15 classic movements for flexibility training

Standing forward bend, seated forward bend, cat-cow pose, child's pose, downward dog, pigeon pose, butterfly pose, front thigh static stretch, iliopsoas stretch, chest wall stretch, trapezius stretch, neck lateral flexion stretch, step Achilles stretch, seated spinal twist, frog lie.

Don’t be overwhelmed by seeing 15. When I first started teaching students, I thought I had to go through them all at once to be effective. Later, after talking with the team doctor of the provincial team, I found out that people with different needs do not need to select all of them - 6 exercises for sedentary office workers focusing on shoulders, neck and hips are enough, runners focus on 7 exercises on limbs and hips, and friends who practice powerlifting can just add chest and spinal twisting.

Let’s talk about the most controversial frog lie first. Many teachers in the yoga school will ask students to sink as far as possible until their thighs touch the ground, and even ask assistants to help compress the hips and open the hips. However, the view of rehabilitation experts is exactly the opposite: ordinary people stop as long as they feel a slight pulling sensation in the groin. Pressing to the point of pain will cause the hip muscles to compensate. I used to have a student who pressed hard for half a month in order to quickly open the hips. In the end, the popping hip pain took almost two months to recover. It is really not a mistake.

On the contrary, the most inconspicuous cat-cow pose is recommended by all practitioners. I must do 10 sets before every deadlift. It does not mean how much it stretches, but it can move the spine segment by segment. Many people say that their poor flexibility is not because of tight muscles, but because the spine is not flexible enough. When you get up in the morning and do 5 sets on the bed, the feeling of waist stiffness can be eliminated by half.

For those of you who sit for a long time, I am the first person to stretch by pushing the chest against the wall. Don’t underestimate this movement. A client I worked with who was working on the back end, after two months of round shoulder high and low shoulder training, adjusted it back to half, just by pulling against the corridor wall for 30 seconds every time when fishing. Note that the elbow joint should be at the same height as the shoulder. Just feel the pulling sensation on the chest when leaning forward. Don't pull with the shoulders shrugged, as that would be a waste of practice.

I generally recommend iliopsoas stretching for both office workers and runners. You can touch the area below your waist that connects to your thighs. It will become tight after sitting and standing for a long time. Many people's inexplicable chronic back pain is actually related to it. When practicing, pay attention to the knees of the front legs not passing over the toes, stretching the back legs as far back as possible, keeping the upper body straight and not leaning forward. Many people bend to the waist, which is completely wrong.

Here is a question that has been debated in the industry for many years: Should stretching be painful? The traditional school of static stretching will say that "if there is no pain, there will be no effect." However, the latest functional training research has overturned this statement. As long as there is a clear sense of stretch, it is enough. If it hurts to the point of frowning, it will cause the muscles to activate the protective mechanism to contract, making the stretch tighter and tighter. When I was training for horse racing, I believed that "it only works if it hurts." I did deadlifts and bent forwards, but my hamstrings were strained and are still prone to tightening. This is a hard lesson.

The pigeon pose that is often practiced in yoga is particularly friendly to people with tight outer hips, especially girls with wide fake hips. When practicing, pay attention to the front calf to be as parallel as possible to the edge of the mat. Don't tilt it to one side. Just keep your upper body straight. You don't have to lie down. I have seen too many people twist their knees by lying down hard. There is really no need to pursue the exact same range as the blogger in the video.

I generally recommend not doing seated spinal twisting after eating. It is best to do it on an empty stomach or after core training. When twisting, feel the spine turning one by one. Don't shake your neck. You can gently hold your knees with your hands to assist without forcing them. The same is true for trapezius muscle stretching. When pulling, you can gently bring your head to one side with your hands and sink the other shoulder as much as possible. Many people lift their shoulders when they pull. After stretching for a long time, the trapezius muscle is still tight, but it pulls the neck.

The step Achilles tendon stretch is particularly important for girls and runners who often wear high heels. Stand on the edge of the step, sink your heels, and feel the pulling sensation on the back of your calf. Hold it tight so as not to fall. I had a student who did this after wearing stilettos for a day, and said that most of the soreness in the legs disappeared immediately. The rest of the child's pose, downward dog pose, and front thigh stretching are basically the key points that everyone has seen when watching fitness videos. I won't go into too much detail. The core is still the same sentence: Don't chase the range, just find the right feeling of force.

Finally, to be honest, flexibility is really not something you are born with. When I first started practicing, I couldn’t even touch my toes when I bent forward, but now I can easily put my palms on the ground. There is no need to pursue those fancy and difficult stretching exercises. Just pick what you need from these 15. Pull each stretch for 20-30 seconds each time. Practice three times a week. You will feel obvious changes in a month. Don't be greedy for too much, and don't push the limit. It's better than anything else.