Stretch controls. Muscle stretching exercises: a detailed description

Regardless of the activity during the day, the regularity and the presence of fitness in your life, stretching the body is good habit which absolutely everyone needs. After stretching, the blood rushes to the muscles, thereby the joints can perform the full range of motion. Stretching also improves posture and makes us more efficient at sports, while reducing the risk of pain and injury.

Doing yoga or stretching separately, do you know which muscles you are stretching? And are you stretching properly?

1. Camel Pose

We pull the muscles: the rectus abdominis and the external oblique muscle of the abdomen. This pose is great for people who are already quite flexible. Sit on your heels and bring your hands back, holding on to your heels, lift your body higher. Watch your neck, do not tilt your head too low.

2. Wide leg spread to the sides

Pull muscles: adductor femoris and biceps femoris. This exercise perfectly opens the pelvis. If it's hard, start with your knees slightly bent and your back straight. As soon as it becomes easier, then begin to straighten your legs and tilt your body forward, preferably without hunching your back. Work with your foot a little, shorten the foot towards you, and then stretch the toe. To propel yourself forward, use a belt or towel. You can also lie on your back, press your legs against the wall and spread them to the sides.

3. Frog pose

We pull muscles: inguinal muscles. Your knees should be on a soft surface. Spread your knees as wide as possible, while there should be no sharp pain. Do everything smoothly, work a little with the pelvis, directing it forward and backward.

4. Wide deep lunge

We pull muscles: inguinal muscles. Start with wide staging legs, then slowly move your hands to the right leg, bending the right leg at the knee. Lower your pelvis lower, try to drop right next to your heel.

5. Pose butterfly

We pull muscles: inguinal muscles. It is necessary to sit on both ischial bones, connect the feet together, stretch the top of the head to the ceiling. Try to bring the feet as close as possible, thereby the groin muscles will be more elastic. Then move your feet a little further and tilt your body forward to stretch and relieve tension in your back.

6. Forearm extensor stretch

We pull the muscles: the extensor of the forearm. Start with right position shoulders. Lower your shoulder and take it back a little, then slightly raising your arm, lower your hand down, gently press the brush with your other hand.

7. Flexion of the neck

We pull the muscles: sternocleidomastoid muscle. Tilt your head to the side, pull your ear as low as possible to your shoulder. There should be a feeling of smooth stretching of the muscles, without pain and sudden movements. Try to stay in this position longer, at least 10 seconds. You can put your opposite hand behind your back. You will immediately feel an even better stretch.

8. Turning the neck

We pull the muscles: sternocleidomastoid muscle. Start slowly turning your head to the side while keeping your chin up. To intensify the stretch, press a little with your hand.

9. Tilt your head back

We pull the muscles: sternocleidomastoid muscle. First you need to stick out the top of your head, lengthening your neck, and then gently tilt your head back. This movement must be done very carefully. With increased mobility of the cervical vertebrae, their displacement, hernia and osteochondrosis, it is better to exclude this movement.

10. Lateral tilt of the head with the help of a hand

We pull the muscles: sternocleidomastoid muscle and top part trapezius muscle. Try to keep the tilt as long as possible, lowering your ear to your shoulder. To intensify the stretch, place your opposite hand behind your back.

11. Quadriceps and psoas

We pull the muscles: quadriceps and psoas. We start with a pose, kneeling. Then we stretch the leg forward and put it on the foot. We take the opposite foot with the same hand and pull it to the buttock.

12. Stretch the extensors of the forearm
We pull the muscles: extensors of the forearm. It is necessary to lower the hand down and move back. After that, pull the brush to the side to increase the tension even more.

13. Stretch your arm in the opposite direction

We pull muscles: deltoid. We stretch our arm in front of us and wind it in the opposite direction, help with the other hand for better muscle stretching.

14. Neck forward bend

We pull muscles: trapezius muscle. Bring your hands to the back of your head, then lowering your chin down, connect your elbows together.

15. Stretch your back

We pull muscles: latissimus dorsi back. Grasp the horizontal bar with your hands, and then tear your legs off the floor. Pleasant stretching of the chest and back muscles.

16. Stretch your back, holding the wall

We pull the muscles: the latissimus dorsi. Grasp the corner of the wall with both hands. Start pulling your torso and hips out to the side.

17. Child Pose

We pull the muscles: the latissimus dorsi. Get on all fours. Then slowly stretch your hips back to your heels, sit on your heels, and lower your forehead to the floor. You can spread your knees wider, as well as bend your back more, thus further stretching your hips and pectoral muscles.

18. Emphasis on the heels, the toe on the support is higher

We pull the muscles: soleus and calf muscles. You can perform this exercise on the edge of a step. Rotate the ankle slightly in and out to actively stretch the calf muscles.

19. Longitudinal twine.

Take a wide lunge back. Then gently straighten your knees and spread your legs wider. Be attentive to your feelings.

20. Touching the toes with straight legs.

We pull the muscles: hamstring, calf, biceps femoris. Sit on your sitting bones, straighten your legs, keep your back straight. For the best stretch, try to lean forward while keeping your back straight.

21. Stretch the legs alternately

Pulling muscles: hamstring, biceps femoris, calf muscle. Place one leg in front of you, bend the other slightly at the knee. Put your hands on your hips and lean forward with a straight back.

22. Deep squat

We pull muscles: gluteal muscles. This exercise is great for our entire body. If it’s hard to do it right away, then train and do everything smoothly. For starters, you can try the version of lying on your back.

23. Seated Royal Pigeon Pose

We pull muscles: buttocks. You need to sit on the sit bones, stretch your legs. Then we bend the leg at the knee and pull it to the chest.

24. Stretching the muscles of the lower leg resting against the wall

We pull the muscles: soleus and gastrocnemius muscle. We stand against the wall, straighten one leg back, and press the heel to the floor.

25. Pull the external oblique muscles

We pull the muscles: the external oblique muscle of the abdomen. Grasp the wall with both hands, and pull the body to the other side.

26. Rotation of the pelvis lying on the back

We pull muscles: gluteal muscle and the abductor surface of the thigh. This exercise is an excellent prevention for a sedentary lifestyle. Lift one leg, bring it across your body, place your knee on the floor and both shoulders rest on the floor. Breathe deeply with a well-opened chest.

27. Tilt to the side with a towel

We pull muscles: external oblique muscles. Take a towel in your hands, stretch it out to the sides, and then tilt the body to the side. At the same time, keep the pelvis in one position and do not bend your back in the lower back.

28. Triangle Pose

We pull the muscles: the external oblique muscle of the abdomen. Set your legs wide, arms extended to the sides, then move the body to the side and after that touch the floor with one hand, and pull the other up. Hands on the same line, the back is new, the body is parallel to the floor.

29. Turning the case away from the wall

We pull the muscles: pectoral muscles. Grasp the wall with one hand, and then turn the body by hand, feel the stretch in the pectoral muscle.

30. Paired stretching of the pectoral muscles

We pull the muscles: pectoral muscles and back muscles. Lie on your back, raise your arms up, and the second person pulls your hands.

31. Sitting pigeon pose

We pull the muscles: anterior tibial muscle. Sit with your legs extended, then bend your knee and place your ankle over your knee. Flat back, the second leg is straight.

32. Shoulder stretch lying on the back

We pull the muscles: the subscapularis muscle. Lie on your back, take it bent at a right angle to the side. Touch the back of your hand to the floor. If your hand does not reach the floor, then your muscles are clamped and your joints are constrained.

33. Dog face down near the wall

We pull the muscles: pectoral muscles and back muscles. Put your hands on the wall or Swedish wall and try to arch your back and stretch chest down. The legs are straight, the pelvis is higher.

34. Pair stretching of the pectoral muscles

We pull the muscles: pectoral muscles. Lie on your stomach. Take your hands back, the second person pulls you by the hands, lifting your body higher.

) is a specific set of exercises, the purpose of which is to increase the elasticity of muscle fibers and increase the range of motion of tendons and joints. Outwardly, this appears in healthy posture, beautiful forms body and coordinated movements.

Why do you need to stretch?

Stretching exercises different groups muscles allow:

  • develop the flexibility of the body;
  • prepare muscles for a power load or reduce pain after it;
  • maintain muscle tone;
  • improve blood circulation;
  • strengthen joints, tendons and muscles;
  • maintain a person's general well-being;
  • develop coordination of movements.

No fitness workout is complete without stretching exercises. And even if you do not visit the gym, it should be a sacred duty to regular exercise on the development of flexibility, because the health and shape of the body depends on the state of the muscles.

Stretching rules

Stretching must be preceded by a warm-up warming up the muscles. Do not stretch immediately, as this can provoke pain and even injury. A few aerobic exercises, squats, jumping rope will help to give muscle fibers greater elasticity, that is, the ability to stretch.

Stretching can be done in several ways:

  • independently with the help of pressure and pressure;
  • with the help of a partner;
  • using weights on the simulator;
  • spring at the point of maximum muscle tension;
  • stay in the extreme position (avoiding pain) for a few seconds.

You can work out not only in the gym, but also at home, not forgetting about preheating.

All exercises should be done carefully, without sudden jerks, especially for beginners. It makes no sense to chase the achievements of the "veterans" of fitness, you have to listen to your body.

In each stretching position, it is advisable to linger for a period of 10 to 60 seconds; a slight burning sensation in the muscles is considered normal. At the same time, you should try to relax the stretching muscles, this contributes to a higher stretching performance. The range of motion and exercise time should be gradually and gradually increased.

Stretching exercises for the neck

Simple movements familiar to everyone from school physical education lessons:

  1. tilting the head alternately forward and backward with a delay of a few seconds at the moment of tension of the neck muscles;
  2. turning the head to the side;
  3. pressing on the head, while the arm making the effort and the shoulder to which the head is pressed should be on the same side;
  4. circular movements of the head, they must be performed slowly 5 times to the left and right.

Stretching the back muscles

Posture problems and back pain often result from a sedentary lifestyle. And if back troubles are not caused by a serious illness, then simple exercises help improve general state and sometimes even relieve pain.

"Cat". Get on all fours, paying attention to the position of the arms and hips perpendicular to the body. Alternately round your back up, then arch it down. Slowly, repeat 6 times to start, you can gradually increase the number of repetitions.

Remaining in the same position, instead of moving up and down, rotate your back around an imaginary line in the center of the body.

  1. Take a lying position, raise your hands and put them on the floor. Now slowly raise straight legs first, and then lower them behind the head so that the fingers of the upper and lower extremities touch. It is advisable to stay in this position for about a minute.
  2. Lie on the mat, press one leg to the floor and do not lift it, and press the other thigh to your chest or strive for it, then wrap your arms around the leg as close to the foot as possible and straighten it. Then change legs. Hold on each side for 30 seconds.
  3. Twisting in the supine position. Turn in different sides head and legs bent at the knees, stay for 10 seconds, then change the position to the opposite.
  4. Hang on the bar, here the muscles of the back and arms will be simultaneously involved.

Hand stretch

It is difficult to involve only one specific muscle that will be stretched. Almost all exercises, along with the arms, capture the muscles of the back, neck or abdomen, but this only improves the overall effect of the exercises.

The main stretching exercises for the arms are as follows:

  • circular movements with hands, forearms or arms completely;
  • standing, raise your hands above your head, interlocking your fingers, and lean to the sides as far as possible;
  • raise one arm and bend it, lower the forearm behind the head, and press the elbow with the other hand, change hands;
  • bring the straight arm forward, and the other touch the elbow and try to press it to the opposite shoulder.

Stretching for leg muscles

IN lower limbs a sufficiently large number of muscles, and it is desirable to use the maximum number of them when stretching. Do not neglect exercises that seem elementary at first glance, because they prepare muscle fibers to an increase in load.

  1. Leaning forward. Legs and body should be straight, hands tend to the floor with palms. Repeat 10 to 20 times.
  2. Spread your legs wider, also do inclinations in turn to one foot, to the second and in the middle to the floor. Do 10 repetitions starting on the right side and 10 on the left side.
  3. Sit on the floor, pull alternately forward socks and heels. A simple exercise involves several leg muscles at once.
  4. Sitting, bend both legs at the knees and connect the feet as close to the body as possible. Spread and press your hands on your legs, trying to press them to the floor. The inner thigh is stretched.
  5. Sit down and spread your straight legs as wide as possible, try to reach your knees on each leg with your forehead and the floor in front of you.
  6. In the sitting position, one leg is straight, the other is bent and brought back, behind the buttock. Tilts are carried out forward to a straight leg. Naturally, after several repetitions, change the position of the legs.
  7. Lie down with your knees bent. Gently pull the buttocks up until the back and hips form one straight line. This exercise perfectly stretches the quadriceps of the thigh.
  8. Lie on your back, legs at a right angle to the body. Breed straight or slightly bent legs in opposite directions 20-30 times, then stay in a stretched position for 30 seconds.
  9. Lunges that can be done forward or sideways by changing legs. After 10-15 repetitions of seconds, linger in a lunge for 30-60 seconds.
  10. An attempt to make a twine (both longitudinal and transverse). After a set of exercises, when the muscles are properly warmed up and supple, sit in the twine as low as possible and stand like this for 30 to 60 seconds. To soften muscle tension, you can put your hands in front of you.

By maintaining our body in good shape, we prolong our own full life. Regular exercise is the prevention of most diseases of the musculoskeletal system, a feeling of harmony with your body and a guarantee of good mood.

Reading time: 14 minutes

Sit on the twine is the dream of many early childhood. But even if you have good flexibility, without preparatory exercises, sitting on a longitudinal twine will not only be difficult, but also risky: you can pull your muscles and get injured.

We are offering to you best exercises for longitudinal twine, which allow you to gently and painlessly stretch your muscles and joints. Regular deep stretching will help you quickly sit in the longitudinal split, even if you have never done it before.

10 rules for stretching on the longitudinal twine

  1. Stretching can be done only after a good warm-up. As a warm-up, any cardio for 20-30 minutes is suitable. Before stretching for a twine, you should feel that your body is warmed up.
  2. If you want to quickly sit on the longitudinal twine, then try to stretch twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Morning stretching, although heavy, is very effective. In the evening, it will be easier for you to stretch - by the end of the day, the muscles are more supple and flexible.
  3. Exercises for longitudinal twine are best done in static postures. Try to minimize the use of pulsating exercises up and down, this can lead to sprains.
  4. Hold each position for at least 30 seconds. You can gradually increase both the duration of the exercises and the range of motion.
  5. While stretching, you need to focus on the sensations in your body. You should feel a slight stretch in the muscles, but no pain. If you feel a sharp pain, reduce the amplitude of the exercise or stop exercising.
  6. If you are stretching in a cool room, dress warmly. Even after a good warm-up, the muscles tend to cool down quickly at a low temperature in the room, and this makes stretching difficult.
  7. During the exercises on the longitudinal twine, always keep your back straight, do not round it. Pull the top of your head up and, when bending, try to lower yourself to your feet with your stomach, and not with your head.
  8. You can fix the results with a centimeter tape, measuring the distance from the inguinal region to the floor surface at the moment of maximum stretch.
  9. If you've given up stretching for a few days, be prepared to fall back on your results. The most important thing in split stretching is regularity.
  10. Don't put yourself no specific deadlines for twine (week, month, three months). Everyone has a different physiology, so someone can sit on the longitudinal twine quickly, and someone will need a year regular classes to achieve results.

If you want to sit on the twine faster, you can purchase additional tools for effective stretching. For example, twine stretching machine. Stretching on the simulator is very convenient and comfortable - you do not need external pressure and holding positions. On the stretching machine, your muscles will be relaxed and more pliable for stretching.

10 exercises for stretching and warming up before twine

We offer you a ready-made version of the warm-up and warm-up before the splits, which will help you conduct your splits workout much more efficiently. Stretching on a warm body is much easier and more enjoyable! Be sure to warm up before each split workout.

For each exercise, the number of repetitions per side is indicated. For example, the first exercise is walking in place with knees raised. You must complete 20 leg raises right foot, 20 leg raises with the left leg, that is, a total of 40 repetitions. You can increase the number of repetitions at your discretion (reducing it is not recommended!). If you feel that after doing the exercises you have not warmed up enough, repeat the complex again.

1. Walking in place with knees up : 20 reps

2. Mahi to the legs : 20 reps

3. Rotations for the hip joints : 20 reps

4. Side lunge : 15 reps

5. Tilt to the leg : 15 reps

6. Back Squat: 20 reps

7. Lunges back : 10 reps

8. Jump Rope: 40 reps

: 40 reps each (just count to 80 in sync with the movement)

10. Jumping arms and legs: 35 reps

Once again, we remind you that before doing the exercises for the longitudinal twine, be sure to warm up well. Performing these exercises without a warm-up is fraught with dangerous injuries and sprains, and this will put your dream of twine aside for a long time.

How to sit on a longitudinal twine: execution technique

If you have already completed preparatory exercises, That you can try to sit on the longitudinal twine. You will need two blocks or a stack of books. If you're flexible enough, you won't need blocks.

1. Kneel with your front foot forward at a 90-degree angle, with the toe of your back foot resting on the floor. Straighten your back, tighten your stomach, straighten your shoulders. The pelvic bones should be in line and look straight ahead. Inhale and as you exhale, begin to gradually move your legs in different directions, lowering your pelvis down.

2. Get to the extreme tolerable position and freeze. Once the pelvis has dropped low enough, hold the floor with your hands and stretch your legs at the knees.

3. Gradually, step by step, you will be able to sit on the longitudinal twine.

4. Gently come out of the split position. Stretch your legs forward in front of you, shake them a little to get rid of tension. Perform the same exercise on the other leg.

Screenshots in the article are taken from the official youtube channel of Olga Sagay.

At quality performance longitudinal twine exercises, you will definitely come to your goal. Longitudinal twine is available to absolutely everyone at any age, regardless of innate flexibility. But someone will need more time to stretch, someone less. It depends on genetic characteristics, and on the sports past.

Stretching is very popular view sports. Yes, this is exactly a sport, because a lot of effort and, accordingly, energy is spent on its implementation. In addition, stretching and body flexibility exercises for beginners will help maintain the health of the body as a whole. If you search, you can find many ads for recruiting groups for stretching lessons for beginners. And our article was specially prepared to help you work out and stretch your muscles at home.

If you are a novice athlete and are looking for exercises for stretching the twine at home, then you are here. Below is a step-by-step analysis of all the necessary information for beginners.

Necessity

If you ask a girl why she needs a stretch, she will immediately answer: “I want to sit on the twine, like my friend.” Stretching is necessary for a person to acquire greater body flexibility.

And if you perform a set of simple exercises daily to stretch the whole body, then very soon you will feel tangible changes in your body. A very beneficial effect during the correct stretching on all muscle groups is on the musculoskeletal system, good mobility is developed, blood circulation improves, and muscle cramps are prevented.

In general, some pluses. But you have to be extremely careful not to overdo it and not harm yourself. Therefore, let's look at how to properly stretch to protect yourself from injury.

Kinds

There are five main types of stretching. All of them perform a single function, but there are some nuances that are worth paying attention to.

  1. Active. This option is designed for independent conduct. You can watch the video at the end of the article, which will show you how to do stretching at home for beginners, and do the exercises yourself.
  2. Passive. All exercises are performed by a partner. This option should be taken very seriously, because only you can feel the bust and tell your companion in time.
  3. Static. Static exercises are considered the most effective view stretch marks, which is especially recommended by doctors. During execution, the body is fixed in the desired position, allowing you to stretch all muscle groups. Fixation time - from 15 to 30 seconds, maximum - 1 minute, depending on the initial data of a particular person.
  4. Dynamic. Everything happens in motion. A simple example is lunges left, right, back, forward. Muscle stretching occurs due to an increase in the intensity and speed of movement.
  5. Ballistic. Perhaps the toughest dangerous view muscle stretches. The execution takes place with quick springy movements and sharp jerks. During training, muscles and joints experience colossal and rather risky loads. Most often, this option is used by real professionals, extreme people, lovers of tin and hardcore, for whom everything is not enough everywhere.

Basic Rules

Before you perform any exercise, whether it is working with dumbbells or, as in this case, stretching, you must adhere to the basic rules:

  1. Warming up the body. The most important step before starting any workout. The load on the "cold" muscles is extremely harmful, because instead of benefit, you can get a serious injury, the rehabilitation of which will take a very long time. For you can choose any aerobic training whether it's an exercise bike, jump rope or running. By the way, if you train in a gym with “iron”, then you should warm up before the main exercises, and stretch at the end, precisely because after strong tension the muscles need to be relaxed and stretched.
  2. Relax and be patient. This rule is important, first of all, for beginners. Stretching should be done slowly., smoothly, evenly breathing at the same time. No jerks and abrupt movements that beginner athletes love to abuse so much should not be present here.
  3. The back should be straight the muscles are relaxed.
  4. Special attention pay correct breathing : on inhalation - starting position, on exhalation (by mouth) - stretching.
  5. For those who are just starting to stretch, you can start with 5-10 seconds for each exercise. Further, to improve the result, it is necessary increase the duration, because without it, progress will be very slow, or it will not happen at all.
  6. One of the basic rules is engage constantly. Especially if you are starting from scratch. Quitting everything before you start is a simple matter, but making it a habit to constantly practice is the real work. After all, no one needs your progress, except yourself.
  7. Another extremely important pointdon't reach for pain. This is fundamentally wrong. So you only injure the muscles and forever, at least for a very long time, beat off all the desire to do more. Stretch slowly but with persistence, progressing the amplitude of the stretch each session. You will feel your limit.

Don't Make Mistakes

Often, beginners begin to stretch everything in a row and at random, thinking that having quickly worked out the main parts of the body, they will soon achieve the desired result. But this is far from true. In most cases, with little awareness and without the control of a coach or an experienced partner, "green" athletes pull ligaments, not muscles. At proper training ligaments are almost impossible to stretch, as they are strong and rigid shells of the joints, but due to the wrong approach, injuries to the joints and muscles occur.

Avoid basic mistakes:

  1. Do not stretch if you have health problems. Namely: spinal injuries, inflammation of the hip joints, problems with pressure, with serious bruises and with any injuries of the bone skeleton, especially the pelvis.
  2. You need to stretch the muscles equally on each side, no matter what you pull, be it legs, hips, calves. If you pulled your left leg for 5 minutes, then pull the right leg for the same amount. Do it wrong, your body, at least, will be very sick.
  3. You can not do stretching without first warming up the muscles well (this was already mentioned above).
  4. If you go to Gym Don't even think about stretching before your workout. Stretching helps to relax the muscles, and if you do the opposite, you will not be able to give your best.
  5. Stretch in moderation. Too little is less than three times a week, too much is five times a day every day. Optimally - every day, only once.
  6. If you hope that in a week you will succeed beautiful twine then you don't even have to start. This is a slow, calm, measured process that requires a lot of patience and diligence.

Psychological attitude

Probably, every second lady thought: “But should I try to sit on the twine?”. Yes, everything seems to be simple, I rummaged through the Internet, found video tutorials, and go ahead. But not everything is as smooth as we would like. It turns out that in order to perform some kind of large-scale action, the more beautiful half must first psychologically tune in.

Follow these rules:

  1. Make it a habit to stretch every day, as they say - you quickly get used to the good.
  2. Start small but constant. Let your body and mind get used to the change.
  3. If you suddenly missed one or two times, it does not matter, just continue on.
  4. Well, imagine the end result more often.

myths

Oddly enough, there are many misconceptions about stretching. They say a lot, a lot of recommendations are written, and it seems that you trust the Internet like an encyclopedia, but there are myths here too.

Let's break down some of them:

  1. They say that children stretch quickly and sit on the twine very quickly, and this is true. But they also say that if you are already an adult, don't even think about it. But this is not true, everyone can stretch, but to the best of their ability.
  2. There is information that in order to stretch, you need special starting parameters of the body. Myth. If you are just starting out, then you will definitely succeed. Just start doing the most simple exercises for newbies.
  3. Stretching exercises cause very severe pain. This is not so, if everything is done correctly and without fanaticism, then you will only feel a pleasant stretching of the muscles.
  4. Stretching does not promote weight loss. If you think about it, then performing this or that action, a certain amount of energy is expended, respectively, calories are spent. And if you give due time to classes, then you can also lose a few extra pounds.

Warm up

Warming up the muscles before any workout, and in this case before stretching, is not only correct, but also very important. We have already said that if you do not warm up first, you can get injured. It will also make it much harder for you to stretch both physically and emotionally.

We offer a special pre-workout that can not be missed:

  1. All parts of the body are worked from top to bottom. We start with smooth turns of the head to the left - to the right, up - down, round to the left - to the right.
  2. Next are the shoulders. Circular movements shoulders forward - back, alternate swings of the arms up - down.
  3. We stretch the dorsal and pectoral muscle groups. We stretch our arms in front of us, spread them to the sides and maximum behind the back, while rounding the chest. And, on the contrary, we bring our hands forward in front of us, rounding our back.
  4. Next is a warm-up for the torso. During the exercise, the pelvis remains motionless, turns left - right, tilts forward - backward.
  5. To prepare the spine, lean down as far as possible, rise, rounding the back.
  6. To stretch the muscles of the legs and hip joints, we perform alternate swings of the legs forward - backward, to the sides, also alternately changing legs.
  7. For warming up ankle joints we perform circular rotations of the legs, knead the feet up - down, left - right. For elaboration knee joints squat exercises will help.

Effective stretching exercises

Where to start stretching training is a simple question on the one hand, but rather complicated on the other. You can not stretch everything in a row, you should start small and, preferably, effective.

We offer basic complex exercises for stretching and spine at home.

Spine

The spine is a very important part of the body, so exercises should be selected for each person separately, according to the age and health of the body as a whole. For prevention, you can perform two basic exercises at home. They will help reduce the load on the spine with the wrong lifestyle, that is, with sedentary work, wearing uncomfortable shoes, especially for girls and women who are used to wearing high-heeled shoes, as well as in the absence of regular physical activity.

Basic exercises:

  1. To perform, it is enough to have a crossbar or horizontal bar. It is desirable to hang on the crossbar for at least a minute, gradually increasing to three. If there is no horizontal bar, then you can replace it with another element: lying on your back while stretching your arms behind your head and legs down. Such an exercise is less effective, but also useful.
  2. In the second exercise, attention is paid to the cervical vertebrae. To do this, it is enough to pull the neck well to the left - to the right, up - down, to the side to the left - to the right, as if pressing against the shoulder. Hold the position for a few seconds at each point. Do not rush, everything should be done calmly, breathing evenly, while the body is relaxed, hands are lowered down.

Below are a set of exercises for which the spine will thank you:

  1. Crawling on the buttocks. Initial - sitting on the floor. Straighten your legs, straighten your back, fold your arms and raise them in front of you. Then you begin to alternately move the buttocks, making a kind of steps, eight steps on one side and the other. Return in the same way. Repeat 3-5 times. Try to work only the buttocks, while not using the legs as a whole.
  2. . This exercise is very effective for the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, which will allow them to be inserted into their places. Initial - sitting on the floor. Pull your knees to your chest, clasping your hands, press your chin to your knees. Start rocking back and forth. Try to complete the exercise at least 10-15 times.
  3. Deflection. This element trains well lumbar spine. To perform, lie on your stomach, place your hands on the floor at shoulder level and raise your body to the maximum, bending your spine. This exercise is a great addition to the previous one.

Legs

This is perhaps the most worked part of the body. How to properly stretch, consider below.

There are three main exercises that are used by both beginners and athletes.

By the way, stretching the legs for men is no less important than for women, so men also need to include these exercises in their workouts.

Here effective complex for legs:

  1. Stretching rear surface hips require a little time, but you will have to sweat. Starting position - we stand straight, legs together, hands at the seams. For best performance close your eyes, relax. Imagine your spine, and slowly, following the spine, as if on a ladder, lower the body down, while clasping the back of the thigh with your hands. Do not bend your knees, try to bend down to your maximum, fix the peak point for a few seconds and slowly rise.
  2. This exercise very recognizable and widely used by all athletes. Sit on the floor, legs wide apart, back straight, looking straight ahead. We begin to slowly sink down, hands trying to reach forward as far as possible. We fix the maximum point and spring about 30 times, as much as possible, then return to the starting point. The same can be done by putting the legs together, or trying to reach for each leg separately.
  3. Side lunges. Stand up straight, do a side lunge 45° to the side, the body is directed towards the bent knee, stretch, lower, feel a pleasant stretch. Do the same with the second leg.

These are the best leg stretching exercises that will allow you to stretch quickly and effectively.

Complex for beginners

You read a lot, asked, learned, and finally - you are ready for classes. But now left main question: where to start training. Below is a simple set of stretching exercises for beginners, which is suitable for every day.

How to do stretching and gymnastics at home:

  1. Sit on the floor, legs together, keep your back straight, put your hands on the floor behind your back, start pulling your toes towards you, working your legs and back in this way.
  2. Sitting on the floor, we try to reach the toes of the feet with our hands, while the back is even, we do not bend our knees.
  3. We continue from the previous starting position. Now we lower the body and try to touch the legs with the chest, while relaxing the back and we can round it. We hold our legs with our hands, fix the position.
  4. Lying on your back, raise your legs up, keep them straight and together. We stretch our hands to the toes, without lifting our back from the floor, the shoulder blades should remain on the floor, we do not bend our legs at the knees. Quite difficult, but doable.
  5. Starting position sitting, bend one leg so that the foot rests on a straight leg. Hands on both sides of a straight leg. We keep our head straight and begin to lower our chest to a straight leg, lastly we lower our head.
  6. Previous starting position. We keep the back and head straight and lower the body between the legs, while the arms are bent and rest with the elbows on the floor.
  7. It's called "Doll". We sit on the floor, legs to the sides, arms to the sides. We pull the toes of the feet to the body. We push the pelvis forward, trying to pull inner part thigh muscles.
  8. Everyone knows "Butterfly". Sitting on the floor, bend your knees with your feet to each other, grab your feet with your hands, pull your hips down, you can help with your hands, pressing on your knees.

These exercises with pictures will help you start stretching. Also, this set of exercises is perfect as a stretch after a workout for girls.

Video

Often beginner athletes ask questions: how to improve stretching, how to stretch muscles, how to train stretching. The video below shows great exercise which will help to make the body flexible and the muscles elastic.