Examples of Stretching Exercises

The physical training allows people to achieve high performance with their body, gaining attributes such as responsiveness, agility and other essential factors to successfully perform any kind of sport.

In either case, the trainings require that a process of ‘heating’ which includes a stretch of most of the body’s muscles, especially those that will be part of the later work process. The exercises dedicated to this task are known as stretching exercises.

Stretching exercises

The elongation composes a series of different exercises other than purely sports exercises, and has some characteristics that make it particular: elongation is gradual and progressive, stretching the muscles for a period of 20 to 30 seconds. The movements can be in the form of rebound increasing the intensity, and contracting a muscle to be able to stretch the opposite. Stretching usually requires the help of another person.

Elongation is not one of the actions that require the most effort, nor is it one that is very useful when it comes to reducing calories. This happens because muscle is not required To a great extent, as it happens in other exercise classes, but simply the muscle is prepared and warmed up for the subsequent exercise: it must be taken into account that the muscle is cold at rest, and is suddenly driven to a demand very high.

At the end of the physical training, the stretching exercises work so that none of the muscles used remains in a permanent state of tension, helping them to relax.

Advantages of elongating

Elongation exercises allow:

Examples of stretching exercises

According to the part of the body, there are many different stretching exercises. Some of them will be listed below:

1. Rotate the top of the foot forward, resting the top of the toes on the ground.
2. Incline towards the wall flexing one leg forward and the other straight, elongating the calves.
3. Get on your knees with your legs together, and stretch your body back without arching it, with your hands at right angles to the floor. In this way, elongate the quadriceps.
4. Sitting on the floor, with one leg bent and the other straight, try to bring the arm towards the straight leg.
5. With the trunk straight and the arms and legs stretched, a triangle is formed by moving the hands towards the feet: then the heels are slowly pressed against the ground, managing to elongate the Achilles tendon.
6. With one foot outstretched, lift the other toward your chest, elongating your hip and gluteal muscles.
7. In a squat position, the knees are extended until the tension in the leg flexors is felt. The muscles of the lower back are elongated.
8. In front of a wall, with a distance of the length of the arms, he supports them and leans forward, holding the position for as long as possible. Stretch the back of the leg.
9. Wrists are crossed and arms are extended upward, elongating shoulder extensors.
10. In front of the threshold of a very wide door, the two arms are placed, and an attempt is made to advance with the elbows nailed on the door. So elongate pecs.
11. One hand takes a foot from behind, and brings it toward the tail, elongating quadriceps. This exercise usually requires the help of a partner or the wall, so as not to lose balance.
12. Sitting on your knees in front of a chair, the forearms are interlocked behind the head, and they lean on the seat of the chair.
13. With your back to a chair, you place your arms on the seat of it and you try to support the weight while you slide to the floor.
14. Standing with a dumbbell on one arm and the other flexed upward, the weight-bearing shoulder is allowed to drop as low as possible. In this way, elongate the neck.
15. Face down, with the body extended and the palms on the ground, an attempt is made to bring the upper part of the body upwards, stretching abdominals.