Leg Stretches for Flexibility: 7 Stretches for Your Lower Body

Everybody can profit from improving their flexibility, however neglecting your decrease physique is an effective way to ask ache and stiffness into your life. One of the vital apparent indicators that tight muscular tissues might be inflicting points, says Andrew Peak, CPT, corrective train specialist and founding father of Garage Gym Greatness, is issue doing on a regular basis actions because of stiffness, equivalent to squatting down or choosing gadgets off of the ground.

“Tight leg muscular tissues can even result in poor posture and alignment, which is usually noticeable throughout standing or strolling,” he says. This will result in hip, knee, and lower back pain.

One other signal of decreased flexibility? “Recurring discomfort or stiffness within the legs, particularly after durations of inactivity or following train,” he says.

You don’t must make stretching your prime health precedence, however you do must stretch repeatedly—significantly your decrease physique—to reap the advantages. If you wish to actually enhance your flexibility, you possibly can stretch day by day to see the quickest enchancment. However at minimal, the American College of Sports Medicine says it’s best to stretch no less than two to 3 days per week.

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6 stretching advantages

These are simply a few of the expert-backed causes it’s best to add the under leg stretches to your health routine.

1. Improves vary of movement and suppleness

A daily stretching routine helps your physique transfer with ease. “Stretching helps maintain the muscular tissues extra versatile and maintains the conventional range of motion within the joint which is crucial for every day practical exercise,” says Karly Mendez, human efficiency specialist with Memorial Hermann’s Rockets Sports Medicine Institute.

2. Improves athletic efficiency and reduces accidents

Research¹ has discovered that stretching can enhance your muscle energy and agility, in addition to forestall accidents. A joint with full vary of movement features prefer it ought to—which suggests the muscular tissues are stronger and more healthy. For greatest outcomes, specialists say to carry out dynamic stretching (energetic stretches that take your joint by way of the total vary of movement) earlier than athletic actions, and passive stretching (holding a stretch for a time period) after train or athletic actions.

3. Will increase blood stream

“Stretching the legs helps enhance blood stream to the muscular tissues, which helps nourish the muscular tissues and permits your muscular tissues to work most effectively and successfully,” says Mendez. Due to the enhanced blood flow², doing leg stretches for flexibility could assist your muscular tissues get better extra effectively after train.

4. Decreases again ache

Tight muscular tissues could cause ache and stiffness in your again. They don’t enable your backbone to maneuver prefer it ought to, which will increase your danger of accidents and muscle spasms. A 2023 study³ discovered that stretching introduced instant and long-term ache reduction for individuals who had power low again ache.

5. Improves posture

Tightness in your leg muscular tissues can have an effect on each sitting and standing posture. Your lumbar backbone has a pure slight curve. In case your hamstring muscles are tight⁴, it may well rotate your pelvis again which may flatten that pure curve, resulting in a hunched over posture. Muscle tightness in your hip flexors (usually from sitting all day) can pull the pelvis ahead and lead to poor posture and finally again ache.

6. Alleviates stress

Feeling anxious? A 2013 study⁵ discovered a stretching program helped scale back anxiousness, stress, and ache. It additionally helps enhance your temper. Researchers mentioned that static stretching prompts the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps you loosen up by decreasing how a lot cortisol your physique releases.

7 leg stretches for flexibility

These stretches enhance flexibility in all the foremost muscular tissues in your decrease physique and are static stretches, which suggests it’s greatest to do these after exercising or after a warmup.

“Contemplate a lightweight stroll, bike, or jog for about 5 minutes earlier than going right into a stretch,” Mendez says. Whereas stretching, you’ll really feel pulling or have gentle discomfort, however it’s best to by no means really feel sharp ache. Cease the stretch should you really feel this. “Don’t bounce whereas stretching, and be constant together with your stretching,” says Mendez.

1. The World’s Biggest Stretch

Mendez places the “World’s Greatest Stretch” on the prime of her checklist—and for good purpose. This stretch, which is actually a lunge with a spinal twist, acquired this nickname as it’s a fabulous strategy to stretch all the foremost muscle teams in your physique. This stretch is each static and dynamic, so it’s an incredible transfer to begin your stretching routine. It’s going to enhance flexibility in your hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes, quads, and calves. It additionally opens up and stretches your chest, arms, and backbone.

1. Begin within the excessive plank place, together with your fingers shoulder-width aside and your legs straight behind you. Your physique must be in a straight line.
2. Step your proper foot ahead so you’re in a runner’s lunge place.
3. Maintain your foot outdoors of your fingers.
4. Twisting your torso, attain your proper arm up towards the ceiling. Maintain your left arm on the bottom. You ought to be your proper hand.
5. Maintain for 10 seconds.
6. Place each fingers again on the bottom and step your proper leg again so you’re within the plank beginning place.
7. Step your left foot ahead in a runner’s lunge, preserving your foot outdoors of your fingers.
8. Twist and attain your left hand up towards the ceiling.
9. Maintain 10 seconds.
10. Repeat 5 occasions on either side.

2. Hip 90-90 Stretch

The hip 90-90 stretch is an excellent strategy to enhance mobility within the hips, because it will increase flexibility with each inside rotation and exterior rotation. It stretches all of the muscular tissues round your hip, together with abductors, adductors, glutes, hip flexors, and piriformis.

1. Sit on the ground and bend one leg in entrance, together with your knee at a 90-degree angle. Your knee and ankle must be resting on the bottom.
2. Place your different leg to the aspect, bending that additionally to a 90-degree angle with that knee and ankle on the bottom.
3. Each knees must be pointing in the identical route.
4. In case your knees can’t comfortably relaxation on the bottom, place a yoga block or rolled-up towel beneath the hip of your entrance leg to assist help.
5. Maintain your again straight and your weight evenly distributed on each hips.
6. Maintain for 60 seconds.
7. Rotate your legs the opposite approach, so the leg that was in entrance is now within the again, and vice versa.
8. Maintain for 60 seconds. Repeat for two to five reps on either side.

3. Pigeon Pose Stretch

This can be a nice stretch to do should you sit all day. “I really like the pigeon stretch to develop hip flexibility and mobility,” says Peak. This hip-opening transfer stretches your hip flexors, glutes, piriformis, and groin.

1. Begin in a downward dog place.
2. Elevate your proper leg up behind you towards the ceiling, after which transfer it ahead till your proper knee is bent in entrance.
3. Whereas your proper knee is bent in entrance, your left leg must be straight behind you.
4. The highest of your left foot must be resting on the bottom. Maintain your pelvis straight forward.
5. Conserving your backbone straight and arms in entrance for assist, maintain this place for 30 to 60 seconds.
6. Deliver your legs again into the downward canine place, and repeat the sequence on the opposite aspect.
7. Repeat 3 to 4 occasions on either side.

4. Piriformis Stretch

If in case you have sciatica or glute ache, the figure four stretch can assist present reduction. This train stretches the piriformis muscle in your glute.

1. Lie on the ground with each knees bent and your ft flat on the ground.
2. Cross your leg in order that the foot of 1 leg is resting on the knee of the opposite.
3. Seize your thigh (just below your knee) and pull your knees towards your chest, feeling a stretch in your buttock.
4. Maintain for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on the opposite aspect.
6. Repeat 3 to five occasions on either side.

5. Foldover Stretch

This leg stretch will increase flexibility in your hamstrings, hips, and calves. It additionally offers a pleasant light stretch to your decrease again.

1. Stand together with your ft hip-width aside and your fingers at your sides.
2. Fold ahead at your hips, as you attain in direction of the bottom.
3. Your legs must be straight and your calves ought to keep on the bottom.
4. Don’t lock your knees – it’s okay if they’ve a slight bend.
5. Attempt to contact the ground together with your fingertips. For those who can’t contact the ground, bend your knees or use a yoga block beneath your fingers till your flexibility improves.
6. Maintain for 30-60 seconds.
7. Slowly roll again as much as standing.
8. Repeat 3-5 occasions.

6. Standing Quad Stretch

This transfer stretches your quadriceps muscle, which is the big muscle on the entrance of your thigh.

1. Arise straight, with one hand holding onto a chair or different steady floor for assist.
2. Stand in your proper foot and maintain your left ankle or shin by bending your leg behind you.
3. Pull your bent leg into your glutes, specializing in preserving it straight and never twisting it.
4. You’ll really feel a stretch alongside the entrance of your thigh.
5. Maintain for 30 seconds.
6. Repeat on the opposite aspect.
7. Repeat 5 to 10 occasions on either side.

7. Toes On Wall Stretch

This stretch not solely improves flexibility in your calf muscle but additionally the plantar fascia beneath your foot. This stretch is useful when you have plantar fasciitis.

1. Stand and place your fingers on the wall.
2. Place your proper toes towards the wall and your left leg again.
3. Conserving the heel of your left leg down, lean into the wall, feeling the stretch beneath your foot in your proper aspect—and a stretch alongside the calf in your left leg.
4. Maintain for 30 seconds.
5. Repeat on the opposite aspect.
6. Repeat 3 to five occasions on either side.

FAQ

What causes tight leg muscular tissues?

Experts⁶ say that some persons are simply genetically predisposed to having tighter muscular tissues than others. Different elements additionally play a task, together with a sedentary life-style.

“Sitting down on the workplace for prolonged durations is a major offender of tight leg muscular tissues,” says Peak. “Common stretching and taking little walks within the day can assist with this.”

One other issue is overuse or not warming up correctly. “High-intensity workouts within the gymnasium or at work can result in tight legs. CrossFitters complain about this a good bit because of the high-intensity, ‘squat-centric’ exercises,” says Peak.

When is the very best time to stretch?

“It’s useful to stretch each earlier than your exercise and after your exercise,” says Mendez. “Dynamic stretching is greatest earlier than a exercise, whereas static stretching is greatest post-workout or throughout your cooldown.”

“Dynamic stretches are extra activity-based actions to assist scale back stiffness and enhance pace and agility throughout your exercise, whereas static stretching entails no motion and are carried out holding a stretch for about 15 to 60 seconds,” she says.