Putting together a stretching routine - Little help?

[Fazc]

Ladies and Gents I need a little help putting together a daily stretching routine. What I need is:

1) Simplicity - No massively complicated Karma Suture-esque positions. Just keep it simple.
2) Brevity - I need to be wrapped up in a maximum of 20 minutes.
3) Efficiency - If you can knock a couple areas out with one stretch, great.

What I need to stretch are the following areas:

1) Glutes
2) Hamstrings
3) Thoracic Spine
4) Adducter/Abducter
5) Quads
6) Chest
7) Shoulders

Let's try and get me wrapped up in 20 minutes. So if that's 8-10 stretches for a couple minutes that's fine, or any other permutation - but I'll leave the details to you lot. List your solution with pictures/videos of the stretches added to them. For what it's worth, bear in mind my goals are keeping me loose(r) for power lifting.

Go for it!

[LtL]

I'm very interested in this too. Specifically in things too loosen up my hips.

LtL

[Tannhauser]

I can tell you something to avoid, which isn't fantastically helpful, but I'll throw it in there.

Lots of stretching routines mention the need to stretch the IT band.

I started doing IT band stretches myself a few months back, in the belief that they would reduce hip and knee pain from squatting. They were incredible painful. Having done some more research, I now think they were a total waste of time. The IT band is apparently thick, fibrous, elastic and incredibly strong, and working on itis 'like trying to stretch a truck tyre.'

For the hip pain, I switched over to foam rolling part of my upper glute and it seemed to help really quickly.

[5kgLifter]

I don't have much time at the moment, so I can get back to this if you want...but there are two stretches which will cover all the main muscles of the front and the back of the body, if you're able to do them...if not there are plenty of other stretches.

The stretches:

The Bow
The Seated Forward Stretch


Both are easy enough to find on the internet.

[BigJosh]

Great idea Fazc. I know a stretching for "meat heads" guide would be very useful for myself.

[MikeM]

I recently got the book Dynamic stretching by Mark Kovacs. Love it. He gives prescribed routines for various types athletes. I sort of use the BB one and I can do it in less than 15 min.

I start at my feet and work my way up:

Toe walk and heel walk back, a few paces
Walking ankle grab (quad), and walking knee to chest grabs (ham)
Glute/ham bridges and hold
extended lunge adductor stretch
lateral lunges
hip swivels
touch opposite toe with leg raised backward, and "airplane" holds too (back)
squat sit
torso twists
Arm swings
Arm hugs and pull aparts
neck swivel

Just do each for a few reps, but I do hamstrings, hips and arms a bit more as those are tight spots for me.

Hope that helps, buddy!

Oh, and all stretches are done dynamically meaning there's some movement involved or your just using opposing muscle to stretch the muscle. Nothing is taken beyond a natural stretch, no holding an overextended painful position for example.

[Fazc]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

I can tell you something to avoid, which isn't fantastically helpful, but I'll throw it in there.

Thanks Tann, I'll bear that in mind.

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

The stretches:

The Bow
The Seated Forward Stretch

There's no way I can do those stretches yet! I'd end up face planting my desk on the first one. I need some easier ones

Originally Posted by MikeM

I recently got the book Dynamic stretching by Mark Kovacs. Love it. He gives prescribed routines for various types athletes. I sort of use the BB one and I can do it in less than 15 min.

That's pretty cool Mike thanks for taking the time to type that up, I might have to invest in that book.

I did a few stretches this morning:

1) Seated glute/hip stretch
2) Seated ham stretch
3) Standing wall Calf stretch
4) Seated quad stretch
5) Foam roll thoracic stretch
6) Lying on floor glute ham back thingie

I may have made the last one up. Felt good but I'd love to hear some more opinions. Like Josh said a 'Stretching for Meatheads' guide would be really great, I don't know much about stretching so a prescribed routine I can stick to would be excellent.

[Hazzard]

Do you have anyone that could frequently assist you with partner-assisted stretching Faz? We learnt about PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) stretching on our course today it was pretty awesome, but can only really be achieved with someone helping you out - which was kinda difficult considering the girl I partnered with probably weighed 60kg at the most whereas I weight double that!

Anyhow, I'll use the prone quad stretch for an example, kinda like this except your partner will place one hand on the small of your back and the other on your ankle, pulling it back, but not letting the quad come off the floor:



Pulling the quad off the floor is fine, however, it will put the focus on the rectus femoris and is a separate stretch, whereas we'll focus on the vastus muscle group here (all of which are quad muscles - the rectus femoris crosses both the hip and knee joints whereas the other three only the knee, hence the keeping of the hip on the floor). Have your partner stretch your quad as described above until you feel what is known as the point of bind. This is essentially when the stretch feels uncomfortable, but not painful - you probably know what I mean anyway.

Upon reaching this point you hold the stretch for about 15 seconds. After this you isometrically contract your quad - push against the hold without moving (and trying not to kick your wife/brother/whoever in the face) the leg. If the person you're doing this with isn't strong this can be a little difficult for them! Don't push with your full strength, but probably around 50%. Hold this contraction for 15 seconds again and relax and have your partner increase the ROM of the stretch until the new point of bind is found. Hold for 15 seconds, isometrically contract for 15, and repeat the two steps for a third time.

Done. You should instantly feel an increased ROM in your muscle/joint that, while will lose this as the muscle tightens up, with repeated performance should certainly help with flexibility.

Only given you one stretch as I don't even know if you'd have a partner at hand frequently, but I thought I'd give you an idea of a different way of stretching. You can do this by yourself, but with a partner makes it a lot easier.

[Spartigus]

PNF is good, though I have heard some people say it can inhibit the GTO reflex but I dont know if thats true. I like PNF and it seems to work well .

I like to do these every day or so and they help my hips and ankles feel good. T NATION | Squat Like You Mean It: Tips for a Deeper Squat

[Pull14]

I'll use a mix of the following for lower body:



20-30 Second 3-4 times. Over time, lean back more and more in an attempt to get the back as close to the floor as possible.

https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/im...p15OJAyGeZpYWA

3-5 times for 10-15 second.



2-3 times, 30-40 seconds a piece.



I'll use this but with a wider stance, reach down toward center, then shift to either leg and then the other leg... 3-4 times, 10-15 seconds each position.

Squat to the bottom of an oly squat and place an empty bar at the top of the knees and press down on it for 10-20 second, 3-4 times. Will work ankle flexibility and quads if they are also tight.

For Upper Body:

30-50 shoulder dislocates, 5 reps - 8 reps at a time before attempting to move grip in after each "set." Obviously gets the shoulders, but will help loosen up the chest if tight.

Can't find a pic, but with knees on the floor set a few feet back from a chair, rest one or both elbows on the chair. Back parallel to the floor, bring hands to your traps (almost like flexing biceps), bring your head through and let the weight of your upper body "sag." Seems to do a wonderful job of stretching the triceps and lats.



Start close to the traps, hold, roll down a litte, hold. 3-4 positions, 5 second holds, 3-4 times for each position.

A lot of random upper body lifts with broom stick or an empty bar, working technique, moving grip in or out to find tightnesses and hold that position or lightly bounce in and out of the position slowly increasing the range of motion.

I'll do a combination of this stuff in the AM, really just focus on what is tight and then a brief version before my lifts in the PM.