Stretches
Stretching can be beneficial if you have tight muscles. Some common muscles that are tight are listed below. Blindly stretching every muscle can be a waste of time, just like doing every exercise you know in the gym is over the top.
Whenever you stretch make sure you can feel the tension within the muscle but remember you shouldn’t be in pain.
Stretches to ease low back pain include: hip flexors, quadriceps, piriformis, lumber rotation, double leg rotation, extension in lying/half press ups
Hip Flexors: Kneel on one knee, with the other leg at an angle of 90 . Tilt your pelvis back by tightening abdominal muscles and feel the stretch down the front of your back leg.
Quadriceps: Stand with an object for balance. Pull the heel of one leg to the same buttock using your hand. Keep the knee of your bent leg pointing straight down and tilt your pelvis back, keeping the abdominal muscles tight.
Piriformis: Lying on your back use both hands to pull your knee and ankle towards the opposite shoulder, keeping your abs tight and your back flat on the ground.
Lumber rotation: Lie flat on your back with one leg straight and the other bent so that the foot is flat on the ground. Now take the bent leg across the straight one and try to touch your knee to the ground.
Half press ups/ extension in lying: Lie flat on your stomach and keep your pelvis against the floor. Push up with your arms until your elbows are locked. Now attempt to lengthen your spine.
If you suffer from headaches or have trouble with your neck, try these:
Upper Traps: Sit on your left hand. Now aim your right ear down to your right shoulder and angle your chin to the right. Swap sides and repeat.
Pectoralis Major: Stand with your shoulder and elbow at 90 degrees (stop sign position). Lean with your hand against a door-way and turn your body away from your arm to feel a chest stretch.
Pec Minor: Pull both arms back and down behind your back as if standing to attention in the army. Think about trying to retract your shoulder blades at the same time.
Neck retractions: Stand up straight and pull your chin back in, to give yourself a double chin. Think about trying to glide your chin straight back, not up or down.
Been running hard? You need these:
Soleus: Stand in a slight split position with your weight on your back leg. Bend both knees forward slowly, ensuring your heels stay flat on the ground. You should feel this in your Achilles tendon.
Gastrocnemius: Face a wall and stand a metre away from it. Have one foot forward and the other with the back leg straight behind and the foot flat. Your weight should be on the back leg. Lean forward until a stretch is felt slightly higher in the calf.
If you suffer from arm or wrist pain due to too many hours spent at a keyboard this will help:
Forearm Flexors: Kneel down and place your hands palm down with all ten fingers pointing towards you so that your wrists are facing away, lean back slowly.
