Standing quad stretch with support

The front of your thigh is made up of four muscles known as the quadriceps. You probably know them as the “quads.” To stretch these muscles, which are important for climbing stairs and lifting heavy things, follow these steps:

1. Stand up tall with your right hand on a sturdy chair or wall.
2. Bend your left knee and raise your heel toward your buttocks.
3. Reach with your left hand and grab hold of your heel (see Figure a).
4. Inhale deeply and as you exhale, slowly lower your bent knee until it is even or side by side with your other knee (see Figure b). Try to keep the inside of your thighs touching and focus on moving your knee back, not forcing your foot to touch your buttocks. To really feel this stretch correctly, try to tuck your pelvis under and think about your tailbone moving toward the floor.
5. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds or about four to five slow, deep breaths.
6. Repeat the same stretch on your right leg.

To make this stretch more challenging, let go of the chair or wall and you’ll be improving your balance while you stretch your quads.
A few do’s and don’t for this stretch:

• Do stand up tall with good posture.
• Do keep your standing knee slightly bent
• Don’t compress your knee by pulling your heel to your buttock.
• Don’t pull your heel to the outside of your hip.

Standing inner thigh stretch with chair

Although you can stretch your inner thigh area in many different ways, this stretch is probably the easiest way to stretch your groin area without tensing your neck, shoulders, and back.
To do this stretch, follow these steps:

1. Stand next to a chair.
2. Raise your leg that’s closest to the chair and place your foot on the seat of the chair. Make sure to keep your hips and shoulders facing forward, as shown in Figure 8-7a.
3. Exhale slowly as you bend forward and lower your hands toward the floor. Check out Figure 8-7b for the visualization of this stretch. Let gravity do the work for you. If you feel too much strain, place one hand on the seat of the chair to give you a little more control over the stretch.
4. Gradually deepen the stretch with every exhale as you hold this stretch for 30 seconds. Shake your head “no” to make sure that you aren’t holding tension in your neck.
5. Roll up slowly and repeat the stretch with your other leg. Never bounce or force the stretch. This actually can cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax and lengthen.

A few do’s and don’ts for this stretch:

• Do tilt your pelvis back so you feel the stretch a little deeper in your groin.
• Do keep your arms and shoulders relaxed and just let gravity gently deepen the stretch.
• Do keep your standing leg straight.
• Don’t rush!

Standing hamstring stretch with chair

You feel this stretch in the back of your thighs, which are commonly called your hamstrings. This area is tight for a lot of people, so if you’re one of these folks, take your time and really relax into the stretch. Go grab a sturdy chair for this exercise.
To do this exercise, follow these steps:

1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart and your hands on the seat of the sturdy chair in front of you.
2. Inhale deeply, and hinge from the hips, lowering your upper body toward the chair.
3. Inhale again and as you exhale, try to lower your body even more by bending your elbows. As you become more flexible, try to lower your elbows to the seat of the chair.
4. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds. You feel a deeper stretch behind your thighs and in the back of your knees if you keep your back flat and tilt your pelvis toward the ceiling.
5. Bend your knees and roll your upper body up to a standing position.

A few do’s and don’ts for this exercise:

• Do remember to take several deep breaths during the 30 seconds.
• Do keep your knees straight.
• Don’t round your back.
• Don’t tuck your hips under.

Lying neck stretch

This simple stretch is one of the easiest ways to help relieve tension in your neck and shoulders.
You need to be very gentle with this stretch — definitely no forcing the stretch or yanking on your neck.
To do this exercise, follow these steps:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Interlock your fingers behind your head.
3. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, slowly lift your head with your hands, bringing your chin toward your chest. Be sure to keep both shoulder blades on the floor and lift only your neck. Because of where the muscles of your upper back and neck are attached, you diminish the effectiveness of this stretch if you lift your shoulder blades off the floor.
4. Hold this stretch for about 30 seconds, taking several deep breaths as you relax into the stretch.
5. Release the stretch and lower your head back to the floor.
6. Repeat this stretch two to three times.

A few do’s and don’ts for this exercise:

• Do keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Do keep your shoulder blades anchored to the floor and only lift your head.
  
• Don’t put too much pressure on your neck with your hands; they should only nudge your head forward.
• Don’t hold your breath.

Lying spinal rotation with bent knees

I love this exercise because it’s one of the simplest ways to increase or maintain range of motion in the trunk, hips, and buttocks areas. Flexibility in these areas is crucial for functional fitness — being in shape for everyday life!
To do this exercise, follow these steps:

1. Lie on your back and bring your knees to your chest and extend your arms out from your sides.
2. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, slowly lower your legs to one side until they reach the floor, keeping your arms flat on the floor. Be sure to keep the opposite shoulder blade and your head on the floor.
3. Hold this stretch for about 30 seconds, taking several deep breaths as you relax into the stretch.
4. Slowly lift your knees back to center and repeat the same stretch on the other side.

Do’s and don’ts for this exercise include the following:

• Do keep your shoulders down and relaxed.
• Don’t hold your breath.

Lying arm circles

The purpose of this exercise is to teach you how to increase body awareness by stabilizing your shoulder girdle (the area surrounding the shoulder) and maintaining neutral spine when you move your arms. This stretch also warms up your shoulders and prepares you for the upper body stretches to come.
To do this exercise, follow these steps:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor with your arms at your sides.
2. Take a deep breath and lift your arms above you on the floor.
3. As you exhale, lower your arms back to your sides in a circular pattern as if you were lying in the snow and making a snow angel.
4. Repeat this exercise eight to ten times.

A few do’s and don’ts for this exercise:

• Do keep your neck long and relaxed.
• Do keep your shoulder blades down as you lift your arms overhead.
• Don’t arch your back or move your rib cage as you lift your arms.

Lying pelvic tilts

This exercise is designed to help you discover body awareness in the hip and pelvis area —which is responsible for many everyday movements like climbing stairs and maintaining your balance. And this stretch not only warms up the muscles around the pelvic girdle but also helps you find and maintain neutral spine.
To do this exercise, follow these steps:

1. On a comfortable surface such as a carpeted floor or a stretching mat, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor or mat.
2. Inhale deeply and as you exhale, tip your pelvis upward so you feel your lower back gently pressing against the floor. Keep your upper body relaxed and tension free. Focus on moving only your pelvis.
3. Release back to neutral spine.
4. Repeat this exercise eight to ten times.

A few do’s and don’ts for this exercise:

• Do keep your upper back on the floor.
• Do keep your neck and shoulders relaxed.
• Don’t squeeze your buttocks when you tilt.