Iliotibial Band
Stretch the band, the iliotibial band, that is. The iliotibial band runs on the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee. When it is irritated, pain is usually felt at the knee. Runners, cyclists, skiers, and aerobic exercisers should stretch it to prevent injury. To get a good stretch of the IT band of the right leg, cross the leg behind your left leg while standing and lean sideways to the left for thorough IT muscle stretching.
Side Bend Stretch
Work your abs with this great stretching exercise. Do the standing side bend as an abdominal oblique stretch. Hold a light weight in one hand and lean to that side slowly until you feel the muscle stretching.
Flexibility Goals
Sometimes less really is more and you can over-stretch yourself.
More flexibility and more stretching are not always better. Work to attain and maintain normal flexibility, unless you need more for your sport or activity. You do not need the flexibility of a gymnast, diver, or ice skater if you are a runner, cyclist, or fitness exerciser.
Also, no matter how much you stretch, flexibility is partially genetic. You probably know if you have the potential to excel in a sport that requires great flexibility. Yes, you can probably improve the range of your karate kicks with some stretching exercises, but stretching through pain can lead to joint laxity and possible injury. So don?t overdo it.
Stretch to Where You Feel It
Don't take pains with your muscle stretching. Stretch to where you feel the stretch in the target muscle, and hold it. Don?t stretch to pain. Don?t bounce. Certain athletes need to do fast, ballistic stretching exercises for their sport, but this is high risk and is not appropriate for most exercisers.
Quad Stretch
For lean sexy legs, do the standing quadriceps stretch. Pull your foot up, with the knee bent and the thigh straight up and down, next to the supporting leg. During this muscle stretching, don?t pull the leg back and to the side, which stresses the knee, and don?t lean forward, which reduces range of motion and decreases stretching effectiveness.
Warm Up First
Muscle stretching shouldn't be your starting warmup. Warm up first with a few minutes of walking, cycling, etc., then stretch. You can also do stretching exercises at the end of your cardio workout. Stretching cold muscles can cause injuries. There is also some research indicating that a lot of stretching can cause a short-term dip in muscle strength, so for weight training, save your serious stretching for after the workout.
Aerobic and Strength Training
Weight training and stretching exercises go hand in hand. It is not true that weight training makes you inflexible, as long as you use full range of motion and do muscle stretching.
In contrast, aerobic training, like running, can make your muscles tight, so aerobic athletes need to stretch even more than other athletes.
PNF Hamstring Stretch
PNF (Proprioceptive Neural Facilitation) has a number of therapeutic applications, but you can incorporate it into your own stretching program and stretching exercises. Do your stretch, tense or contract the target muscle, then finally relax and extend your stretch.
For example, to stretch your hamstrings from the common inside hurdler?s stretch, sit on the floor with your right leg extended and the sole of your left foot against your right inner thigh. Keeping your back straight, reach toward your right foot until you feel the stretching. Pause and contract your right hamstring as though you were pushing your heel into the floor, relax your leg completely and reach a little further toward your foot. You?ll find you can get another inch or so out of muscle stretching with this technique.
Calf Stretch
Give those calves the muscle stretching of their life! You should stretch your calves two ways with two different stretching exercises.
First is the usual way where you lean against a wall, step back with the leg to be stretched, knee straight, then keep your heel down and push your hips forward until you feel the stretching in your calf.
Second, keep the same position but bend your knee, which will give a better stretch to the soleus muscle and the achilles? tendon.
Neck Stretch
Got a pain in the neck? Muscle stretching can help. Maintain your ability to look behind you by keeping your neck flexible through neck stretching exercises. Turn your head as far as you can so your chin is over your shoulder, or close, then hold for 20 seconds. Repeat the stretch on the other side. Don't hold your breath.
Athletic Stretching
Don't stay still during stretching exercises, get up and move! Static stretching is effective for general flexibility but may not be sufficient for athletes, because it is not sports-specific. Dynamic muscle stretching is more effective but requires a partner and some base knowledge.
Stretch Out a Cramp
Got a cramp? Loosen up and relax. Try stretching out a muscle cramp. For instance, for the calf cramp, or "charley horse," pull your toes up toward your shin in an opposing stretch. The calf muscle pulls the foot down, so you want to do muscle stretching and stretching exercises in the opposite direction to offset a cramp.
Yoga for Flexibility
You don't have to do just stretching exercises if you want to be limber and flexible. Yoga is a great way to increase flexibility as well as total-body strength and balance. You have a choice of various yoga styles. You can do classical hatha yoga, or try modern variations like power yoga or yoga booty ballet.
Muscle Balance
You have a balanced diet, and now balanced stretching. Stretch the muscles on both sides of the body so your body doesn?t have to compensate.
For instance, stretch both the quads and hamstrings (front and back of the thigh) so they will be equally flexible. If your hamstrings are already flexible, and you can put your nose on your knee, but your quads are a bit tight, you don?t need to spend much time on the hams. But you do need to work on your quads with stretching exercises.
Ankle Flexibility
A, B, C, D, E, F, G...To keep your ankles flexible with muscle stretching, try the alphabet stretch. Trace the alphabet in the air with your toes, one foot at a time.