stretch

Sitting Long Term and Stretching

Do you sit in front of the computer most of the day? Do you get tension headaches, neck pain, and sore chest muscles?

This is a result of repetitive forward head movement that can be from typing, reading and looking down to write. Excessive forward head posture puts strain on your neck and shoulder muscles. Perform the pectoralis stretch below to decrease strain to your neck and shoulder muscles.

Stand in a doorway and place your arms about 90 degrees along the sides of the door frame. Step through the door frame until you feel a stretch across your chest. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Alternate your foot forward with each stretch.

Pectoralis Stretch
Pectoralis Stretch

Do You Suffer From Calf Cramps?

Calf cramps come from tight muscle. The calf muscles can get tight from running, excessive walking, wearing high heels, and poor shoe support. If your calves are tight, begin a stretching program. In the following video, you will learn several ways to stretch your calves. Please note, you can hold the stretch for as little as 15 seconds for 2-3 repetitions to obtain results.

Calf Stretching Video

Stretching Principles

Stretching after you workout is more beneficial to prevent muscle soreness and injury.  If you stretch before you workout, there is more potential to tear a muscle.  This is due to the lack of blood flow at the muscle. 

To get the most benefit out of stretching, make sure you hold the stretch at a point you feel a pull within the muscle. Stretching should be held between 15-60 seconds.  Perform 2-3 repetitions of each stretch on both sides of your body. If a stretch is painful, you should decrease the range of motion of the stretch.   

Hamstring stretch