Lower back A |
Lower Back
1. Begin on your knees.
2. Place your hands in front of you on an exercise ball or the seat of a chair.
3. While keeping your back flat, reach forward with your arms, and lower your buttocks to your feet (photo A). You will feel a stretch along the sides of your back.
4. Hold for 30 seconds, while breathing, then relax. Repeat four times.
5. Next, place your hands shoulder width apart on the ground. It will look as if you are crawling.
6. Gently arch your back toward the ceiling, and tuck your buttocks in (photo B). Hold, and repeat four times. After the last arch, lower your buttocks to your heels with your arms stretched out in front, and let your back relax. |
Lower back B |
Hip Flexor Stretch in Three Planes
1. Start by standing with feet together.
2. Step forward onto the right leg while keeping your knee aligned above your ankle and your hips forward.
3. Raise both of your hands above your head as you lean forward. You should feel a gentle stretch in the front of your back leg.
4. Then, lean toward the right leg, and raise your left arm over your head. The stretch will move to include your left side as well as the front of your back leg.
5. Finally, raise your left arm above your body, and twist it to behind your body. This opens up the left side of your body.
6. Hold each position for 30 seconds, and then switch legs and repeat all three positions four times.
Hamstring stretch |
Hamstring Stretch
1. Lie down with the small of your back against the floor.
2. Bend your left knee to 90 degrees to stabilize your hips.
3. Slowly raise your right leg off the ground with the knee as straight as possible. Your right hip should not rise off the floor, and the motion should come only from your hip (photo).
4. As your foot approaches vertical, you will feel a stretch in the back of your leg.
5. Hold your leg in this raised position for 30 seconds.
6. After 30 seconds, relax your knee, and then repeat three times before switching to the left leg. |
Quadriceps Stretch
1. Stand with feet together and hips straight.
2. Bend your right knee back, and take the front of your right foot in your right hand.
3. Keeping your knees even (i.e., do not let your right knee swing forward), bend your right knee back. You will feel a stretch in the front of your leg from above your hip to your knee. Do not allow your posture to curve forward, but keep standing straight up.
4. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds, and then relax. Repeat this four times, and then switch to the left quad.
Calf Stretch
1. Stand with your feet shoulder length apart and your hands against a chair or a wall.
2. Keep your heels on the floor and your knees straight while leaning into the chair or wall (photo A). You will feel this stretch down the back of your legs.
3. Hold for 30 seconds. Then bend your knees, and continue leaning in (photo B). Hold with bent knees for 30 seconds, then repeat with straight and bent knees four times.
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