Muscle stretching exercises

This article will help us understand why in iron sports we need muscle stretching exercises. We will study in detail the most common and frequently used variations of their implementation. The exercises we suggest are: easy to get, simple they are simple to use and can be performed not only in the gym, but also even at home or outdoors, and do not require sports equipment or special equipment.

So, first, let's look at the definition: what are muscle stretching exercises?

Performing some monotonous, routine work, performing monotonous actions, our body (entirely, or its individual elements) can be in fixed (same thing) position, - as a result of which our muscle fibers are displaced and, as a result, acquire a certain shape. It’s just that in this way our body adapts to the stress and makes it easier for itself to complete the task. We need muscle stretching exercises solely to help the body. bring its muscle fibers back to their original shape. The main goal is to relax and thoroughly stretch contracted, clogged muscles.

The very first stretching exercise and the most effective one is hanging on a bar.

An extremely effective exercise that gives you the opportunity to maximally stretch and relax muscle groups:

1. backs,
2. press,
3. hands

Vary your grip width for a versatile stretch of your muscles. The legs can be bent at the knees or kept in a straight position. The main thing is not to swing, do not perform any cyclic actions - just a free, relaxed hang. This method of stretching will place the greatest load on our spine, thoroughly stretching and relaxing our back. We recommend!

The next stretching exercise in our arsenal is rotation and lateral bending.

Take a comfortable position while sitting on the floor. We hold the body vertically. Legs slightly bent at the knees. Perform rotational movements of the body, as if trying to reach an object located to the side and behind you at a considerable distance. At the same time, your buttocks and legs should be as motionless and fixed as possible.

Leg bends are another exercise for stretching your muscles.

The starting position is sitting on the floor. Turn one leg bent at the knee back, the other leg straightened at the knee in front of you. Bend forward, trying to reach the toe of your outstretched leg. Perform these bends alternately - first to one leg, then to the other. Try to fixate in the peak phase of maximum stretching - at this moment you will feel how tense the muscles of your back, legs and abs are.

The next stretching exercise we use is back bends.

Sit wide on your knees, turning your feet so that your heels point up. Do not bend your toes or press your toes into the floor. Your knees should point out to the sides. Lean back slowly. Having felt the maximum tension in the muscles of your legs and stretched them to their fullest, freeze for half a minute in this peak position. Having thoroughly felt the fixed position, return to the starting position. And so on several times.

Another classic exercise to stretch your legs:

Sit in a yoga position. The heels are connected together, the knees are apart. Grabbing yourself by the toes of your feet, try to press them as close as possible to your torso, while at the same time try to move your body towards you. We do everything very slowly, since a fast pace, instead of the benefit we need, is more likely to lead us to the doctor.

All gymnasts and track and field athletes do this next stretching exercise.

Sit on your butt with your legs spread wide apart. Lean forward towards the floor, as if trying to reach an object lying in front at a much greater distance. This workout will help you stretch your back and hamstrings.

The exercise is very similar to the previously discussed versions of lunges with a barbell or dumbbells. The only point is that now we are doing it without weight, but for high-quality stretching, therefore the amplitude of movement should be much greater in this case. In this way we will thoroughly stretch the muscles of the buttocks, thighs and our calves. Perform alternating bends to each knee. As usual, there is no need to rush. There is no need to rush in stretching exercises.

The last exercise of our stretching complex is bending the body to the sides.

Another fairly well-known exercise, familiar to us since school. But at the same time very effective and useful. From a standing position, we perform alternating bends in each direction. At the peak of the stretch of the oblique abdominal muscles and back muscles, hold for a few seconds, feeling the maximum tension.

Well, that's probably all. In conclusion, I would like to remind you once again: never neglect stretching exercises. Do them at least once a week and your muscles will grow beautifully in proportion and harmoniously. Isn’t this what every athlete dreams of?