Working in the fitness industry since 2000 I have seen many bizarre workouts and short cuts. Fitness trainers will spend a huge proportion of time training their clients on how to perform the exercises correctly and how many sets and repetitions they are going to put them through. Like a mad scientist attempting to take over the world their attention to detail is obsessive. Then, like an afterthought almost muttered under their breath, they whisper “and finish with a full body stretch”.

Easy to get it wrong – or not to bother at all

You will then see these poor people attempting stretches that they are trying to remember from their school days, all looking very awkward and not getting the most from the stretching time. It’s not really too surprising and I would be lying if I said that I had never skipped stretching at the end of a long workout. It’s like we train until we are sick of the sight of the gym and the stretching just gets in the way of us and the exit. Well I am now going to help you by providing a full body stretch routine that you should use at the end of every workout.

How to stretch

It is important that you understand how much you should be stretching to help you avoid injury. Stretching should never be painful and should feel like a pull in the bulk of the muscle and not at the ends near your joints. For more information on how much you should be stretching please read our Don’t stretch too much post.

Let’s start at the top and work our way down:

Neck

After a long day of craning your neck to stare at a computer screen it is important to relax those upper trapezius muscles. You can perform this stretch standing or sitting by holding your arms behind your back and pulling one arm over whilst leaning your neck the same direction. Hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side. For more information on this stretch visit our Trapezius Stretch instructions.

Chest

Another stretch for all you office workers who spend your time hunched over keyboards: stretching your chest muscles. Find a wall or door frame and place your forearm on the inside of it with your elbow at a 45 degree angle. Now turn your body away increasing the angle at your shoulder joint and stretching your chest. Hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side. For more information on this stretch visit our Chest Stretch instructions.

Back

The Lat Stretch targets the large latissimus dorsi muscle located on your back. Take the elbow of one arm towards your head with your other arm. Now lean the same way as you are pulling to extend the stretch down your side. Hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat for the other side. For more information on this stretch visit our Lat Stretch instructions.

Biceps

Stretching those arms is especially important after a gruelling workout. To stretch your biceps stand in a doorway with your arm stretched out sideways. Rotate your arm so that your thumb is downwards and place the back of your hand against the a door frame. Now turn your body away until you feel a stretch (which should be on your bicep but may be in your shoulder or chest, depending which is tightest) and hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. For more information on this stretch visit our Bicep Stretch instructions.

Triceps

Now for the back of your arms. To stretch your Triceps place one hand onto the shoulder of the same arm. Raise your elbow up as high as you can and then reach over with the fingers of your other arm and push your elbow backwards until you feel a stretch in your triceps. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for your other arm. For more information on this stretch visit our Triceps Stretch instructions.

Quadriceps

The big muscles sitting on the front of your thighs have one of the most recognised stretching techniques used around schools and colleges worldwide. Standing upright and near something to give you balance. Take one leg up behind you and take hold of it with the hand on the same side. Pull your foot towards your bum until you feel a stretch and hold for at least 30 seconds and repeat for your other leg. If your quadriceps are really tight you may find that you can’t get hold of your leg. In this case you can use a towel and loop it around your ankle and pull your leg towards your bum. For more information on this stretch visit our Quadricep Stretch instructions.

Hip Flexors

If most of your day is spent sitting down then this stretch, for your small hip flexor muscles, is very important. Kneel down on one knee so that it is directly beneath you and your other leg is in front with the foot placed flat on the floor. Keep your upper body upright and even slightly back from vertical throughout this stretch. Now move your lower body forwards so that the knee that was beneath your body is now behind you. You should feel a stretch at the top of the thigh of the leg you are kneeling on. Hold this stretch for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for your other leg. For more information on this stretch visit our Hip Flexor Stretch instructions.

Hamstrings

Again if you spend a lot of time sitting down then this is another stretch that is very important for you. There are several ways you can stretch this muscle but we will stick to just one. Stand up straight and place one foot in front of you with the heel down and the toes up in the air. Keep that leading leg completely straight throughout. Now bend your other leg so that you lower your body down, place your hands on the bent leg for balance. Now gently lean forwards, keeping your back straight until you feel a stretch in the hamstring of the straight leg and hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side. For more information on this stretch visit our Hamstrings Stretch instructions.

Calves

This stretch is important for everybody but especially the ladies (and some men – Beeble) who love to wear heels. Stand facing a wall and assume the standard police frisking position with your hands against the wall, but don’t spread the legs. Place one leg back keeping it straight and by pushing back from the wall push your heel downwards until you feel a stretch in the calf muscle. Place your leg further back to increase the stretch and nearer to reduce it. Hold for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for your other leg. For more information on this stretch visit our Calf Stretch instructions.

Hip Stretch

The final stretch and another important one for all those lovers of chairs. With this one you can end up in a bit of a knot but is is a very good stretch and worth doing. Lie down on your back with your knees up and your feet flat on the floor. Take one leg and place its ankle on the thigh of the other leg, just above the knee. Now take hold of the leg (the one with its foot still on the ground) just behind the knee by reaching one arm round the outside and the other arm between your legs. Pull the leg towards you until you feel a stretch in your bum. If you have difficulty in reaching your leg then use a towel wrapped around the leg for extra reach. Hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds and then repeat for your other leg. For more information on this stretch visit our Hip Stretch instructions.

Summary

There you have it: your full body stretch with full instructions and now you have no excuses to forget your stretching, do you? If you have any questions with regards to the stretches then please leave a comment at the bottom and I will get back to you. In the meantime please keep up your stretching and good luck with your training.

Related posts

• Introducing Speed Circuits: the Fast Way to Lose Weight (7)
• At Your Desk Yoga For Office Stress Relief (5)
• Exercising But Not Losing Weight? (6)
• Being Happy and Healthy – a Six-point Daily Plan for Women (1)
• Free Exercise Workouts for your Fitness Schedule (0)

This entry was Posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 8:52 pm and is filed under Stretching. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.