Mission Monday – 15 Stretches That Will Make You Feel Amazing

You know when you stretch before getting out of bed in the morning, during a long flight, or right after a long run, that feeling you have when you just need to stretch. Well, that’s exactly what stretching does: Awakens your muscles, soothes tension throughout the body, and makes you feel really amazing.

But the benefits of stretching goes even further.

“There are many factors that can limit or enhance movement, including prior tissue damage, strength, stability around the joint and, of course, flexibility,” says Lisa Wheeler, vice president of fitness programming for Daily Burn. “That’s where stretching comes in. If the muscles around the joint aren’t flexible, it’s difficult to move efficiently.”

So in other words, that inability to move easily and without pain, can put a stop to doing a full range of motion exercises and cause injury.

To help you loosen up the joints used in most daily motions, I made a list of 15 lengthening and strengthening stretches to do on a regular basis. Be sure to put importance on deep breathing.

1. Downward Dog 

A yogi favorite, this pose concentrates on hip and shoulder mobility, while stretching your hamstrings, lats (muscles in your mid-back), and deltoids (muscles in your shoulders).

How to: 

• Start in a plank position with shoulders directly over wrists.
• Push your hips up toward the ceiling so you form a triangle with your body.
• Keep your head between your arms and straighten your legs as much as possible.
• Reach your heels toward the ground and spread your fingers, so your bodyweight gets distributed evenly through the hands and feet.

2. Child’s Pose

Take it from Daily Burn’s Becca Pace: This stretch is probably one of the most calming postures and works well for recovery, too. You’ll stretch the low back, lats, and shoulders.

How to:

• Get on all fours on an exercise mat.
• From your hands and knees, push your hips back until your butt rests on your heels. (Knees slightly wider than hips.)
• Keep your arms straight out in front of you and look at the floor.

3. Seated Stretch

How to:

• Sit with legs extended straight in front of you.
• Cross your right leg over your left, planting your right foot outside your left knee. 
• Twist to the right, placing your left elbow outside your right knee, and look over your shoulder. Hold, then repeat on the other side.
• Muscles targeted: spinal flexors, obliques

4. Standing Hamstring Stretch

How to:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, arms by your sides.
• Exhale as you bend forward at the hips, lowering your head toward floor, while keeping your head, neck and shoulders relaxed.
• Wrap your arms around backs of your legs and hold anywhere from 45 seconds to two minutes.
• Bend your knees and roll up when you’re done.

Stretches neck, back, glutes, hamstrings, calves

5. Piriformis Stretch

The piriformis muscle is a deep internal hip rotator, located on the outside of the butt. Its primary role is external rotation, Atkins says. “Deep internal rotators, while small, produce a lot of the movement at the hip and are often overlooked.” Since the piriformis crosses over the sciatic nerve, “if it is tight, it can result in sciatic nerve irritation,” Cyrelson says. “Stretching this muscle can prevent potential future sciatica, or help treat it.”

How to:

• Sit on the floor with both legs extended in front of you.
• Cross your right leg over your left, and place your right foot flat on the floor.
• Place your right hand on the floor behind your body.
• Place your left hand on your right quad or your left elbow on your right knee (as shown) and press your right leg to the left as you twist your torso to the right.
• If the spinal rotation bothers your back, take it out and simply use your left hand to pull your right quad in and to the left.

Stretches hips, back, glutes

6. Triceps Stretch

How to:

• Kneel, sit, or stand tall with feet hip-width apart, arms extended overhead.
• Bend your right elbow and reach your right hand to touch the top middle of your back.
• Reach your left hand overhead and grasp just below your right elbow.
• Gently pull your right elbow down and toward your head.
• Switch arms and repeat.

Stretches neck, shoulders, back, triceps

7. Figure Four Stretch

“This specifically stretches the piriformis and iliopsoas muscles (essentially your hip rotator and flexor muscles) and the IT band. Because of this and the passive nature of the pose, it is an excellent and gentle approach to helping relieve symptoms associated with sciatica and knee pain,” John Murray, yoga instructor and co-founder of Lyons Den Power Yoga, tells SELF.

How to:

• Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor.
• Cross your left foot over your right quad.
• Lift your right leg off the floor. Grab onto the back of your right leg and gently pull it toward your chest.
• When you feel a comfortable stretch, hold there.
• Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Stretches hips, glutes, lower back, hamstrings

8. Butterfly Stretch

How to:

• Sit tall on the floor with the soles of your feet together, knees bent out to sides.
• Hold onto your ankles or feet, engage your abs, and slowly lower your body toward your feet as far as you can while pressing your knees toward the floor.
• If you’re too tight to bend over, simply press your knees down.
• Hold this stretch for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Stretches hips, glutes, back, thighs

9. Seated Shoulder Squeeze

“I love this stretch because it relieves poor posture and releases tension in the upper back,” Jess Sims, a NASM-certified personal trainer and instructor at Shadowbox and the Fhitting Room in New York City, tells SELF.

How to:

• Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Clasp your hands behind your lower back.
• Straighten and extend your arms and squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• Do this for 3 seconds, and then release. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

10. Knee to Chest Stretch

How to:

• Lie on your back with both legs extended.
• Pull your right knee into your chest, while keeping the left leg straight and your lower back pressed into the floor.
• Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
• Repeat on the other leg.

Stretches lower back, hips, hamstrings

11. Seated Neck Release

Karen Joubert, D.P.T., owner of Joubert Physical Therapy in Beverly Hills, tells SELF that most people tend to forget to stretch the neck. But relieving tension in your neck can make a positive impact on the rest of your upper body, from your shoulders to your spine.

How to:

• Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, or sit down with your back straight and chest lifted.
• Drop your left ear to your left shoulder.
• To deepen the stretch, gently press down on your head with your left hand.
• Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Stretches neck

12. Sphinx Pose

New York City-based yoga instructor Shanna Tyler tells SELF that this pose stretches the lower back in a gentle way—plus, it engages your abs, which further supports the lower back.

How to:

• Lie on your stomach with your legs straight out behind you.
• Place your elbows under your shoulders and your forearms on the floor as you lift your chest up off the floor.
• Press your hips and thighs into the floor, and think about lengthening your spine while keeping your shoulders relaxed.
• Sit up just enough to feel a nice stretch in your lower back. Don’t hyperextend, and stop immediately if you start to feel any discomfort or pain.

Stretches lower back, chest, shoulders

13. Standing Quad Stretch

How to:

• Stand with your feet together.
• Bend your left knee and use your left hand to pull your left foot toward your butt. Keep your knees together.
• If you need to, put one hand on a wall for balance.
• Squeeze your glutes to increase the stretch in the front of your legs.
• Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.
• Repeat on the other leg.

Stretches quads

14. Pretzel Stretch

“I like the pretzel stretch because it stretches multiple important postural muscles in one stretch, which can be a huge time saver,” Cyrelson says. You’ll stretch the quads of your bottom leg, your spine, and the glutes and hip flexors of your top leg.

How to:

• Lie on your left side with your head resting on your arm.
• Bend your right knee and hip up toward your chest as far as you can, and let it drop to the floor.
• Bend your left knee and grab your left foot (use a strap if you can’t reach it) with your right hand.
• Make sure your leg and torso remain in a straight line as you gently bring your top shoulder blade toward the floor.
• For more of a spinal twist, turn your head to look over your right shoulder.

Stretches quads, glutes, obliques, hips, back

15. Standing Hamstring Stretch 

How to:

1. Take your left foot forward and tip from the hips, keeping the back flat.
2. Lower down until you feel a stretch in the back of the leg.
3. Rest the hands on the upper thighs to give your back some support. 
4. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times.

If you feel shaky or your hamstrings are tight, try using a resistance band to give you more leverage.

Starting a stretch routine allows you to receive all the benefits that stretching has to offer. Stretching exercises should be carried out in a comfortable area with no distractions so that you can focus on achieving your full potential. Wear clothes that are light and that do not restrict your movement. Warm-up before you stretch. A good warm-up activity is going for a 10-minute walk.

Stretching when your muscles are warm has a number of advantages including:

• Building greater flexibility overall
• Relaxation and stress relief
• Helping your body get back to its pre-exercise state
• Giving both your mind and body a chance to reflect and feel the impact of the workout you just did
• Reducing post-exercise muscle soreness and stiffness

The great thing about stretching is that you don’t have to spend a lot of time on them to get the benefits. This simple total body flexibility workout can be done anywhere—after a workout, at work, or even when you’re watching TV.

Stretching may not be the most exciting part of working out, but doing flexibility work is just as important for a balanced fitness routine as strength and cardio work. Including some stretching exercises into your workouts will help you improve flexibility, reduce tightness, and be efficient and safe.

Be sure to check out my other post on Weight Loss and Mission Mondays!

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