How To Stretch: Stationary Exercises

Learn how to use 7 stretching exercises for your whole body, which can be practiced anywhere.

Our stationary exercises are going to be done one of three ways—either with the wall or an obstacle, with a partner or done free just by yourself. Lower leg—here we want to focus on the muscles of the gastroc and soleus. We start with the leg straight. This focuses more on the gastroc, the upper part of the lower leg. We want to keep moving as we do these drills. This is not static stretching. We still need to emphasize moving while stretching. Keep the heel flat on the ground dropping the hips forward and down adding stress on to the gastroc muscle. Now we want to bend the knee putting more emphasis on the lower part of the lower leg or the soleus muscle. This is where the Achilles tendon attaches to the heel, again, trying to keep the heel flat as we can, drop the hips down and forward putting more stress on the soleus muscle group. Do two sets of three repetitions of each exercise with each leg. Stretch the quadriceps and hip flexors, grab the ankle, start with the knee slightly in front of the body. Hold the knee back pushing the hip forward adding stress to the quads and hip flexor muscle groups. Do two sets of three repetitions with each leg. For added difficulty, try not to use a partner but do them free standing on one leg. This will help to develop proprioception or balance. Hamstring raise—drop the hips down as low as we can keeping the heels flat on the ground. Raise the hips up straightening the legs as straight as you can get them and then pulling the chest down slightly to add a little bit more stretch. As soon as movement stops, squat back down and repeat this. The hamstring works from the knee being collapsed to extension, so we simulate that with this drill. For this drill we would like to so two to three sets of five repetitions. Side-to-side—this works our lateral movement of our adductors and abductor. Adductors work to bring the legs together or adding. Abductors help to move the limb apart. Here we want to focus on going side-to-side keeping the hips down, the chest up, so that we have to have a good posture. Do not let the knees roll forward, pass the toes. Keep the hips back as in during the squat. We also do not want to use the hands to push on the knees but make the muscles of the legs do the work. Over and back is one repetition to two sets of five repetitions. Gluteus and low back—start sitting on the ground, cross one leg over. Hug it up tight to your chest. Keep good posture with the back that will put stress down in the gluteus and hip area. Then cross over with the elbow, pushing on the knee so that we get more of the lower back stretched then try and reach down with your nose and touch the toe of the crossover leg. This will really put a good stretch on your hip flexors at the lower back. Alternate legs and do each side three times. Again remember, this is slow and controlled movement, this is not a static stretch, do not hold the position. Go until your movement stops, relax, and continue on. Hip flexors and abdominals—take a large one step forward. Drop the hip straight down so that the front knee stays over the front foot. Push the hips forward and the chest back. This will put an added extra stretch on the hip flexor and abdominal muscles. Raise up just high enough to stand but do not return to the starting position. Drop back down and repeat, emphasis again on continuing to maintain movement throughout the range of motion. Chest, shoulders, and latissimus—starting with the thumbs up, pull the arms together as close as you possibly can. Next, rotate the thumbs down, pull the hands together and push up towards the sky, back to the thumbs up bringing them together. This stretches the chest and front shoulder muscles with the thumbs down were going to recruit a little but more of the latissimus and lower chest.