Trainers Favorite Quad (front thigh) Stretch
As a personal training studio, Energy Fitness trainers are always showing our clients different stretches that can help increase range of motion as well as decrease pain.With all the sitting that we all do for hours a day this stretch can be especially helpful in reducing back, knee or calf pain.It helps to stretch out the quadriceps, hip flexor and shin (front of lower leg) muscles.
See the video below and attempt to get into this quadriceps stretch position. Hold onto something if you feel like you are so tight that you think you can’t imagine bringing your torso into an upright position. We will caution you that if you feel a cramp on the front of your foot at your toe is up the wall that this happens quite often it is a sign that this too is an area in need of stretching love and care.Once you have placed yourself in this position be sure to tilt your butt under (pelvic tilt/posterior tilt) and breathe. Hold the stretch from 30 seconds to optimally 3 minutes.
Tip: If you find the foot up wall an impossible position to get into at first then try, try again (unless of course you have serious knee issues in which case try less advances poses). Try post exercise of at least 20 minutes or even after a hot bath. Fascia that covers the muscles is more pliable when it is warmer as well as the underlying muscles. Also, you may wish to place a pillow or soft yoga block under your back knee for either a more comfortable or advanced stretch.
Want to know if you are progressing? Keep a note pad of when you first started doing the stretch and try every day or every other day. Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 comfort level. You might give yourself a 2 if you couldn’t even get the back knee close to the wall or get up. You get the picture! A score of 10 would be you get into the pose quick and have no cramping or making facial expressions of discomfort and can hold the pose easily continually making adjustments of getting deeper into the stretch.
Think how proud you would be of yourself for mastering what trainers think of as an advanced stretch pose. You just might be so proud you demonstrate friends and family of your feat! Okay, maybe I’m the only exercise nerd that does that kind of show and tell.
Attempted and not there yet? That’s okay, it can be a goal. Here’s a few more to build up to the one above that I put in a blog post over 2 years ago.
Happy Stretching!
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Tonya Tittle, M.S./ Owner
American College of Sports Medicine-Exercise Physiologist
Licensed Massage Therapist
Titlest Performance Institute Level 1
Metagenics First Line Therapy Certified
Energy Fitness, 898 N. Hwy 25 Bypass, Greenville, SC 29617 (Travelers Rest)
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