Stretching?

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Fitnessmom82
Fitnessmom82 Posts: 376 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What's your stretching routine look like? Regular old stretches? Foam rollers? Both?
I'm awful at it. I get in to the gym, work hard for an hour and go home and go to work. I never even think of stretching. I am really starting to feel the effects. I used my foam roller today and it's pretty obvious that my muscles are in rough shape. I vowed to incorporate stretching every day and was wondering how and when you all work it in to your routines?

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  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    I do yoga to help me stretch. I usually do it at least once a week, but more when I can. PiYo incorporates stretching into it's workouts.
  • rach3116
    rach3116 Posts: 34 Member
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    I also do yoga, but after every sweat session I stretch. It helps me cool down and really focus on how good I feel after. I like to do 5- 10 minutes- I find floor mats at the gym or do them at home. Standing quad stretch, calf presses, hip flexor stretch, then bend over to get those hamstrings! Then I usually go to the floor to do more wide leg stretches and feel it in my sides and back. Gluten and hip ones too- like Indian style or leg crossed over on your back.
    And yes- foam rolling is awesome! Keep doing that too!
  • Motorsheen
    Motorsheen Posts: 20,506 Member
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  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    i stretch, but i'm selective and cautious about it these days because there is too much of some good things. and i pay more attention than i used to, to trying to keep the stretch 'in' the muscle belly itself.

    got some hypermobile joints and a tendon issue i'm still resting right now, out of being too gung ho on the mobility schtick.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,988 Member
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    Before yoga or the RBG workout I do 8 foam roller exercises. I think I'll do it before and after shoveling snow tomorrow, too.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,767 Member
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    Truthfully, I feel the best and gain the most during periods when I do some stretching every morning. It's like oil for the joints!

    How much I do depends on how much time I have - anything from one round of yoga sun salutation, to half an hour of varied things when I'm rich in time.

    What I do varies depending on what feels tight or is giving me trouble, and I draw on things from past yoga classes, stretches that a professional has taught me (massage therapist, physical therapist, osteopath, rowing coach), even things I've learned from friends or group fitness classes or YouTube. It sometimes includes foam roller or massage ball things.

    YouTube can be a great source: Search for things for your problem areas, and prefer sources that are credentialed, such as physical therapists. Yoga Journal has some good resources, too, that let you find things by benefit or body part. (https://www.yogajournal.com/poses).

    Some specifics for me are sun salutations, seated twists, variations on the "figure 4" piriformis stretches, doorway stretches to open chest/shoulders, quad stretches, and lots more. But your choices should be tailored to you, right? ;)

  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    I primarily do a Classical Stretch/Essentrics workout a couple times a week. Free to DVR on many PBS stations on US: http://classicalstretch.com/
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    nicoleduran81 wrote: »
    I used my foam roller today and it's pretty obvious that my muscles are in rough shape.

    Foam rollers always hurt, so they're a poor diagnostic tool. If you can workout fine and lead a normal life, you may not need much additional stretching. I have a couple of problem areas that limit normal movement, so i try to static-stretch them every few hours, since the effects of stretching don't last long. I don't do a lot of dynamic-stretches - my workouts and lifestyle provide that. :+1:

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