Regular stretching will increase your flexibility, enhancing your athletic performance so all of your workouts will benefit. All you need is a fence or park bench to do these simple stretches.
Peta Serras is an accredited Polestar Pilates Instructor. Here she shares some simple post-workout stretches to reduce potential muscle soreness.
1. Flatback Release: Place hands on fence or park bench and walk back until the arms and back are straight and the feet are directly underneath the hips. Keep the legs as straight as possible and feel the tailbone reach upwards to the sky rather than down towards the ground. Focus on your breath, taking deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Aim for every exhalation to feel longer through the body and broad through the front of the chest and shoulders. Avoid collapsing or rounding through the back. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout.
2. Hamstring Stretch: Place heel onto fence and make sure the legs are as straight as possible without straining. The higher the fence or bench, the more intense the stretch will be through the back of the leg. Keep a straight spine as you lean forward into the stretch and avoid the tailbone tucking underneath. To vary the intensity, try this stretch with a flexed foot. Hold the stretch each side for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout the movement.
3. Calf Stretch: Stand upright with the hands on fence for support. Step one leg back in a lunge keeping it straight. Ensure the toes are facing forward with the heel firmly planted down into the ground. Push your energy through your back heel to stretch through the calf muscles. The further back you lunge, the more intense your stretch will be. To target a different area of your calf, you can try this stretch with a slight bend through the back knee. Hold the stretch each side for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout the movement.
4. Glute Stretch: Place the foot on fence with the leg bent and relax the knee out to the side. Hinge forward from the hip to feel a stretch through the outer part of the glute. The height of the surface you are stretching on will determine how strong your stretch will be. For a less intense stretch make sure that you pick something lower as this is one you really need to relax into. Ensure the foot stays flexed and avoid rounding forward with the body.
Hold the stretch each side for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout the movement.
5. Quad and Hip Flexor Stretch: Stand close to the fence facing away from it. Bend one leg and place the toes or top of the foot onto the fence making sure you feel secure. Stand upright but feel the pubic bone curl up towards the belly button. To increase it, stand further away from the fence and continue to draw pubic bone towards the belly button, creating a beautiful arc from the knee to the neck as displayed in the photo above. Hold the stretch each side for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout the movement.
6. Round back Release and Foot Stretch: Stand upright holding the fence with an underhand grip. Bend the legs like you are about to sit into a chair and simultaneously lift the heels and round the back. Feel the tailbone tuck up towards the belly button and allow the spine to round and the head to follow. Take deep breaths into your back and feel on every exhalation that you can round your back more. The lift of the heels provides a beautiful stretch through the arch of the foot, which is important to do after an intense run or walk. Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds breathing throughout the movement.
Photography by Bill Delaney. Wardrobe by The Upside Sport
