- Warm-up
- Stretching the back of the thighs
- Stretching the hip muscles
- Calf stretching
- Buttock stretching
Stretching your legs will give you quick results if you do it regularly. 3 training sessions a week are enough to notice the first results after a month. Stretching has a lot of he alth benefits: it prevents muscle contractures and improves the flexibility and flexibility of the body.
Stretching your leg musclesshould go hand in hand with strengthening them. The stretching itself weakens the muscle fibers, but the lack of stretching leads to muscle contractions and the feeling of "stiffness" during everyday activities. Learn how to do stretching to its best benefits.
Static stretching, as discussed in this article, is one of the many methods of stretching. It consists in waiting out the muscle tension. You put yourself in the correct position, exercise your maximum range of motion, and try to relax your muscles. After the tension is gone, you can deepen the stretch. This form of stretching is very safe and develops body awareness.
Warm-up
Each training session should be preceded by a warm-up. A well-done warm-up improves blood circulation, thanks to which the body tissues are better oxygenated. Certainly, after a warm-up, apart from a slight fatigue, you also felt a very pleasant feeling of relaxation.
Before stretching, do the following short warm-up:
1. Start by walking, then accelerate a little and run in place.
2. Jump with both sides to the sides, alternate this exercise with rompers, jumping in place with a twist, running in place for about 3-4 minutes.
3. After this time, stand on slightly bent legs and begin to twist your hips. Do 10-15 repetitions on each side.
4. Stand on one leg, bend the other leg at the knee and make large and precise turns. Do 10 repetitions back and forth, then alternate leg.
5. In addition to the hip joint, also warm the knee joint: bend your knees and place your hands on them. Do the turns inwards (about 15 repetitions) and outwards.
Stretching the back of the thighs
The group of the back of the thighs includes the following muscles: biceps, semi-membrane and semi-tendons. Tense muscles cause pain when abducting the leg back and bending the knee. To rule out possible injuries related to damaging these muscles, follow the steps belowstretching:
1. Sit back on the mat. Stretch your legs out in front of you. Point your feet towards the ceiling, not to the sides. Make sure your hips are parallel. Imagine you are standing on your feet. In this position, your hips are aligned. Take the same setting while sitting.
2. Straighten up, pull your body up (don't slouch).
3. Bend down to the legs, try to relax them. Make sure that your legs are not bent at the knees. Don't think about hugging your legs, focus more on straightening your back, aim for your belly (not your head) to touch the top of your thighs.
4. Wait for the tension which may last for several minutes. Relax your body with each exhale.
Stretching the hip muscles
The hip muscles, along with the lumbar muscles, are responsible for lifting the legs. People who spend a lot of time in front of the computer have cramped hip flexors all the time. The exercises will also make it easier to make a cross-border (French) splits.
1. Stand on the mat, lunge forward with one leg (bend at 90 degrees) and leave the other leg behind. Rest the other leg on something soft to avoid damaging the articular cartilage in the knee.
2. Imagine that in this position you want your back leg to touch the floor. Gently push your hips down. Do not lean your body to the front of the leg, try to pull your back up. Make sure your core muscles are tense.
3. Pay attention to the knee. It should not extend in front of the foot or run to the side. The body and leg should point forward.
4. Stay in this position until the legs are completely relaxed.
5. Repeat the exercise on the other side.
Calf stretching
To protect yourself from aches, inflammation, and even Achilles tendon rupture, include a simple triceps calf stretch exercise. To facilitate its execution, you can use an elevation, e.g. a chair.
1. Rest your hands on the seat of the chair.
2. Take the push-up position, lean over the chair.
3. Make sure your feet are stuck to the floor and pointed towards the chair. Keep your legs together.
4. Tighten your calves tight, hold on for about 20 seconds, then relax and bend over the chair even more.
5. Repeat the whole process several times, depending on how you feel and how well you are. For starters, start with 5 repetitions.
Buttock stretching
If you are sedentary, spend a lot of time in front of the computer or driving a car, start stretching your gluteal muscles.Stretching will eliminate pain in the hips and spine that may be associated with over-tightening of this part of the body.
1. Lie on your stomach, leaning on your elbows.
2. Bring one leg, bent at the knee, to your elbows.
3. Distribute your body weight on both legs. 4. If you can, put your stomach on your bent leg. Take it slowly, try to apply enough pressure to feel the stretching, not the tearing of the muscle.
5. Breathe evenly and calmly. Try to relax in this position.
6. Do this exercise by pulling the other leg, bent at the knee, to your elbows.