Category: Stretching
Foam Roller
Breaking the injury cycle could be as simple as investing in a foam roller. Working out, although great for your health, can often wreck havoc on your muscles, fascia, and joints. Due to the interaction between the central nervous system, fascia and muscle, stretching just isn’t enough. To incorporate change in these faulty movement patterns [...]
Read moreDynamic Warm up and Hip Flexor Stretch
Stretching your hip flexors is an extremely important part of a complete workout and injury prevention routine that is often forgotten. Start with a basic hip flexor stretch. If you are looking for something a little more dynamic than the basic hip flexor stretch then this is the exercise for you. It stretches your hip [...]
Read moreThe Most Important Stretch
Yes, in my professional opinion there is one stretch that I deem more important than all the others. As you sit, your hip flexor muscles tighten up. The psoas, one of the hip flexor muscles, inserts on the lumbar spine (lower back). When this muscle tightens up from prolonged sitting it can cause increased back [...]
Read moreRolling the Tibialis Anterior (shin muscle)
The Tibialis Anterior is a muscle that runs up the lateral (outside) of your shin. It is often the culpret for shin splints. A quick easy way to loosen up this muscle is to use a rolling pin. Pause for 30-45 seconds on areas that are extra painful or have muscle knots. Never roll over [...]
Read moreCalf Stretch
Ankle range of motion and flexibility are critical for a healthy gait cycle. Without proper flexibility of the ankle, excessive stress is placed on the knee. By doing a simple ankle stretch daily, this motion can be improved and your risk of injury decreased. Direct Benefits of Stretching the Calf: Decreases risk of Achilles Tendonitis [...]
Read moreLatissimus Dorsi Stretch
After slaving away at the gym cranking out hundreds of pull ups, let’s take a closer look at how to stretch out the latissimus dorsi. It is the large muscle in the back that allows you to perform pull ups. If you have not perfected a pull up yet check out this link: The Perfect [...]
Read moreExternal and Internal Shoulder Stretch
Most people know some basic stretches for the shoulder, such as a chest or triceps stretch but forget to stretch the muscles that form the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff muscles play a very important roll in stabilizing the shoulder. Excessive tightness from these muscles can lead to or perpetuate shoulder dysfunction and pain. Listed [...]
Read moreNeck Stretch
The muscles of the neck often get tight and strained from holding up the head during poor postural alignment. The head weighs approximately 10lbs. This is a lot of weight for the small muscles of the neck to support for any length of time. Tips: Never force a stretch, stretching should feel good, not painful. [...]
Read moreChest Stretch
Tight shoulders? Feel like they are constantly pulling you forward? Preventing you from having good posture? Try this chest stretch to help loosen up your pectoralis muscles and help get your shoulders back in line with your body. Not only do rounded, forward shoulders look bad but they also increase your risk for neck pain [...]
Read moreTriceps Stretch
Sore from working on push ups? Try this triceps stretch to help work the soreness out of the back of your arms. Important key components for all stretches: Never force a stretch, stretching should feel good, not painful. Always maintain good posture, a stretch should never cause you to slouch. Hold each stretch for at [...]
Read moreShoulder Stretch
The shoulder does not have bony support like most of the joints in the body; therefore, it relies on the rotator cuff muscles to aide in that support. These muscles often get tight from overuse or imbalance and need to be stretched. A great stretch that I found for the posterior (back) part of the [...]
Read moreHip Flexor Stretches
Ever feel like you are 90 when you are not? Do you have trouble getting out of the car after a long road trip? Since we are a society that sits for great lengths of time the front of the hip often gets tight. Listed below are a few great stretches for opening up the [...]
Read morePosterior Hip Stretches
A proper stretching routine is a crucial component for a complete workout program. Tight hamstring and hip muscles alone can contribute to low back and hip pain, which can easily be resolved with a few simple stretches. Below you will find a few of my favorite stretches for the hips and low back. Important key [...]
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