A complete collection of flexibility training exercises

90% of people with non-specific needs, whether it is sedentary relaxation, exercise warm-up, or posture adjustment, practical training movements covering the shoulders and neck, upper limbs, trunk, hips, and lower limbs, the core are 12 general models, taking into account the usage of the three mainstream training systems of static, dynamic, and PNF.

In the seven years I have been working as a physical trainer, I have seen too many people save hundreds of stretching exercises in their online disks, and these are the only ones that are commonly used. Some time ago, a girl who worked in operations came to me and said that her shoulders and neck were so stiff that it hurt even when she turned her head. She worked overtime every day, so I gave her three exercises that can be done in the office, and she got better within a week. There was no complicated process at all.

Oh, yes, before I talk about the movements, let me mention the controversial point that everyone is most concerned about: in the early years, the fitness circle and the yoga circle had been arguing for several years: "Can I do static stretching before exercising?" In fact, the core is a matter of speed. It is absolutely fine to do short-term static exercises within 30 seconds. If you do long-term static exercises for more than 1 minute, it will indeed temporarily reduce muscle strength by about 10%. Just avoid it before strength training, sprinting and other explosive events. It is completely ok to do it after daily relaxation and exercise.

Let’s talk about the most commonly used static stretching first, which can be done at any time:

Pull the neck to the side. Sit on a chair and grab the edge of the chair with one hand to stabilize the body. Use the other hand to gently support the side of the head and pull it to the opposite side. Slightly retract the chin. Stop when you feel a pulling sensation on the side of the neck. It only takes 20-30 seconds. Do 2 groups on each side. You can complete the work of brushing the work group. It is much more effective than rubbing your neck blindly. Don't pull too hard. I once had a student who was so anxious that he pushed too hard, which caused his trapezius muscle to spasm. The pain lasted for three days. Just take it easy.

Stretch the pectoralis major muscles. Stand next to the door frame. Place your forearms against the door frame at 90 degrees. Slowly lean your body forward. Stop if there is a feeling of soreness and swelling in your chest. It only takes 30 seconds. People with round shoulders and chests should do this more. Lower your head and scroll through your mobile phone for two hours to do one set. The tightness in your chest will dissipate.

Child's Pose, a classic movement in yoga, kneel down with your feet on the ground, with your knees shoulder-width apart, your upper body lying forward, your arms stretched forward, your chest as close to the ground as possible, and your tailbone sinking toward your heels. Do this for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you have lower back discomfort, move your knees farther apart to avoid pressure on your waist. I changed my plan to do one set when I have back pain, which is better than drinking two glasses of iced American style to relieve fatigue.

To stretch the hamstring muscles, sit on the ground and straighten one leg, and bend the other leg against the inner thigh. When the upper body is far forward, straighten the waist and back. Don't arch like a shrimp. Stop when you feel a pulling sensation on the back of the thigh. 30 seconds per group, 2 groups on each side. Must do after sitting for a long time or running, otherwise the calves will easily become swollen and hard.

Stretch your calves, stand facing the wall, bend one foot in front, and place the other heel on the ground. Lean your body forward until you feel a pulling sensation on the back of your calf. Do this for 30 seconds per group. You can do this while shopping in high heels for a day. It will feel so sore.

Next is dynamic stretching, which is specially used to warm up before exercise. Don’t press your legs blindly before exercise. There used to be a brother who ran a marathon. Before, he only pressed his legs when he warmed up. Later, he suffered from iliotibial band syndrome for three months. After changing to dynamic stretching, he never did it again.

Circle your arms front and back, relax your shoulders, and straighten your arms. Circle the front and back 15 times each time. Slow down and don't make your shoulders click. You must do it before upper limb training, otherwise the shoulder push will easily cause strain.

Lunge rotation, standing lunge, bend the front leg at 90 degrees, straighten the back leg, turn the hand on the same side to the opposite side, feel the stretch in the hip, 12 times on each side, do it before running or strength training, it is particularly good for opening the hips, and the hips will not get stuck when running.

Bend the body sideways, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lift one hand up, and bend toward the opposite side. Feel the stretch on your side waist. Do this 10 times on each side. Do it before practicing the waist and abdomen. It will not easily pull the side waist.

Raise your legs high and swing your arms, stand with your knees forward, swing your arms in coordination, 30 seconds in one group, do it before lower limb training, activate the muscles on the front of the thigh, and run lighter.

Then there is PNF stretching, which is commonly used by professional teams. It improves flexibility faster than static stretching, but it requires the cooperation of others. The controversial point is that some people say that it is easy to injure ligaments. In fact, if you control the intensity, there will be no problem. If you force it, it will definitely hurt. The principle is to contract the muscles first and then relax, so that the muscles can be stretched further.

Hamstring muscle PNF, lie down, and another person lifts your leg up to the limit you can bear. You push his hand in the opposite direction for 10 seconds. After relaxing, he lifts it up a little more, hold for 30 seconds, do 3 groups. It is commonly used by people who practice horseback riding. A girl who studied dance with me before used this method to lower the cross in half a month.

For PNF on the back of the shoulder, sit, raise your arms flat and bend them in front of your chest. Another person holds your forearm and presses it towards your body. You exert force against it for 10 seconds. After relaxing, press a little more. This is a must-do for shoulder exercisers. The range of shoulder mobility will be much better, and it will not be easy for the shoulder to get stuck when pressing.

Oh, and there is another question that people often ask, should I practice flexibility every day? There is really no standard answer to this. If you sit for a long time every day, it is absolutely fine to take 10 minutes to do it every day. If your muscles feel sore after stretching, just take a day off. Everyone's fascial elasticity is naturally different. Don't stick to the standard of three times a week. Your own comfort is the most important.

If you are practicing dance, gymnastics, acrobatics and other special sports, you will need more movements, such as leg tearing, waist lowering, shoulder opening, etc. You need to find a professional teacher to teach you. Don’t practice blindly by yourself. You may get injured and the gain outweighs the loss. Ordinary enthusiasts really don’t need to touch those fancy movements. If you can insist on doing the above for 5 minutes every day, it will be much more effective than saving hundreds of movements.

Finally, a reminder, don’t believe the propaganda about 7-day hip opening and 10-day straight horse. One of my former students strained his hamstrings for three days and had to rest for a month. Flexibility is a slow process, and taking your time is the fastest.