Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. This stretch is important to remember before doing running training or even light walking. Your buttock is a muscle that connects your lower back to your upper thighs and in saying this also needs to be stretched as much any other legs or back muscle.
This stretch is done whilst sitting on the ground allowing for optimal stretching of your gluteus maximus. Other minor muscles such as the iliotibial band, semimembranosus, semitendinosus and the biceps femoris, located in your thigh.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
A trick to this stretch is to keep your back straight, also making sure your opposite leg to the stretch is used to stabilise your body.
The Sitting knee-to-chest buttock stretch is useful when dealing with sports injuries such as lower back and muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain, hamstring strain and iliotibial band syndrome.
Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation. Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time. Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).
Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.
Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'. After a couple of weeks focusing on the back and shoulder problems i thought we would move down the body to the upper legs, just to mix it up. Often people stretch the quads and calves effectively but most people forget the glutes. It is infact a muscle and must be stretches for optimal use and maintainance. The lying knee-to-chest stretch targets the gluts perfectly so I urge you to, please, give it a go.
Lying on a flat surface slowly bring one leg up towards your chest and grip with your hands. Pull you leg as close to ur chest as you can get and you should feel the stretch adequately down that glute, from about half way down the your hamstring to the back of your pelvis.
The lying knee-to-chest stretch is best down on flat and even ground and should only be done one leg at a time. Remember to keep you back and non stretched leg flat on the ground for optimal stretch of the gluteus maxmus. This stretch will also engage you illiocostalis lumborum when your stablising your body for the stretch.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
Avoid the temptation to raise your head and look at the stretch as this will put strain on your neck and other muscle in your back. Of course if you feel any pain from doing this stretch stop and seek medical advisen straight away. Oh and also remember to do it for BOTH legs, keeping the right and left sides of your body even has benefits in postural correction and muscle development.
The Lying knee-to-chest stretch is useful for lower back muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain and hamstring strain.
Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation. Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time. Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).
Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.
Hi All and WELCOME to the next installment of 'Stretch of the Week'.This week we've got the good old hammy stretch. It coming into summer and a lot of people are trying to get their beach body back but one of the most heart renching things in the amount of hamstrings that don't get stretched. So now there is no excuse.
Just put the heal of your leg on a chair, log, stump, step or anything, the more creative, the better. Keeping your leg straight lean forward and reach to touch your toes with both hands, bending at your hips. You should feel the stretch the entire length of the underside of your leg, if you don't stop, readjust and try again. This is stretching the semitendinous and semimembranosus muscles in your upper leg and the soleus and gastrocnemius in your lower legh.
Don't worry if you can't quite reach your toes, i can't either but persistance pays off and you will get more flexible the more you practice the exercise.
Don't ever under estimate the importance of stretching and the benefits it holds.
Whilst doing this stretch keep your legs straight and if you have pulled a hamstring recently do not over do it.Keep your back as straight as possible and bend at the hips reaching forward with both hands, not just one. It's important to practice this stretch on relatively flat ground to maintain balance.
The Standing leg-up hamstring stretch can help with lower back muscle strain, lower back ligament sprain, hamstring strain and calf strain.
Always remember that while stretching may be recommended to aid recovery out of injury, you should always be very careful when stretching through rehabilitation. Your soft tissues are likely to be more vulnerable to re-injury if you stretch too much or too hard during this time. Always check with your Health Care Professional who is guiding you through your recovery to make sure it is appropriate to start stretching, and please - ALWAYS FOLLOW THE RULES FOR SAFE STRETCHING (The first posting on this stretching blog).
Image taken from "Lower Body Stretches" wall chart by B. Walker.
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