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If you aspire to become a gymnast, dancer, or successful athlete, training to build strength and flexibility is crucial. Before starting any stretching routine, it’s important to familiarize yourself with some basic terms. Static stretching involves holding a comfortable position to stretch your muscles. Dynamic stretching involves repeating movements within the same range of motion, while active stretching requires contracting the opposing muscle of the one being stretched. Once you understand these terms, it’s time to warm up and get started.
Steps
Learn Basic Stretching Positions
Practice the seated straddle stretch. Sit on the floor with your legs extended and spread as wide as possible. Point your toes forward and place your hands in front of you for balance. You’ll feel the stretch in your hips and inner thighs.
- Hold the position for about 15 seconds.
- With each attempt, try to widen your legs a bit more. The ultimate goal is to achieve a full straddle split.
- When performing any stretching exercise, consistency is key, and avoid pushing yourself too hard.
Practice the seated forward bend. Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you and your arms raised overhead, fully extended. Bend forward from the hips and try to reach your toes with your hands.
- Hold the position for about 15 seconds.
- If you can’t reach your toes yet, don’t worry. With consistent practice, you’ll become more flexible and gradually get closer to touching them.
Perform the lunge stretch. From a standing position, step your left foot forward and keep your right foot behind. Bend your left knee to a 90-degree angle and lower your right knee to the floor for balance. Place your hands on your left thigh and gently press to deepen the stretch.
- Hold the position for about 15 seconds.
- After 15 seconds, switch legs and repeat the stretch on the right side.
Try the cross-arm stretch. Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Cross your right arm over your chest, and use your left hand to pull it closer to your body.
- Apply gentle pressure until you feel a stretch in your shoulder.
- Hold for about 10 seconds, then switch arms and repeat.
Stretch your arms behind your back. Stand straight and cross your right arm behind your back. Reach your left arm behind to grab and gently pull your right arm. Hold for about 15 seconds, then switch sides. This time, use your right hand to grab and stretch your left arm.
- While performing this stretch, try to extend the stretch to your neck. Tilt your head toward the side of the arm that’s pulling. For example, if you’re using your left hand to pull your right arm, tilt your head to the left.
Practice the side bend stretch. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and extend your arms out to the sides. Bend your torso to the right until your right hand points toward the floor and your left arm reaches upward.
- Stretch your left arm until you feel a pull in your left shoulder and side.
- Hold the position for about 10 seconds, then switch sides. When bending to the left, let your left hand point toward the floor and extend your right arm upward.
Practice the superman pose. Lie face down on the floor with your arms extended forward (your body should form a straight line). Lift both your arms and legs off the ground, keeping your arms at ear level and your legs slightly higher than your hips.
- Hold this position for about 15 seconds.
- As your body becomes more flexible, try to lift your legs even higher.
Stretch with gentle movements
Start with jumping jacks. Stand straight with your feet together and your arms at your sides. Jump to spread your legs apart while raising your arms overhead. Then, jump again to bring your feet together and lower your arms to the starting position.
- Perform this exercise 15 times in a row to boost blood circulation.
- As you grow stronger and more mature, you can increase the number of repetitions.
Perform arm circles. Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Raise your arms overhead, then move them in a circular motion down to your hips and back up.
- Keep your arms straight throughout the movement.
- Rotate your arms 10 times forward, then 10 times backward.
Jump rope. Stand on your right foot with your left foot lifted. Lower your left foot and hop on your right foot. Increase the speed until it feels like you’re jumping rope.
- Once you’re comfortable jumping in place, try moving forward and backward for about 1 minute per session.
- As you become stronger and more agile, gradually increase your jump rope time each day.
Perform squats. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and toes pointing forward. Shift your weight onto your heels, then slowly bend your knees and lower your body as if sitting back into a chair.
- Stop when your thighs are nearly parallel to the floor, then rise back to the starting position and repeat.
- Extend your arms forward to help maintain balance.
- Ensure your knees do not extend past your toes. If you can see your toes, you’re doing it correctly; otherwise, your knees are too far forward.
Enhance flexibility with active stretching exercises
Perform the standing quad stretch. Bend your left leg behind you and hold your left foot with your left hand. Extend your right arm as high as possible toward the ceiling. After reaching upward, rise onto the toes of your right foot and balance in this position.
- After stretching your left leg, switch sides and repeat with your right leg.
- Alternate legs, performing 10 repetitions on each side.
Practice the downward-facing dog pose. From a standing position, bend forward and place your hands on the floor. Walk your hands forward until your body forms an inverted V shape.
- Keep your hands shoulder-width apart.
- Spread your fingers wide for stability.
- Position your feet hip-width apart.
- Try to press your heels toward the floor.
Try the tree pose. Stand straight with your feet together. Lift your right foot and place it against the inside of your left thigh (above the knee). Bring your hands together in front of your chest.
- Hold this position for about 10 seconds, then switch sides.
- When standing with feet together, let your big toes touch and slightly separate your heels.
- Ensure your body is balanced.
- Avoid placing your foot directly on the knee to prevent joint strain.
Practice the bow pose. Lie face down with your arms extended alongside your body – palms facing upward. Bend your knees and grab your ankles with both hands.
- As you inhale, try to lift your knees and thighs higher off the ground.
- Hold this position for about 5 seconds. Rest briefly, then repeat the movement two more times.
Tips
- Avoid holding stretching positions for more than 30 seconds.
- If stretching for martial arts or karate, you’ll need more intense exercises. Remember that the stretches above are warm-up routines, so don’t worry about people saying you need to feel pain to stretch effectively. Focus on listening to your body. If you feel pain, it’s your body telling you to stop or at least ease up, so do so.
- If preparing for a major competition, avoid overstretching, as it can lead to injury and affect your performance.
- Remember that progress takes time, so be patient.
- Play your favorite music while stretching to make it more enjoyable.
- When performing stretches like the seated forward bend, place an interesting book or a video game in front of you to reach for. However, avoid overexerting yourself.
- Stay consistent with your practice – you’ll definitely achieve your goals one day.
- If stretching for dance, avoid overdoing it. Excessive stretching can cause cramps and reduce leg strength.
- Don’t rush to perfect every stretching pose immediately.
- Some stretches are harder than others. Be patient and practice daily to improve flexibility gradually.
Warnings
- If you experience pain while stretching, stop immediately.
