists, the biceps, the chest and shoulders, glutes, hamstrings and back. So with number 3, we're going to hit our inner thighs, our lats and triceps to give our full body a stretch in just 3 efficient moves. This last 1 is great for improving your shoulder mobility for things like handstands and top shelf snacks as well as improving your ability to squat low and help improve your posture. Come to a tall kneeling position and then step 1 foot out to the side, toes turning out away from you.
n/a Feel free to put a cushion underneath the knee for comfort if you need. Allow yourself to then lunge the hips down towards that front ankle, pulling your tailbone slightly under and driving the knee out wide. This bit gets into those inner thighs, so then add the side body reach for an upper body stretch. Rest your forearm onto the thigh or go deeper if you wish as you reach the other arm up and over. Bend the arm to cradle the back of your head as you then look up towards the sky.
n/a Think of rolling the top rib cage on top of the bottom rib cage that your chest stays facing outward, and maybe even press the head lightly into the hand for a bigger stretch into the tricep. Stay for around 30 seconds before changing over and repeating on the other side. The thing is knowing these 3 stretches and doing them is 1 thing but if you really want to improve your flexibility, you need to make sure you're not ignoring this 1 thing that could be really holding you back. So go and watch this video next to uncover the secret to instant flexibility improvements.