Stretches

Chest stretch - both arms

Stand in a doorway and lift your arms out to the side until they are parallel to the floor.

Bend your elbows so your hands are straight up, palms facing front. Brace your elbows or forearms in the doorway so that you’re not using any muscles to hold the arms up and gently press forward, chest toward the ground, until you feel a gentle pull from your chest across the front of your shoulder joint.

You can change the elbow position up or down in the door frame to change the location and intensity of the stretch: find your sweet spot.

Infraspinatus compression:

Place a physioball between your shoulder blade and a wall and bring the elbow of the same shoulder up to shoulder height. Bend the elbow to 90° palm facing down, elbow pinned in place, and slowly bring the palm of the hand down toward the wall below, then slowly back to pointing straight ahead, then slowly up back of the hand toward the wall above. Repeat as necessary.

Bicep:

Reach your arms straight out to the sides of your body and rotate your palms up, thumbs pointing backwards. Try to bring your thumbs closer together behind your back.

Tricep:

Reach one arm straight up overhead, bend at the elbow reaching back behind your head and use the other hand to gently encourage the elbow pointing straight up backwards. Repeat on other side.

Forearm:

Reach an arm straight out in front of your body palm facing down, then use the opposite hand to lift the fingers up and back (bending at the wrist) toward the forearm. Elbow can remain straight or bent. Repeat on other side.

Wrist:

Come to tabletop with equal weight distributed on hands and knees, push your hips back a bit to take the pressure off the hands and flip your hands under (fingers pointing toward your knees and you can see the palms of your hands). If you want more intensity, reintroduce pressure to the wrists by slowly bringing your hips forward.

Rhomboids:

Reach both arms out in front of you palms down, and then internally rotate your arms so your thumbs point down, palms facing away from each other. Cross one arm over the other so the palms meet and interlace the fingers. Now reach your hands away from the body and round your upper back bringing your chin to chest. Switch arms and repeat.

Spinal Twist (mid-back):

Lay on your back and bend your knees with your feet on the ground, arms out to the side in a T shape. Keep your shoulders flat on the ground and bring your knees up over your hips, feet in the air and slowly let your knees fall to one side keeping the knees stacked on top of each other and your hips at a 90° angle or above the hips.

Allow your head to turn away from your knees gazing in the opposite direction. If this is uncomfortable because your knees don’t reach the floor, try the low-back spinal twist.

Spinal Twist (Low-back):

Lay on your back in a T shape with arms out to the side with one leg straight and bring the other knee toward your chest. Use the opposite arm to grab the knee and bring it toward the floor keeping both shoulders firmly on the ground.

Allow your head to turn away from the knee gazing in the opposite direction. Repeat on other side.

Side body:

Lats/Intercostals:

In a seated or kneeling position, reach both arms up over your head and grab one wrist with the opposite hand, pulling it up and to the side. Try to keep your spine as long and tall as possible with only a slight side-bend. Repeat on other side.

QL:

Sitting in a straddle with your legs wide apart, bend one knee to bring the sole of your foot against your thigh. Grab the bent knee with the opposite hand and then reach up with the free hand up over your head and toward the pinky toe of the outstretched leg. Try to rotate your chest away from your outstretched leg, twisting your ribcage up toward the sky. Repeat on other side.

Hip flexor (psoas):

1.     Kneel on the floor with the front foot extended slightly beyond the knee, bring your back knee straight under your hips and without ACTUALLY moving, try to bring your back knee towards your front foot.

2.     Tuck your tailbone so that if you had a tail, you’d be tucking it down between your legs and squeeze the glutes.

3.     Remaining perfectly upright or with a slight backbend, press your hips forward maintaining the activation from steps 1 and 2.

OPTIONAL: bring the arm of the back leg overhead and reach up as high as possible before entering a slight side-bend away from the back knee. Repeat on other side.

Glutes:

Seated:

Sit and bring one ankle on top of the opposite knee. Keeping your spine as long and straight as possible, lean your chest forward. Hold this position until the stretch becomes less intense, then use your hand (same side as the raised ankle) to press down on the knee of the raised ankle until you feel a deeper stretch. Continue to lean forward keeping the spine long and straight. Repeat on other side. 

Supine:

Laying on your back, bend your knees with one foot flat on the ground and the opposite ankle on top of that knee. Lift your foot away from the floor, bringing the knee (with the ankle on top) closer to the chest and interlace the fingers behind the knee. Option: allow the foot to fall to the side landing in a supine spinal twist. Repeat on other side.

Hamstrings:

Standing:

Find a safe place to stand close to a wall or solid piece of furniture for balance and lift one leg in front of you and let your heel land on the seat of a chair or stool. Keeping a micro-bend in each knee, gently lean forward. Repeat on other side.

Kneeling:

Come into a kneeling lunge with one foot flat on the ground in front of you, the other knee bent under your hips.

Slowly push your hips back allowing the front leg to straighten and bring the toes up and back to reach toward your shin. Repeat on other side. 

Seated:

Sit flat on the ground with both legs straight out in front. Try to keep your back straight and long and slowly hinge forward at the hips until you feel a lengthening sensation along the back of your legs and reach your hands forward to rest on the thighs, knees, shins, ankles or feet.

Quadriceps:

Standing:

Find a safe place to stand on one leg (close to a wall for balance) kick one foot back and catch it. Keep the knee of the bent leg pointing straight down and tuck the pelvis (if you had a tail, point it down between your legs). To find more length, try to bring the foot closer to the back of your body. Repeat on other side.

Kneeling:

Kneel close to a chair or couch facing away from it and bring one foot out in front of you flat on the ground. Bend the back knee and kick the heel up, scoot closer to the chair or couch so the top of your foot is supported by the chair or couch. Keeping your spine straight and upright, get as close to the chair or couch as you need to feel a lengthening sensation in the thigh and tuck your tailbone under to deepen the sensation in the hip flexor of the back leg. Repeat on other side.

Calves:

Gastrocnemius:

One foot at a time: Lift the toes of one foot toward the shin and put the ball of the foot on a block, step or against a wall or post. Gently bend the knee and press the knee and hips forward. To alter the location of the stretch, change the angle of the toes from straight up to slightly to the left or right to find your “sweet spot.” Repeat on other side.

Both feet: find a safe place to hang your heels off the edge of a step and let your heels drop down with a bend in the knees. To find your “sweet spot” bring your toes closer together with your heels winging out or vice versa, fanning your toes out to the sides bringing your heels together.

Soleus:

One foot at a time: Lift the toes of one foot toward the shin and put the ball of the foot on a block, step or against a wall or post. With only a tiny micro-bend in the knee, press hips forward until you feel a lengthening sensation below the back of the knee. Repeat on other side.

Both feet: find a safe place to hang your heels off the edge of a step and let your heels drop down with a micro-bend in the knees.

Feet:

Kneeling:

Come down onto your hand and knees keeping your toes tucked so the pads of the toes remain touching the floor. Slowly press your hips backward until you’re sitting on your heels and slowly bring your hands away from the floor, sitting upright with a tall spine. Try to keep as much weight as you can stand pressing down on the heels. When the sensation becomes unbearable, slowly lean forward with your hands on the ground and lift your toes off the ground. Sometimes it feels nice to gently alternate tapping the tops of your feet against the floor.