Stretching Exercises – How to Do Stretching Exercises

In general, before doing exercises, regardless of which one we are going to practice, we always have to stretch. Many times we do stretching automatically, and this is because many times people have told us or coaches have mentioned that they are very important. Stretching is always the initial part of the exercises or workouts that we do or want to do; their function is to provide our body with more elasticity, but above all in each one of the muscles and our tendons.

If at any time we do not do the stretching, either because they seem somewhat tedious or because we have overlooked it, it can cause our movements to not be very well conditioned; the fact of wanting to develop our muscular strength could be very difficult., if we want to run long distances we will not have enough speed and enough resistance, but the most important thing of all is that if we do not stretch well, our body can suffer muscle or tendon accidents. It is for this reason that it is very important to do this little warm- up activity before running or starting any exercise.

On the other hand, we can mention that when stretching they do not have to cause pain, since in this case we would not be doing them in the most appropriate way. In general, in this basic part there is always some tension in the muscles, but we always have to prevent that tension from happening throughout the body.

Another very important point is that we have to organize a stretching plan, but of course taking into account the exercises or what type of training we are going to propose, since for all physical activities we cannot have the same stretching routine, in certain sports we concentrate on certain parts of the body only, so those parts are the ones that will be the main ones that we have to condition, but without forgetting the rest of course.

Although we already have in mind the reason why we have to stretch before starting any physical activity, in this article we bring you 15 steps with which we can carry out the most suitable stretching plan.

What do you need for Stretching Exercises – Do Stretching Exercises?

• Clothes that are comfortable or especially for sports.
• A comfortable mat or padded mat.
• An exercise ball.

Stretching Exercise Instructions – Doing Stretching Exercises

Steps to follow to perform stretches for the whole body

1. The first thing is to start with the neck and nape. For this we are going to use our hands to apply some pressure and in this way stretch each of the muscles in these areas. We put a little pressure on our head and tilt it forward, backward and also to each side, all this for a few seconds in each of the movements; it can be about 5 or 10. After having done this, we make circles with our head but with a slow movement, this, like the previous ones, has to be for a few seconds, counting to 5 or 10.
2. Once we have finished stretching the neck and neck, we concentrate on stretching the rear muscles or, what is the same, the back.
3. We start with the muscles that we have in the upper part of the back, for this we have to extend our arms forward and interlock the fingers of our hands, leaving the palm of the same facing outwards. We put a little pressure and push our hands; arms and shoulders forward a little, at the same time that we tense our back and chest a little backwards. Our head has to be towards the front and the chin has to touch our chest.
4. We continue with the muscles of the center and the sides of the upper part. For this we lie down on the mat or back mat and with our arms extended at each of the ends, we raise our knees and the palm of our feet have to touch the ground. While our chest is looking up, we drop our knees to the left side, at the same time that our face is looking at the right hand. Once this is done, we return to the position with the knees in the center and repeat this entire process but to the other side. For this stretching exercise we will do sets of 10 repetitions.
5. We continue with the stretching of the muscles located in the lower back. For this we can do several positions, but the best known are those that have the name of the child’s position, the downward-facing dog position and the tweezers. The important thing is that we do what is most comfortable.
6. Then we stretch the muscles that remain in the intercostal part. We start the standing posture and put them together. Then we stretch our arms above our head and join the palms of our hands forming a kind of arrow. Once this is done, we lean to one side, shoulders relaxed. Going down we take in air and going up we release the air. Then we are going to repeat all this for the other side.
7. To stretch the chest muscles, we stretch our arms backwards while the palm of the less is towards the inside and then we raise our hands a little to make a little force and push the chest forward.
8. To stretch the muscles of the arms, we start with the left arm, we stretch it towards the right side of our body and with the help of the right arm we put a little pressure on the left arm towards the inside and maintain that position for a few 5 or 10 seconds. We repeat this process for the other side.
9. Then with the right arm we extend it upwards and then bend the elbow to touch our backs, leaving our arm above the head. With the help of the left arm we put some pressure holding our right elbow, and like the previous stretch we make some pressure and count to 5 or 10. We also repeat the whole process for the other side.
10. To stretch the muscles of the abdominal front part, we lie on the mat or mat face down, we stretch our arms to raise the front part of our body while the palms of the hands touch the ground being at the level of the shoulders and we push up a bit.
11. Then we take the ball for exercises and lie on it on our back, keep our feet on the ground, and our head together with the arms fall to the back.
12. For those people who want to stretch the quads, we stand facing the wall to have some balance; we lift the left foot towards the back and hold it with the help of our left hand to do a little pressure. Once this is done, we have to repeat it for the other leg.
13. After this we kneel and place our feet in such a way that the toes can touch but the heels have to be in the opposite direction. Once we are in this position, we sit on our feet and lean towards the back being on the hands, the forearms or also the back, this can depend on the distance that we have the capacity to reach with our Body.
14. For the leg and calf muscles, we sit on the floor and extend the legs forward. Then we stretch our body and arms to try to reach the tip of our feet but keeping in mind that we should not bend our knees.
15. And finally we stretch the ankle muscles, to do this; we sit on a chair and begin to make circles with the tip of the big toe in each direction for a few seconds.

Stretching Exercise Tips – Do Stretching Exercises

• Remember that we have to do each of the stretches in the correct way to avoid injuries.
• Establish a routine every time you have to train or exercise.
• Establish the order of the exercises, or it is more advisable to do them starting with the head and ending with the feet.
  Stretch all parts of the body but concentrating more on the ones we use the most in training.
• Remember that each of the stretching movements have a certain time in each series, about 5 or 10 seconds.
• It is recommended to have the exercise mat and ball for back muscle stretching.
• In most stretches we have to apply some pressure, but we must bear in mind that if we apply too much pressure we can cause some damage.