Exercises for stretching muscle groups. Quick stretching at home. Bend your knees to your chest

When it comes to losing weight, many people believe that losing excess weight only possible with cardio training. However, flexibility exercises can also help you improve your metabolism, blood circulation, and can also help build muscle mass. Stretching exercises and some yoga poses can be very effective in burning fat if practiced regularly. In addition, stretching can become simple first a step towards more complex training.

Cobra

This stretch targets your abs, back, shoulders, obliques, and thighs. Stretch your arms out to your sides and lie on your mat with your legs together. Lift up top part your torso, tilt your head back. Hold this position for twenty or thirty seconds.

Twist while seated

This exercise allows you to work on your abdominal, back, and oblique abdominal muscles. To perform it, you need to sit on the floor, stretch one leg in front of you, bend the second at the knee and cross over the first. After this, you need to turn your body towards bent leg. Hold this position for twenty to thirty seconds.

Warrior

If you do this exercise, you will be able to work the muscles of your back, hips and abs. Take a standing position, and then take a large step forward, leaving left leg behind. Rotate your foot 45 degrees toward the center of your mat. Bend your right knee 90 degrees so that your knee is directly above your shin while keeping your left leg straight. Raise your arms and reach for the ceiling. Stay in this position for about thirty seconds, then switch legs.

Bridge

This pose is very effective if you want to stretch the muscles of the buttocks, thighs, abs and legs. Lie on your back and extend your arms along your body, bend your knees at a ninety-degree angle. Slowly lift your hips up while pressing your shoulders and top part body to the floor You should stay in this position for about fifteen seconds.

Side lunge

With this exercise you can work your quadriceps, hamstrings and thigh muscles. Lunge out to the side with your right leg, keeping your knee bent 90 degrees. Your left leg should be extended in the appropriate direction, while your left foot should be on the floor. Slightly tilt your upper body forward, and stay in this position for half a minute, then change legs.

Inner thigh stretch

As the name suggests, with this stretching exercise you will work on your muscles. inside thighs, as well as groin. Sit on the floor with your back straight. Bring your feet together and lower your knees as close to the floor as possible. Using your elbows, lightly press down on your knees to press them closer to the floor. At the same time, you should feel a slight tension in the muscles. Before you reach the point where you feel pain, stop and hold in this position for thirty seconds.

Knee bending

This exercise will help you work immediately on the muscles of both the upper, middle, and lower parts your back. To do this, you need to lie on your back, and then bend both knees and grab them with your hands. After this, begin to pull your knees towards your chest until you feel a stretch in the muscles. You should remain in this state for about thirty seconds.

Triceps stretch

This stretch targets your shoulders, back, of course, triceps and even your abs. You need to stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, and then raise your arms high up. Bend your right elbow and grab it with your left hand, then gently pull towards your head. Hold this position for twenty seconds, then change hands.

Bends while sitting

This exercise allows you to stretch the muscles of your back, shoulders, abs, and oblique abdominal muscles. To do this, you need to sit on the floor and cross your legs. Or you can sit on a chair if that makes you feel more comfortable. Raise your left arm straight above your head, then tilt it to the left until you feel tension in your left side. At this point, stop and stay in this position for ten or fifteen seconds, then change hands.

Onion

This yoga pose works your back, your hips and your abs. To take it, you need to lie on your stomach, stretch your arms back and raise them up, then bend your knees and grab your shins with your hands. Make sure your shoulders don't touch your ears and do this exercise for thirty seconds.

Downward Facing Dog Pose

If you practice this asana, you will be able to simultaneously stretch the muscles of your hips, shoulders, legs, arms and back. To get into this pose, you need to get on all fours. As you exhale, straighten both your arms and legs, lifting your hips up. Point your heels up and your head down, then hold this pose for twenty seconds.

Triangle

This position targets the obliques, shoulders, legs, chest and thighs. To begin, you need to stand on a yoga mat and then spread your legs wider. Rotate your left leg 45 degrees and your right leg 90 degrees. Extend your arms parallel to the floor and begin to reach to the left side, as if you are trying to reach something. Exhale and tilt your body to the left so that your left hand could touch your left shin or an object on the floor, if that is more convenient for you. At the same time, extend your right hand up and look at it, remaining in this position for a little more than thirty seconds.

It just so happens that all people leading, or just starting to lead healthy image life, pay very little attention to stretching exercises. Perhaps some people believe that flexible muscles are needed only by professional athletes (gymnasts and acrobats), others blame their laziness and lack of time, and others have never even heard of this type of exercise.

And, regardless of the reason, all these people are missing out on a lot. After all, stretching exercises, even for beginners, this is a wonderful, and most importantly accessible way for everyone to always stay in good shape. No matter how old you are, whether you've played sports or not, stretching is for everyone. By training flexibility, you increase muscle elasticity and improve joint mobility. Besides, correct stretching allows you to improve blood circulation in the body, help you relax and simply improve your mood and well-being.

As you can see, there are a huge number of advantages to stretching exercises. You may now be waiting for us to talk about the cons. Of course, there are disadvantages: you can damage your joints, get sprained ligaments and simply harm yourself. But all this can be avoided if you approach your training wisely. First, you need to understand what types of stretching exist.

There are 2 types of stretching: static and dynamic. They are further divided into several types, but we will not talk about them. So, static stretching- This is one of the main types of stretching exercises, recommended for beginners use it exactly. When doing static stretching, you should not make any sudden movements. Taking one position, you should remain in it for several minutes, feeling how your muscles stretch.

During dynamic stretching(which is not recommended for beginners) the trainee must perform all kinds of swings, rolls from longitudinal to transverse splits, and vice versa.

Next we will look at the most effective exercises for stretching, which are suitable for beginners. All of them are static and do not require special training. It's important that you warm up before you start your workout: do 2 sets of 25 squats, jump rope, or if you have an exercise bike lying around, ride it for a few minutes before starting your workout.

Leg stretching exercises

We hope you have warmed up and are ready to start leg stretching at home.

A set of exercises for stretching the leg muscles

Step your right leg forward and your left leg back. Place your left knee on the floor (see illustration). Place your hands either on your knee or on the floor. Now slowly lean forward. When you feel a stretch in your thigh muscles, freeze in this position for 30 seconds. Now take a breath and as you exhale, try to bend even lower, freeze in this position for another 30 seconds. Now slowly return to the starting position and change legs.

Now straighten your right leg, fully resting on the knee of your left leg. Place your hands on the floor. Now slowly tilt your torso down, while making sure that your back remains straight. Having dropped as far as possible, stay in this position for 30 - 40 seconds, and exhale, try to go even lower. Feel the muscles stretch back surface hips, as well as knee ligaments. Now return, slowly, to the starting position and change legs. Lie on the floor with your back, lift your right leg up, clasp it with your hand just above the knee. Now relax, do very deep breath and, exhaling, slowly pull your leg towards you with your hands. At the peak point, hold again for 30 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Do the same with the second leg. During the exercise, make sure that your leg is straight at all times, do not bend knee joint. Also try to keep your muscles relaxed at all times; excessive muscle tension can lead to injury. Sit on the floor, press your feet together, rest your elbows on your knees (see picture). Slowly press your elbows onto your legs and tilt your torso forward. At the same time, make sure that your back is straight at all times. As in the previous exercises, bend down as you exhale, and, having reached the peak of tension, hold in this position for 30 - 40 seconds. Then return to the starting position and repeat these bends several more times. This exercise perfectly stretches the groin ligaments and internal muscles hips

Spinal stretching exercises

Now let's look at what kinds of back stretching exercises there are.

The well-known “dog pose” or “cat pose”, everyone calls this exercise differently. Get on all fours, arch your back and look up. Stay in this position for 15 seconds, then take position (B) shown in the figure below. To do this, stoop as hard as you can, directing thoracic region up. Also hold in this position for 15 seconds. Do this exercise for 2 – 3 minutes.

Now lie with your back on the floor, press your pelvis tightly to the floor. Now cross your right leg over your left (see photo). This will turn your torso into lumbar region, while trying to lift your shoulders off the floor as little as possible. Lie in this position for 30 seconds, and then do the same on the right side.

Get off the floor and sit on a chair. Stretch your arms forward and stretch your spine behind your arms as hard as you can, without bending your torso forward. Head and also pull forward. This is the final exercise in our complex; perform it for 60–90 seconds. Try to breathe as slowly as possible and feel how your spine is stretched.

Well, in conclusion, I would like to say a little about the frequency of training. Perform these exercises as often as possible, ideally daily. Spend 15 to 20 minutes stretching and your body will thank you very much. If you have any questions regarding the article or exercises for stretching your legs or spine, feel free to ask them in the comments below.

Reading time: 14 minutes

Doing the splits is the dream of many people early childhood. But even if you have good flexibility, without preparatory exercises, doing the longitudinal splits will not only be difficult, but also risky: you can pull muscles and get injured.

We are offering to you best exercises for longitudinal twine, which will allow you to gently and painlessly stretch your muscles and joints. Regular deep stretching will help you get into the splits quickly, even if you've never done it before.

10 rules for stretching for longitudinal splits

1. Stretching can be done only after a good warm-up. Any cardio for 20-30 minutes is suitable as a warm-up. Before stretching into the splits, you should feel that your body is warmed up.
2. If you want to quickly do the longitudinal splits, then try to stretch twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Morning stretching, although difficult, is very effective. In the evening you will be able to stretch easier - by the end of the day your muscles will be more pliable and flexible.
3. Exercises for longitudinal splits are best performed in static poses. Try to use up-and-down pulsating exercises to a minimum, as this can lead to sprains.
4. Hold each pose for at least 30 seconds. You can gradually increase both the duration of the exercises and the range of motion.
5. While stretching, you need to focus on the sensations in your body. You should feel a gentle stretch in the muscles, but not pain. If you feel sharp pain, reduce the amplitude of the exercise or stop exercising.
6. If you are stretching in a cool room, dress warmly. Even after a good warm-up, muscles tend to quickly cool down at low room temperatures, and this makes stretching difficult.
7. When performing longitudinal split exercises, always keep your back straight, don't round it. Pull the top of your head up and when bending, try to lower yourself to your feet with your stomach, not your head.
8. You can record the results with a centimeter tape by measuring the distance from groin area to the floor surface at the moment of maximum stretch.
9. If you neglect stretching for a few days, be prepared to fall back in results. The most important thing in stretching for splits is regularity.
10. Don't put yourself no specific deadlines for splits (week, month, three months). Everyone has different physiology, so someone can do the longitudinal splits quickly, while others will need a year of regular training to achieve results.

If you want to do the splits faster, you can purchase additional tools for effective stretching. For example, split stretching machine. Stretching on the simulator is very convenient and comfortable - you do not need external pressure or holding positions. Using a stretching machine will keep your muscles relaxed and more pliable for stretching.

10 exercises for stretching and warming up before the splits

We offer you a ready-made version of warming up and warming up before the splits, which will help you conduct your splits training much more effectively. Stretch on a warm body is much easier and more enjoyable! Be sure to warm up before each splits workout.

The number of repetitions on one side is indicated for each exercise. For example, the first exercise is walking in place with knees raised. You should perform 20 leg raises with your right leg, 20 leg raises with your left leg, for a total of 40 repetitions. You can increase the number of repetitions at your discretion (decreasing is not recommended!). If you feel that after doing the exercises you haven’t warmed up enough, repeat the complex again.

1. Walking in place with knees raised : 20 reps

2. Swing to your feet : 20 reps

3. Rotations for hip joints: 20 reps

4. Side lunge : 15 reps

5. Tilt towards the leg : 15 reps

6. Back Squat: 20 reps

7. Back lunges : 10 reps

8. Jumping rope: 40 reps

: 40 reps each (just count to 80 in sync with the movement)

10. Jumps with arms and legs raised: 35 reps

We remind you once again that before performing longitudinal splits exercises, be sure to warm up well. Performing these exercises without warming up is fraught with dangerous injuries and sprains, and this will delay your dream of doing the splits for a long time.

How to do the longitudinal splits: technique

If you have already completed preparatory exercises, That You can try doing the longitudinal splits. You will need two blocks or a stack of books. If you're flexible enough, you won't need blocks.

1. Get on your knee with your front leg extended forward at a 90-degree angle and the toe of your back leg resting on the floor. Straighten your back, tighten your stomach, straighten your shoulders. The pelvic bones should be in one line and point straight forward. Inhale and as you exhale, begin to gradually move your legs apart in different directions, lowering your pelvis down.

2. Reach the extreme tolerable position and freeze. As soon as your pelvis has dropped low enough, hold the floor with your hands and stretch your legs at the knees.

3. Gradually, step by step, you will be able to do the longitudinal splits.

4. Carefully come out of the split position. Stretch your legs forward in front of you, shake them a little to get rid of tension. Perform a similar exercise on the other leg.

Screenshots in the article are used from the official YouTube channel of Olga Sagay.

With high-quality performance of longitudinal splits exercises, you will definitely reach your goal. Longitudinal twine accessible to absolutely everyone at any age, regardless of innate flexibility. But some will need more time to stretch, others less. It depends on both genetic characteristics and sports background.

Proper stretching is not only a pleasant activity (as it allows overworked muscles to relax), but also very useful, especially after strength exercises. “Stretching helps muscles become more elastic and gives them even tone,” explains Olga Sargaeva, stretching teacher at Yara Dance Studio. “And for those who lead a sedentary lifestyle, stretching makes it possible to relieve stress in the body, fill the muscles with oxygen and nutrients for their full functioning. Plus, stretching reduces the time interval for muscle recovery.”

By doing stretching exercises, we improve and appearance muscles. “Under load (especially strength training), the muscles seem to shorten, and stretching allows you to lengthen them, make them visually smoother, and get rid of excess volume,” says Natalia Polyanskaya, personal trainer, teacher at the YogaMind studio school and author of the set of exercises that we will show today. “Compare, for example, what the muscles of a bodybuilder who rarely bothers to stretch look like, and an aerialist who pays a lot of attention to stretching.”

Stretching is also useful for skeletal system. “As a result of stretching, joints gain greater mobility, which increases flexibility and reduces the risk of salt deposits,” says Irina Troska, fitness director of the World Gym club chain.

Our fitness experts advise completing any workout, be it aerobic or strength training, with static stretching. “Only during such stretching will the muscles be able to relax as much as possible, and you will be able to calm your breathing and return to normal operation of cardio-vascular system“says Olga Sargaeva.

“In addition, such exercises have a calming effect on the nervous system, reduce post-workout stress, and with it appetite,” says Irina Troska.

How to choose stretching exercises? In general, nothing complicated: those aimed at relaxing the muscle groups that are maximally loaded during the lesson are suitable. “This rule is easy to follow if, say, we are talking about a strength lesson. If it was functional training“, you need to work out the largest muscle groups - the back, legs and hips, pectorals,” says Natalya Polyanskaya. “After most group lessons, it makes sense to stretch the muscles in your back and lower body.”

How to build a lesson

* Finish each workout with a set of movements for a specific body part. Or do everything at once if, for example, you had a functional class or cross-fit class.

* Perform the exercises at a leisurely pace, breathe evenly and deeply. “Don’t hold your breath under any circumstances,” says Irina Troska.

* Concentrate on the sensations in your body. “Hold the positions until even slight tension in the muscle disappears. If this does not happen, it means that you have stretched the muscles too much and you should ease the effort,” advises Irina Troska.

* Perform the exercises sequentially in one approach. Or two, if you really like some movements.

To perform the exercises you only need rug.

Stretching: exercises for arm muscles

"Lock"

From the same starting position As in the previous exercise, extend your right arm forward parallel to the floor. Bend your elbow and raise your palm to face level. Move your right elbow slightly to the left and wrap your right arm around your left, placing your left palm on your right wrist. Feel the stretch in your upper right arm. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds, then do the exercise on the other side.

Carpal lock

Stand up, place your feet wider than your shoulders, keep your back straight. Place your hands behind your back, join the fingers of both hands into a lock and “turn” it away from you (palms pointing away from the body). Then lean your body down, stretching your arms up. Hold the position for 40-50 seconds and smoothly return to the starting point.

Stretching: exercises for the back muscles

Forward lean

Get down on your knees, sit on your heels, straighten your back. Wrap your arms around your shoulders and gently stretch your upper back to the sides with your palms. Hold this position for 40-120 seconds and return to the original.

Side bend from a sitting position

Stand in front of a high-backed chair with your feet shoulder-width apart (toes turned slightly inward). Grasp the back of the chair with your hands and lean your body forward. Gently stretch your back into one straight line (do not hang your head down - your neck should be straight). Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, then smoothly return to the starting point.

Stretching: exercises for the muscles of the legs and thighs

Bend forward with legs apart

Sit on the floor, straighten your legs and spread them wide to the sides. Pull your socks towards you. Then lean your body forward and rest your palms on the floor (or, if stretching allows, elbows). Feel the stretch in your thigh muscles. Hold this position for 30-60 seconds. If desired, repeat after a minute pause.

Raising the leg from a lying position

Origin of the term " stretching"has English roots. We are talking about a special type of aerobics exercise, where all attention is focused on elasticity and flexibility of the body, muscle stretching. This type of exercise is suitable for people of any age and does not depend on the degree of preliminary training of the person. Classes can be completely independent, or they can be an additional load to the main system of aerobics or fitness exercises.

Regardless of age or body flexibility, these exercises are suitable for everyone. Optimal results are achieved only if you perform them daily.

First of all, you need to understand what you want to get from these classes:

• Stimulate blood circulation, lymph circulation;
• relieve pain caused by tension nervous system and stress;
• slow down the aging of the body;
• maintain the elasticity of the body's muscle mass;
• reduce mental stress.

It's worth understanding what it is this type aerobics, what are its benefits, why do they do stretching, what results can a person expect if they do the exercises regularly.

From everything written above, it becomes clear that stretching is a complex for stretching and flexibility of the body. Training can be spontaneous, as a separate full-fledged complex, and additional, as an addition to the developed exercises. Relatively speaking, each of us who has tried to do the splits at least once has done stretching. An important element of this type of exercise is stretching the leg muscles.

In addition to the fact that this type of aerobics helps great workout muscles of the back, arms, neck, and overall upper body. Regular stretching helps the joints and muscles of the body not lose mobility, and, importantly, slows down their aging processes.

Stretching classes are included in the training complex for professional athletes and are used as an independent type of therapeutic and health-improving gymnastics. This type of discipline makes it possible to alternately relax and tense muscle tissue, and this helps the rapid processes of relieving tension in the body and restores lost strength, helps to relax and tone the body.

Another important fact is that this type of aerobics provides all women with the opportunity to be slim and beautiful. With regular exercise in gym, at some point, you will notice that all the excess body fat is almost gone and the size of your muscle mass has increased. The prominence of the muscles creates the visual impression that the body has become larger. An additional benefit of stretching is that the muscles do not grow in width, despite their regular stretching. The result of constant exercise is a magnificent figure - beautiful body, charming curves, perfect waist.

Benefits of exercise

A set of flexibility and stretching training will give a person:

• improved self-esteem, good mood, feeling of comfort and inner satisfaction;
• will help eliminate pain and tension at different points by eliminating muscle and nerve blocks;
• activates the cardiovascular system. The work of peripheral veins and arteries is important, since this is what helps eliminate long-standing ailments and prevent problems such as thrombosis, atherosclerosis, etc.;
• will restore natural flexibility to the body and help rejuvenate the body;
• slimness will always be majestic and straight;
• classes help to work out all muscle groups, including those that are not used during visits to the gym.

Stretching classes will be appropriate at any time of the day, including between strength training. After just one month, a person notices the manifestation of hidden capabilities own body. For example, you can easily and simply sit in the lotus position, or put your head on your lap. There are no limits to improving capabilities, so with the passage of time and regular implementation exercises, the amazing secrets of yoga may become available to you.

Nuances and specifics

There are several types of stretching, so it’s easy to choose the one that’s right for you, depending on your preferences and complexity.

Strength gymnastics– exercises for stretching and muscle strength. Such classes are perfect for those who have dealt with systematic stretching.

Aerostretching– stretching and elasticity exercises based on canvases in the air. The exercises are not suitable for beginners as there is a high risk of damage and injury. This type of stretching is suitable for those who already have basic training after classical aerobics classes.

Beginners should be careful and work gradually. It is unacceptable to demand maximum results from the body in a short period of time, since heavy loads can greatly harm the muscles of the body. Beginners usually start their work with simple exercises, holding each of them for no more than 15-20 seconds.

Basic rules for beginners:

• Proper breathing. You cannot hold or speed up your inhalations or exhalations. Throughout the entire complex you need to breathe rhythmically and measuredly. You can breathe deeply during the break between stands;
• stretching workouts are practiced after aerobics, gymnastics, physical activity. This is what ensures the required blood flow to muscle mass and increases their elasticity;
• after exercise, you need to relax your muscles, do not take on heavy work, eliminate strength exercises, since you can overstrain the body;
• Stretching of the body occurs to a certain point - pain impulses are an indicator of a sufficient degree of load. The appearance of pain indicates that a person has reached his maximum limit of muscle stretching.

Minor pain should not be scary. There is a concept of “pleasant” pain impulses in the muscles, and “dangerous” symptoms that indicate the risk of injury or its presence. A person quickly learns to distinguish one from another after he begins training.

Set of exercises

Training sessions are carried out in several stages:

1. A mandatory phase is strength manipulation or warm-up: in this way, a person warms up his muscles to avoid damage.
2. A system of exercises for body flexibility - bending, etc.
3. A set of stretching exercises that are best done with a partner.
4. Exercises to relax muscles.

The effectiveness of the exercises becomes obvious after several workouts. Each time the body acquires a greater degree of plasticity. Over time, the complex can be expanded, ballet stretching exercises can be introduced - this will make it possible to achieve more significant progress. Classes can be conducted with music. Musical accompaniment is an individual choice of a person. Anything goes: light pop, relaxing ambient, jazz, etc. Now there are a number of web sites where all kinds of tunes for fitness, gymnastics, and aerobics are posted.

Simple exercises for flexibility and stretching of the body:

The main thing is to alternately relax and statically tense pulled muscles bodies. At the very beginning of the course, it is preferable to study with experienced trainer in the field of stretching aerobics.

Contraindications

It is not recommended to engage in training for people who have injuries, pathological problems with the spine or joints, especially during periods of exacerbation. Also, those who have serious diseases of the cardiovascular system, thrombosis, hernias, arthritis, osteoporosis should not do the exercises. You cannot train with a fever, flu, symptoms of any inflammatory processes or infectious diseases.