Welcome to the physiogain community and today, we are going to talk about mobility exercises to improve muscle flexibility. these exercises are going to be muscle-specific so sit tight and enjoy the journey of flexibility with us.
The main goal of these exercises is to increase the range of motion (ROM) at a given joint by altering the extensibility of the muscle that produces movement at that joint.
Table of Contents
Hamstring stretches
Sitting hamstring stretch
Position
- person is sitting with a leg to be stretched straightout in front of the body with the knee fully extended.
procedure
- You need to maintain a neutral position of spin and starts flexing at the hip.
- You need to start to reach down the leg (as far as possible) with both hands until a mild tension is felt in the posterior thigh.
- Person should lean forward by bringing the chest forward.
- Bending at the lumbar spine should be minimal.
Standing hamstring stretch
Position
- Person is standing erect with one foot on floor (no rotation at hip) and other one on elevated surface.
- elevated surface should be high enough to cause a gentle stretch in the posterior thigh when the person leans forward.
- Important – Donot allow the weight bearing foot to externally rotate as it will stop causing the effective stretching of hamstring muscle.
Procedure
- Person needs to maintain a neutral position of the spine and start flexing at the hip.
- Person start to lean forward by bringing his/her chest forward until a mild tension is felt in posterior thigh.
- bending at the lumbar spine should be minimal.
Stretches for Tight Hamstrings
Quadriceps stretches
Prone quadriceps stretch
Position
- Person is lying on his chest or stomach.
- hip should be placed in neutral position and not abducted.
Procedure
- Person reaches back with one of his arm and grasp the foot and tries to pull heel towards the buttocks.
- this should continues until a mild tension is felt in the anterior thigh.
Standing quadriceps stretch
Position
- Person is standing erect and holding onto a chair, if necessary.
- Hip remains neutral and not abducted or flexed.
Procedure
- Person reaches back with a hand to grasp the foot.
- he tries to pull the heel towards the buttocks.
- A mild tension is felt in the anterior thigh.
Adductor stretches
Modified lotus position
Position
- You need to sit with the bending knees and placing the soles of feet together while maintaing the neutral position of spine.
- you need to grasp both feet with hands.
procedure
- You need to pull yourself forward with hands and allows the knee to drop to the floor until you can feel a mild tension in the groin area.
- You can increase the strength of the stretch by pushing the legs into more abduction.
Forward straddle
Position
- You need to sit with knees fully extended.
- Spread your legs into abduction.
procedure
- Bend forward from the hip.
- You need to slide your hand forward until you can feel a mild tension.
- You can modify it by bending the trunk to the left or right and sliding your hands down the leg.
Hip flexor stretches
Lunges
Position
- you need to stand with one leg forward.
procedure
- You need to move forward in the lunge position until the forward leg is directly over the ankle as shown in this image.
Iliotibial band stretches
Position
- you need to stand in front of wall with one hand on the wall as shown in the image.
procedure
- With your legs crossed, you need to lean towards one side causing a stretch at the band.
Calf muscle stretches
Position
- you should stand straight with one leg forward and ankle is dorsiflexed.
Procedure
- You need to flex at your hip and anke should undergo in dorsiflexion as shown in the GIF.
- you will feel a stretch in the calf muscles.
Upper body mobility exercises
You need to go to this link below for the mobility exercises for the upper body.
If you have any query regarding this article then please do let me know in the comment section below.
Pingback: Upper body mobility exercises: increase your muscle flexibility - Physiogain