Stretching for men at home. How to stretch to do the splits. Rules, exercises for beginners. Video. Bends to one leg

If you've always dreamed of doing the splits, now is the time to learn. You should start with stretching for beginners. Stretching is a long and painstaking task, but very beneficial for muscles and joints.

Remember that any stretching exercises should be performed slowly, carefully and be sure (!) to warm up the muscles beforehand. For example, you can perform them after a complex or after doing. By performing these exercises without first warming up or with excessive force (through pain), you can stretch or damage your muscles and tendons. Therefore, be extremely careful and observe your sensations.

For beginners, do stretching daily or every other day. Each position must be maintained for several minutes. Start with 20-30 seconds, gradually adding another 10 seconds each workout. This way you can achieve 3-5 minutes. Gradually, your stretching will improve, you will be able to perform exercises better and hold positions longer. Don't be discouraged if many exercises don't work out perfectly at once. Take your time, be patient, and over time everything will work out!

Exercise 1. Sit on the mat. Stretch your legs straight forward, pull your toes towards you. Place your arms straight behind your body, squeezing your shoulder blades together. The back is as straight as possible. Keep your back straight by bringing your shoulder blades together. If possible, lift your heels slightly above the floor. The legs and back remain as straight as possible, the toes continue to reach towards the body. Both your back and legs work.

Exercise 2. From the initial position with a straight back, we reach with our hands to the toes of our feet. Initially, the hands may be on the calves or even the thighs. The main thing is that your back is flat and straight.

Exercise 3. Relax your back and lower your body onto straight legs. The socks still reach towards the body. The back can now become rounded. We reach for our legs with our chests. Only when your chest drops can you lower your head.

Exercise 4. Lie on your back. The legs are above the head. We pull the socks with our hands. Legs must be straight. The back is also straight and lies completely on the floor. The shoulder blades stretch to the floor. We don't lift them off the ground. The sacrum is also pressed to the floor. Initially, the hands may be on the calves or thighs. The main thing: do not bend your knees and do not lift your shoulder blades off the floor. It's not easy.

Exercise 5. Sit on the mat. The right leg is bent and lies in front of the body. The left one is straight and level. We stretch with a straight back with our chest towards our left leg. When your chest drops, you can lower your head.

Exercise 6. From the previous position we move the body between the legs. We stretch our chest to the floor. The lateral thigh muscles work. If your chest touches the floor, you can relax and lower your head. But this will not happen right away.

Then exercises 5 and 6 should be repeated, changing position, for the right leg.

Exercise 7. "Doll". We sit down with a straight back and legs and arms spread out to the sides as much as possible. Feet as wide as possible, toes reaching towards the body. We push the pelvis forward, straining and stretching the inner thigh muscles.

Exercise 8. "Butterfly". We spread our legs bent at the knees to the sides. Putting the socks together. The back is straight, the hips reach towards the floor.

Perform all exercises carefully. Don't forget to pre-warm your body. And under no circumstances stop doing exercises if you feel like your stretching is far from ideal. Strength and patience to you!

Stretching for beginners for every day: video

If you have serious health problems, consult your doctor before exercising!

When most people hear the word stretching, they mean split exercises. But, in fact, all the muscles of our body require proper stretching: the back, arms, buttocks. Let's talk about why our body needs stretching and how to do it correctly.

Why do you need stretching?

Many fitness enthusiasts ignore this type of training, not understanding why it is needed. If running and strength exercises In the understanding of most people, they serve to form a beautiful, toned body, then the meaning of stretching remains unclear to them. However, we need it both after a hard workout and in everyday life. Why is stretching so beneficial?

1. Good stretching helps avoid damage to muscles and ligaments.
2. The range of movements increases.
3. Well-developed muscles do more work and get less tired.

In addition, proper stretching, like fitness, helps to form a beautiful, proportional figure.

Thanks to high-quality stretching, posture is leveled, and excess fat from problematic female areas: hips, abdomen, waist.

In order to properly stretch, you need to follow a few simple rules:

1. You can begin to stretch your muscles only after a preliminary warm-up.
2. To do stretching at home, it is recommended to choose exercises that you can do correctly without the help of an instructor. Don't choose too difficult poses. There will be no result from this.
3. For effective training, you need to stay in each pose for 30 seconds to two minutes. Beginners begin to stretch their muscles with a minimum delay of half a minute, gradually increasing it.
4. Avoid sudden movements. This leads to injuries and ligament tears.
5. The entire set of exercises is performed in the direction from above: neck, shoulders, back, legs.

The stretching time will depend on the type of workout. If you decide to conduct a full-fledged stretching lesson, be prepared to spend up to an hour and a half of time on it. When we talk about stretching as the final stage of another type of workout, it will take about 20 minutes.

Stretching exercise "Twist"

If you don’t have time for a full workout, then choose two exercises to work each muscle group. Thus, it will take about 20 minutes, and the body will not have time to forget previously acquired skills.

When not to stretch

Types of leg muscle stretches

The secret to good stretching is the right combination of exercises and doing them regularly. It is best if you attend full-fledged stretching classes 1 – 2 times a week. Gentle stretching is quite suitable for home exercises.

How to prepare psychologically

How to psychologically tune in to good workout? You must understand that the result obtained from classes depends entirely on the efforts made. Before you start, try not to think about what worries you. Leave all your worries and problems behind the doors of the sports class. Dedicate this time only to yourself and your body. It is very important to concentrate on what you are doing.

If you train at home, think carefully about the set of exercises to be performed. First, repeat each movement mentally, and only then proceed to perform it.

Remember that we are all different. Some people are endowed with good natural flexibility, while others are not. Therefore, some people stretch faster, while others stretch much slower. The main thing is not to stop and go towards your goal.

Get ready for regular workouts. Think about the result you want to achieve: develop natural flexibility, improve the functionality of the body, etc. Visualization will stimulate you and will not allow you to miss classes.

How to Prepare Physically

In order to physically prepare for muscle stretching training, you need to consider the following points:

1. Choose the right clothes. This is very important. In an uncomfortable form that restricts movement, it will not be possible to perform all the exercises technically correctly. The discomfort caused by such clothing will distract you from your workout. Therefore, pay attention to tight-fitting trousers and tops made from modern sports materials. They wear well, look beautiful, and do not cause any negative sensations during training. As for shoes, stretching is traditionally done barefoot, or in special socks for yoga or Pilates.

They can be purchased on any thematic website:

1. Don't forget about warming up. This is a prerequisite before stretching. To avoid injury, the muscles must be well warmed up. Running, jumping, burpees, air squats and other active exercises are suitable for warming up.
2. For home or independent training in the gym, it is important to choose the right set of exercises. Choose only those options that you can do correctly. It is enough to select 3–4 exercises for each muscle group.
3. If stretching your muscles is the final stage strength training, then more attention should be paid to those muscle groups that were most actively involved in training process. And those groups that were not involved should not be touched. They may not be warm enough to stretch and become easily injured.

The body of a modern person needs proper training. The back, shoulder girdle, core and leg muscles move little in the everyday life of the average city dweller and most of are in a constrained position for the time being. Regular stretching will help bring ease and joy of movement back into your everyday life.

Reading time: 16 min

Post-workout stretching is a set of exercises to relax muscles after physical activity.

Final stretches are an important part of your workout, helping you improve muscle elasticity and joint mobility. Stretching exercises not only protect your body from injury, but also help you train more effectively.

Why do you need to stretch after a workout?

Stretching helps relieve tension from the muscles and relax them, as well as return the body to a calm state after finishing physical activity. Regular stretching is an excellent injury prevention tool and also helps you recover faster if you already have an injury. Stretching exercises are very simple and accessible - absolutely everyone can do them, even those very far from sports.

1. It is very important to stretch after each workout for 5-10 minutes to relieve muscle tension.
2. At least once a week it is necessary to perform a longer stretch of all muscles, lasting 20-30 minutes.
3. Everyone needs muscle stretching: both women and men, regardless of age and lifestyle.

During exercise, your muscles contract, in other words, shorten. After completing the exercise, the muscles lengthen, but not completely, remaining slightly shorter than before the exercise. In order to return the muscles to their original length, it will take several days - this is called recovery.

Until the muscle returns to its original length, it will not recover and will not be able to work to build new strength. Therefore, if you do not stretch after training, then you are delaying your recovery, which means you are reducing the effectiveness of your exercise. During muscle stretching, you lengthen your muscles and return them to their original length. Without stretching, muscles take much longer to recover.

In addition, muscles remember their shortened length, so if they “forgot how” to lengthen, they will contract worse. Strengthening the muscles reduces the amplitude, and this already entails a drop in strength indicators. And not only! Muscles control our joints, and their lack of elasticity disrupts joint biomechanics, which leads to injury and inflammation.

improves muscle elasticity and joint mobility. This speeds up muscle recovery, reduces the likelihood of injury, and helps avoid stagnation in training.
• Stretching stimulates the growth of new muscle fibers, and subsequently strength. According to studies, stretching can increase the effectiveness of your workout by 10%.
• Stretching after exercise will help improve blood circulation in your muscles. This will reduce the soreness (muscle pain after exercise), will reduce the recovery time of muscles and joints, and also improve overall health. Blood circulation promotes cell growth and maintains organ functionality.
• Stretching exercises improve your flexibility and mobility, thereby reducing the risk of injury during exercise or daily activities. Besides, this will help improve strength performance by increasing the range of motion.
• Stretching after exercise lowers your heart rate and restores your blood pressure.
• Regularly performing stretching exercises for the back, chest and shoulders straightens the spine, improves posture, and helps get rid of back pain.
• Stretching exercises reduce tension and reduce stress caused by intense exercise. Stretching after exercise also encourages the release of endorphins, providing a feeling of calm and satisfaction.

Do not confuse warming up before physical activity with stretching after exercise. The purpose of the warm-up is to wake up the body, prepare the body for the load, warm up the muscles and joints. The warm-up should include dynamic stretching, joint exercises and cardio warm-up. The purpose of stretching after exercise is to lower your heart rate, calm your body, and stretch your muscles after exercise. This is the final stage of the workout; stretching is always performed at the end of the session.

How is stretching performed?

The duration of stretching is usually 10-15 minutes. If you are limited in time, you can reduce the duration of stretching to 5 minutes. (this is the required minimum), but in this case you will either do it quickly and poorly, or pay attention only to individual muscle groups. Ideally, in addition to regular stretching after training, once a week, do general stretching of the whole body for 30-45 minutes.

If you've had an intense workout, you'll want to get your heart rate back up before stretching. Walk at a calm pace for 1-2 minutes, taking deep breaths in and out to restore your breathing. Then begin stretching exercises, consistently stretching all muscle groups. The order of the muscles does not play a fundamental role; you can perform the exercises in any order.

Take a pose, slowly stretch the muscle until you feel slight discomfort (but not pain!) and hold in this position for 30 seconds. If you want to deepen the stretch and improve flexibility, you can hold each pose for 45-60 seconds. Stretching is performed statically; you should not rock or put pressure on the muscle. Stretch slowly and gradually, accompanying the stretch with deep breathing.

Special attention Focus on the muscle groups that were involved during the workout. But stretching other muscle groups will not be superfluous. Stretching relaxes your muscles, so it cannot be performed before or during class. You need to stretch after every workout: don't neglect stretching exercises if you want to stay healthy and improve your physical performance.

Features of stretching after training:

1. Stretching after training should be static. Avoid pulsation, springs, and pressure on the working muscle. An even, soft tensile force is a determining condition for quality exercise.

2. Stretching training should be accompanied by deep breathing. This will help you relax and stretch your muscles in a better way.

3. You should not practice exercises in pairs, in which the other person puts additional pressure on the muscles and ligaments. . Stretching this way can damage joints or strain ligaments.

4. Try not to round your back while bending towards your feet. If you lack flexibility, you should not try to jerk to your feet, arch your back, or pull your head down. Your back must remain straight, otherwise you risk injuring your spine.

5. This is why it is very useful to do stretching exercises in front of a mirror. This way you can see all your mistakes and shortcomings.

6. To make stretching easier, you can use a chair, for example, when bending, if you cannot reach the floor, or as a support:

7. You can also use a strap, towel or elastic band for convenience during stretching:

8. Stretching should be pleasant and comfortable; you should not stretch through pain. Your body should be relaxed, your muscles should not be tense.

9. Stretching does not replace massage, so for regular training we recommend using a massage roller. This inexpensive, useful equipment will help you avoid injuries and muscle pain.

We offer you a ready-made selection of stretching exercises that will help you pay attention to all the muscles of your body. You can perform the exercises in any order, but traditionally stretching is performed from top to bottom. The suggested stretching exercises can be performed both after cardio exercise and after strength training.

Upper body stretching exercises

1. Biceps and forearm stretch

2. Shoulder and arm stretches

3. Chest and Arm Stretch

Core stretching exercises

1. Stretch the obliques and upper back

2. Stretching the back and arms

3. Stretches for the back, lower back and buttocks

4. Stretching the lower back and abs

5. Stretching the back, shoulders and hamstrings

Lower body stretching exercises

1. Stretching the legs and buttocks

2. Stretching the hamstrings, hamstrings, buttocks

3. Stretching the adductor muscles (inner thigh)

4. Stretching the gluteal muscles and lower back

5. Quadriceps stretch

Thanks to YouTube channels for the photo: MFit, Allison Van Fossen, Love Sweat Fitness, FiT Global Fitness Network.

Post-workout stretching video

Stretching is a very popular sport now. Yes, this is exactly a sport, because a lot of effort and, accordingly, energy is spent on its implementation. Plus, stretching and body flexibility exercises for beginners will help maintain the health of the body as a whole. If you search, you can find many advertisements for recruiting groups for stretching lessons for beginners. And our article was specially prepared to help you work out and stretch your muscles at home.

If you are a beginner athlete and are looking for split stretching exercises at home, then this is the place for you. Below we will step by step analyze all the necessary information for beginners.

Necessity

If you ask a girl why she needs stretching, she will immediately answer: “I want to do the splits like my friend.” Stretching is necessary for a person to gain greater flexibility of the body.

And if you perform a set of simple exercises daily to stretch your entire body, then very soon you will feel noticeable changes in your body. Proper stretching for all muscle groups has a very beneficial effect on the musculoskeletal system, good mobility is developed, blood circulation is improved, and muscle cramps are prevented.

In general, some advantages. But you need to be extremely careful so as not to overdo it and harm yourself. So let's look at how to stretch properly to protect yourself from injury.

Species

There are five main types of stretching. They all perform a single function, but there are some nuances that are worth paying attention to.

1. Active. This option is designed for independent implementation. You can watch the video at the end of the article, from which you will learn how to do stretching at home for beginners, and perform the exercises yourself.
2. Passive. All exercises are performed by a partner. This option needs to be taken very seriously, because only you can sense the excess and inform your partner in time.
3. Static. Static exercises are considered the most effective type of stretching, which is especially recommended by doctors. During execution, the body is fixed in the desired position, allowing all muscle groups to be stretched. Fixation time is from 15 to 30 seconds, maximum – 1 minute, depending on the initial data of a particular person.
4. Dynamic. Everything happens in motion. A simple example is lunges left, right, back, forward. Muscle stretching occurs by increasing the intensity and speed of movements.
5. Ballistic. Perhaps the toughest and dangerous look muscle stretching. Execution occurs with quick springy movements and sharp jerks. During training, muscles and joints experience enormous and rather risky stress. Most often, this option is used by real professionals, extreme sports enthusiasts, lovers of tin and hardcore, for whom everything and everywhere is not enough.

Basic rules

Before performing any exercise, be it working with dumbbells or, as in this case, stretching, you must adhere to the basic rules:

1. Warming up the body. The most important step before starting any workout. The load on “cold” muscles is extremely harmful, because instead of benefit, you can get a serious injury, the rehabilitation of which will take a lot of time. You can choose any aerobic workout, be it an exercise bike, jump rope or running. By the way, if you train in the gym with hardware, then you should do a warm-up before the main exercises, and stretching at the end, precisely because after strong tension, the muscles need to relax and stretch.
2. Relax and be patient. This rule is important, first of all, for beginners. Stretching should be done slowly, breathing smoothly and evenly. No jerks or sudden movements, which beginner athletes love to abuse, should be present here.
3. The back should be straight, muscles are relaxed.
4. We pay special attention proper breathing: on inhalation – starting position, on exhalation (through the mouth) – stretching.
5. For those just starting to stretch, you can start with 5-10 seconds per exercise. Further, to improve the result, it is necessary increase duration, since without this progress will be very slow, or there will be no progress at all.
6. One of the basic rules is practice constantly. Especially if you are starting from scratch. Giving up everything before you even start is a simple matter, but making it a habit to constantly study is what it’s all about. real work. After all, no one needs your progress except yourself.
7. Another extremely important point – don't stretch until it hurts. This is fundamentally wrong. This way you will only injure your muscles and will forever, at least for a very long time, discourage all desire to exercise further. Stretch slowly but steadily, increasing the range of stretches each session. You yourself will feel your limit.

Don't make mistakes

Often, beginners start stretching everything and anyhow, thinking that by quickly working out the main parts of the body, they will soon achieve the desired result. But this is far from true. In most cases, with little awareness and without the supervision of a coach or experienced partner, “green” athletes pull ligaments, not muscles. With proper training, it is almost impossible to stretch the ligaments, since they are strong and rigid shells of the joints, but due to the wrong approach, injuries to the joints and muscles occur.

Avoid basic mistakes:

1. You can't stretch if you have health problems. Namely: spinal injuries, inflammation of the hip joints, problems with blood pressure, serious bruises and any injuries to the bone skeleton, especially the pelvis.
2. You need to stretch the muscles equally on each side, no matter what you pull, be it your legs, thighs, or calf muscles. If you stretched your left leg for 5 minutes, then stretch your right leg for the same amount. If you do it wrong, your body will, at the very least, hurt a lot.
3. You cannot stretch without thoroughly warming up the muscles (this has already been mentioned above).
4. If you go to the gym, don't even think about stretching before your workout. Stretching helps relax the muscles, and if you do the opposite, you won't be able to give your best.
5. Stretch in moderation. Too little is less than three times a week, too much is every day five times a day. Optimally - every day, only once.
6. If you hope that in a week you will get a beautiful split, then you don’t even have to start. It is a slow, calm, measured process that requires a lot of patience and diligence.

Psychological attitude

Probably every second lady thought: “Shouldn’t I try doing the splits?” Yes, everything seems simple, I scoured the Internet, found video tutorials, and off I go. But not everything is as smooth as we would like. It turns out that in order to take some kind of large-scale action, the fairer half must first be psychologically attuned.

Follow these rules:

1. Make it a habit to stretch every day, as they say - you quickly get used to good things.
2. Start small but steady. You need to give your body and brain the opportunity to get used to the changes.
3. If you suddenly missed one or two times, it doesn’t matter, just continue.
4. Well, imagine the end result more often.

Myths

Oddly enough, there are many misconceptions about stretching. They talk a lot, a lot of recommendations are written, and you seem to trust the Internet like an encyclopedia, but there are myths here too.

Let's dispel some of them:

1. They say that children stretch quickly and do the splits very quickly, and this is true. But they also say that if you are already an adult, don’t even think about it. But this is not true, everyone can stretch, but to the best of their ability.
2. There is information that in order to stretch, you need special starting parameters of the body. Myth. If you are just starting out, then you will definitely succeed. Just start doing the simplest exercises for beginners.
3. Stretching exercises provoke very severe pain. This is not so, if you do everything correctly and without fanaticism, then you will only feel a pleasant muscle stretch.
4. Stretching does not help you lose weight. If you think about it, when performing this or that action, a certain amount of energy is expended, and accordingly, calories are wasted. And if you devote the proper time to exercise, you will also be able to lose a few extra pounds.

Warm-up

Warming up your muscles before any workout, and in this case before stretching, is not only correct, but also very important. We have already said that if you do not warm up first, you can get injured. It will also be much more difficult for you to reach out, both physically and emotionally.

We offer a special pre-workout that you can’t miss:

1. All parts of the body are worked from top to bottom. We start with smooth turns of the head left - right, up - down, in a circle left - right.
2. Next are the shoulders. Circular movements of the shoulders forward and backward, alternate swings of the arms up and down.
3. We warm up the back and chest muscle groups. We stretch our arms in front of us, spread them to the sides and maximum behind our back, while rounding our chest. And, conversely, we bring our arms forward in front of us, rounding our back.
4. Next is a warm-up for the torso. During the exercise, the pelvis remains motionless, turns left and right, and bends forward and backward.
5. To prepare the spine, bend down as far as possible and rise up, rounding your back.
6. To stretch the muscles of the legs and hip joints, we perform alternating swings of the legs forward, backward, to the sides, also alternating legs.
7. To warm up the ankle joints, we perform circular rotations of the shins, kneading the feet up and down, left and right. Exercises with squats will help to work out the knee joints.

Effective stretching exercises

Where to start stretching training is a simple question on the one hand, but quite complex on the other. You can’t stretch everything; you should start small and, preferably, effective.

We offer a basic set of exercises for stretching and the spine at home.

Spine

The spine is a very important part of the body, so exercises should be selected for each person separately, according to the age and state of health of the body as a whole. For prevention, you can perform two basic exercises at home. They will help reduce the load on the spine if you have an unhealthy lifestyle, that is, sedentary work, wearing uncomfortable shoes, especially for girls and women who are used to wearing high-heeled shoes, as well as in the absence of regular physical activity.

Basic exercises:

1. To perform it, it is enough to have a crossbar or horizontal bar. It is advisable to hang on the bar for at least a minute, gradually increasing to three. If you don’t have a horizontal bar, you can replace it with another element: lying on your back while simultaneously stretching your arms behind your head and your legs down. This exercise is less effective, but also useful.
2. In the second exercise, attention is paid to the cervical vertebrae. To do this, it is enough to stretch your neck well to the left - to the right, up - down, sideways to the left - to the right, as if pressing against the shoulder. At each point, hold the position for several seconds. There is no need to rush, everything should be done calmly, breathing evenly, the body is relaxed, the arms are lowered down.

Below is a set of exercises for which the spine will thank you:

1. Crawling on the buttocks. Initial – sitting on the floor. Straighten your legs, straight back, fold your arms and raise them in front of you. Next, you begin to alternately move your buttocks, taking a kind of steps, eight steps on one side and the other. Go back in the same way. Repeat 3-5 times. Try to work only your buttocks, without using your legs as a whole.
2. . This exercise is very effective for the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, which will allow them to be inserted into their places. Initial – sitting on the floor. Pull your knees to your chest, clasping your arms, pressing your chin to your knees. Start rocking back and forth. Try to perform the exercise at least 10-15 times.
3. Deflection. This element trains the lumbar spine well. To perform, lie on your stomach, place your hands on the floor at shoulder level and lift your body to the maximum, arching your spine. This exercise will perfectly complement the previous one.

Legs

This is perhaps the most worked part of the body. How to stretch correctly, we will consider below.

There are three main exercises that are used by both beginners and athletes.

By the way, leg stretching is no less important for men than for women, so men also need to include these exercises in their workouts.

Here is an effective complex for legs:

1. Stretching your hamstrings takes a little time, but will require some sweat. Starting position – stand straight, feet together, hands at your sides. For best performance, close your eyes and relax. Imagine your spine, and slowly, following the spine as if on a ladder, lower your body down, while clasping your hands around the back of your thigh. Do not bend your knees, try to bend down to your maximum, fix the peak point for a few seconds and slowly rise.
2. This exercise is very recognizable and widely used by all athletes. Sit on the floor, legs wide apart, back straight, looking straight. We begin to slowly lower ourselves down, our hands trying to reach forward as far as possible. We fix the maximum point and spring about 30 times, more if possible, then return to the starting point. The same can be done by putting your legs together, or by trying to reach for each leg separately.
3. Side lunges. Stand up straight, do a side lunge 45° to the side, body directed towards the bent knee, stretch, lower, feel a pleasant stretch. Do the same with the second leg.

This best exercises to stretch the leg muscles, which will allow you to stretch quickly and effectively.

Complex for beginners

You have read a lot, asked, learned and finally are ready for classes. But now the main question remains: where to start training. Below is a simple set of stretching exercises for beginners that is suitable for every day.

How to properly do stretching and gymnastics at home:

1. Sit on the floor, legs together, keep your back straight, place your hands on the floor behind your back, begin to pull your toes towards you, in this way working your legs and back.
2. Sitting on the floor, we try to reach the toes of our feet with our hands, while keeping our back straight and not bending our knees.
3. We continue from the previous starting position. Now we lower our body and try to touch our chest to our legs, while we relax our back and can round it. We hold our legs with our hands and fix the position.
4. Lying on your back, raise your legs up, keep them straight and together. We stretch our hands to our toes, without lifting our back from the floor, our shoulder blades should remain on the floor, and our legs should not be bent at the knees. Quite difficult, but doable.
5. Starting position: sitting, bend one leg so that the foot rests on the straight leg. Hands on both sides of straight leg. Keep your head straight and begin to lower your chest towards your straight leg, lowering your head last.
6. Previous starting position. Keep your back and head straight and lower your body between your legs, while your arms are bent and your elbows rest on the floor.
7. It's called "Doll". We sit on the floor, legs to the sides, arms to the sides. We pull the toes of the feet towards the body. We push the pelvis forward, trying to pull the inner thigh muscles.
8. The well-known “Butterfly”. Sitting on the floor, bend your knees with your feet facing each other, clasp your feet with your hands, pull your hips down, you can help with your hands by pressing on your knees.

These picture exercises will help you start stretching. This set of exercises is also perfect as a post-workout stretch for girls.

Video

Beginning athletes often ask questions: how to improve stretching, how to stretch muscles, how to train stretching. The video below shows great exercises that will help make your body flexible and your muscles elastic.

Stretching classes are an affordable and effective way improve joint health and restore muscle elasticity. Stretching is very popular among people of different ages and levels of training. By improving the plasticity and flexibility of the body, it allows you to make joints mobile, stretch muscles and increase blood circulation in the body. This has a positive effect on your overall well-being, helps you relax and calm your nerves.

Why do you need stretching?

Stretching– these are exercises that improve the flexibility and plasticity of the body, the extensibility of muscles and ligaments. Stretching is included in the physiotherapeutic complex of measures for the rehabilitation of a person after injuries. But healthy people also need it, especially those who play sports professionally. Fitness trainers recommend practicing it to prevent injury to ligaments and tendons during intense exercise. It has been proven that the use of stretching significantly reduces the recovery period after injuries.

Stretching exercises for beginners are recommended for all healthy people. But stretching is especially necessary for those who play sports professionally or simply want to learn how to do the splits. Exercises on major muscle groups maintain body tone and reduce the likelihood of sports injuries.

A set of stretching exercises affects the body as follows:

• Increases flexibility and plasticity;
• Helps you maintain balance and feel your body better;
• Heals joints, increases elasticity;
• Provides prevention of sports injuries;
• Improves blood circulation;
• Removes muscle tension after strength exercises;
• Increases flexibility and improves posture.

Stretching heals the body by helping muscles and blood vessels maintain tone and support organs and tissues. Whole-body stretching exercises improve the functional condition of muscles and tendons by relieving them of unnecessary tension. Regular exercise improves the condition of the vascular walls, increasing blood circulation. This enhances the supply of nutrients and improves the body's immune defense against harmful effects environment. The blood supply to the brain improves and, accordingly, the supply of oxygen increases.

Preparing for stretching

It is quite possible to do stretching at home. Stretching for beginners at home does not require special knowledge or any special equipment. Gymnastic exercises for beginners are selected by the trainer individually, and depend on the person’s athletic training. Stretching rules require a short warm-up, which should start with the legs and end with the upper body. Before stretching, you need to bend forward and backward to strengthen the muscular corset of the back.

Types of stretching

Stretching for splits at home can be different types. They differ in duration, amplitude and time of training (before or after completion of training). The complex may include other exercises, and also have different durations and regularity.

• . Its meaning is to stay in this position for at least 20 seconds at the stretch limit. This type of stretching is very common among people who practice yoga and strength athletes. The exercises should be divided into 3-4 sets of several repetitions. If there is slight discomfort, this is normal, but you do not need to endure pain, you should gradually increase the amplitude of the exercises and the execution time.
• Dynamic. This type of stretching requires that the person move continuously during all the stretching exercises. For example, you can lunge forward and then return to the opposite position, gradually increasing the range of movements. This stretching is alternated with weight lifting.
• Active (classical) stretching. During training, a person makes maximum efforts to stretch the muscles. For example, a person, holding onto a support, raises his leg and pulls it with his hand.
• Passive. This type of stretching is often performed with a partner, often with an instructor or coach. He gradually increases the load, while the beginner must exhale and try to relax.
• Ballistic stretch. Is rare and complex look stretching practiced by people who practice martial arts. This stretching is not suitable for beginners; the technique consists of sharp and fast swings of the legs with a large amplitude.

When choosing a type of stretching, one is usually guided by the level of training, the recommendations of the trainer and personal preferences. For self-training, dynamic stretching is most suitable.

Spinal stretching exercises

During the spine stretching exercise, you need to straighten your back, do not hold your breath and relax your muscles as much as possible. For rapid progress, each session needs to increase the training time.

Spinal stretching at home:

1. The most famous exercise for stretching the back muscles is the so-called “cat pose”. You need to take a knee-elbow position and bend your back, raising your face to the ceiling. Stay in this position for 15 seconds, then bend in the opposite direction, hunching your back and pressing your chin to your chest. Hold for 15 seconds. The total exercise time is 3 minutes.
2. Then you need to lie with your back on the floor, your shoulders pressed tightly. Place your right leg behind your left, twisting your spine in the lumbar region. Try not to lift your shoulders off the floor. Stay in the lower position for 30 seconds and do the same, but only in the other direction.
3. Next exercise: lying on the floor, tuck your legs towards your body, clasping your arms. Rolling back and forth on the floor. It is advisable to use a yoga mat.
4. Last exercise. Sit on a chair with your arms outstretched in front of you. While maintaining a straight body position, pull your arms and head forward. The duration of the exercise is 1.5 minutes. Breathing should be even and slow.

Hand exercises

To better work out the shoulder girdle, it is advisable to do stretching in a standing position:

• Raise and lower your hands, joined in a lock, behind your back. Keep your torso straight, stretch your arms back so that you can feel the pectoral muscles stretching.
• Raise your hands above your head in a lock. Palms are turned up. Straighten your arms and bend back. Try to relax the body.
• Triceps stretching exercise. From the starting position, bend one arm at the elbow and place it behind your head. Using the other hand, lightly press on the forearm. Repeat for the other hand.
• Grasp the opposite shoulder with your hand and apply light pressure from above with your hand.

Static exercises for legs

How to do the splits for beginners? A complex for beginners may include the following exercises (3-4 sets of 10 repetitions):

1. Get on your knees. Stretch one leg forward and the other back, resting your knee on the floor. With both hands, press on the knee of the leg that is extended forward, trying to bring it as close to the floor as possible. The back is straight. Then bend over and stretch your arms forward along your legs. At the lowest point, freeze for a while, feeling the stretch in your thigh muscles. Inhale, and as you exhale try to go even lower. Freeze in this position for 30 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise, changing legs.
2. While sitting on the floor, stretch one leg forward and bend the other at the knee, moving it to the side. Place your elbows on the floor between your legs and stay in this position, trying to keep your back straight. Lean forward with your arms straight out in front of you. Stay at the bottom point. Then put your hands on your outstretched leg and hold again for 0.5 minutes. Return to the starting position and change legs.
3. Sit on the floor. Extend your legs straight forward, then spread them out 90 degrees. Lean forward and to the left, straighten your arms and slowly lower them onto your legs, bending as far as possible above the floor. Stay at the bottom point. Try to keep your back straight. Straighten your back. Bend towards your right leg, stay in the lower position.
4. Lie on your back. Raise one leg up. Use your hands to pull it towards you, holding your ankle. Relax and while inhaling, hold in this position for 30 seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat the exercise with the other leg.
5. Exercise for the inguinal ligaments and muscles of the inner thigh. Sit on the floor with your feet together. Rest your elbows on your knees. Press your elbows onto your legs, tilting your body forward. The back should be relaxed and straight during the exercise. As you exhale, bend over, feeling the muscle tension. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds. Return to starting position. Do several repetitions.

When performing leg stretching exercises, it is important to ensure that the leg does not bend at the knee joint and the muscles are relaxed as much as possible. Excessive muscle tension can cause injury.

Dynamic and ballistic load

How to stretch the muscles and ligaments of the limbs? When the basics of preparation have been mastered, you can add split stretching exercises to the complex:

Dynamic split stretching for beginners can include leg rotations and swings in different directions with a large amplitude. The beginning of the workout can be started with normal bends, and if you feel tired, you should stop exercising.

With a ballistic load, the task can be complicated by intensely affecting the leg muscles. Stretching for experienced athletes is on the edge of the possible. In this case, pain increases over time. You can use high-amplitude swings and lunges, bends and rolls, lingering at the point of maximum tension for a minute. This will ensure rapid progress.

Contraindications to stretching

Stretching, as a physical activity, has certain contraindications. If you neglect them, you can harm your health. The main contraindications are related to diseases of the musculoskeletal system and various injuries.

It is not advisable to do stretching if:

• There are fresh fractures, since in this case the bone tissue has not yet fully recovered, and any excessive load will lead to even more serious consequences.
• Recent dislocation and will also not allow you to fully engage. Unrestored ligaments and tissues require rest. Increased load can lead to exacerbation and the formation of habitual dislocation.
• An absolute contraindication is osteoporosis and arthrosis, in which it is better to completely abandon the use of stretching. Any physical activity should be carried out under the supervision of a physical therapy instructor.
• It is considered a relative contraindication. It causes enormous physical stress and can lead to various injuries. .
• The main and most dangerous contraindication is diseases cardiovascular system . Exercises for stretching the back and spine are prohibited from starting without a specialist’s opinion. In this case, it is better not to take risks by creating intense stress on the heart.

Stretching is extremely popular among both professional athletes and ordinary housewives. In addition to its physical benefits, it is believed to have relaxing properties. nervous system and improve the general condition of the body, stimulating the immune system and increasing resistance to various diseases.