Santa Barbara Fitness Trainer - Stretches for Fitness and Flexibility

FitnessTransform Stretch Library

To begin stretching, focus on the muscle you want to stretch and move your body gently and gradually until you have reached the desired level of tension (accompanied by a feeling of discomfort but not pain). Hold the position for 30-60 seconds, then release. Never bounce or jerk while stretching. Breathe slowly and rhythmically, and visualize your muscles, tendons, and ligaments lengthening as you stretch.

	*Overhead Lat/Tricep Stretch* Grasp your elbow overhead with your opposite hand. Pull elbow back and toward head. Repeat with opposite arm. This stretch targets the long head of the triceps and the latissimus dorsi muscle.

	*Psoas/Hip Flexor Stretch* Lunge forward with your knee on the grass. Place your hands on your forward knee. Straighten the hip of the rear leg by pushing your hips forward. Relax and repeat with the opposite side. This stretch targets the psoas muscle, or hip flexor.

	*Lying Crossover Stretch* Lie back on a mat. Lower your leg to your opposite side with 90° of flexion in hip and knee and with both shoulders flat on the floor. Relax and repeat with the opposite side. This stretch targets the gluteus medius and minimus.

	*Glute Stretch* Lie back on a mat. Cross your lower leg over the thigh of your other leg. Grasp your calf with both hands. Pull your leg toward your torso. Relax and repeat with your opposite leg. This stretch targets the gluteus maximus.

	*Lying Single Leg Hamstring Stretch* Sit on a mat with legs apart and knees extended. Bring your torso toward one leg keeping your knee extended. Relax and repeat with the opposite leg. This stretch targets the hamstrings.

	*Lying Quad Stretch* Bend one knee back and lower yourself down and relax. Repeat with the opposite leg. This stretch targets the quads.

	*The Cobra* Lie down in a prone position on a mat and place your hands under your shoulders. Push yourself up by extending your arms while pressing your hips into the mat. Look up. This stretch targets the abdominals and hips.
	*The Plough* Lie back on a mat. Bring your legs up and over your head and gently reach for the ground with your feet. This stretch targets the cervical and thoracic areas of the back but also stretches all the posterior muscles from the neck to the heels.
	*Adductor Stretch* Sit on a mat and bring the soles of your feet together close to your body. Press your knees toward the floor. This stretch targets the adductors.
	*Calf Stretch* Place both hands on a wall (or other standing object) and extend your arms. Lean into the wall with one leg bent forward and the other leg extended back. Push the heel of the back leg down to execute the stretch. This stretch targets the gastrocnemius.
	*Biceps, Shoulders, and Chest Stretch* Start with the stick overhead. Bring the stick to the position behind your back (illustrated). Then bring the stick back to the overhead position. Make the grip narrower and bring the stick behind your back and so on. This exercise stretches the biceps, shoulders, and chest.
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