10 Best Exercises to Improve Your Flexibility

Flexibility is not just for gymnasts, but rather for everyone. In addition to improving range of motion, it lowers the chance of injuries, improves blood flow and nutrition delivery to joints, eases muscular tension, and other benefits.

Stretching after a training programme relaxes tense muscles, making it an essential component of a regular exercise practise.

Five benefits of stretching :

·         Stretching helps with posture. Poor posture can be a result of tight muscles.

·         Stretching helps to maintain range of motion and even increase it.

·         Back pain can be lessened by stretching.

·         Stretching can aid in injury prevention.

·         Muscle discomfort can be reduced by stretching.

With these 10 easy exercises, you may increase the flexibility of certain muscles as well as your entire body:

1. Extended Puppy Pose

On all fours, begin. Curl your toes under as you advance your arms a short distance. Inching your hips halfway back toward your heels will help. Maintaining straight, active arms requires pushing through the palms of your hands. Hold for between 30 and 2 minutes.

2. Shoulder Stretch

With the other hand, grip one elbow and draw it across your chest while standing straight. Hold for a little while, then repeat on the opposite side.

3. Standing Calf Stretch

Place your palms flat and shoulder-width apart on the wall while you stand about three feet away from it. With the toes pointed forward, place the right foot behind you. Lean forward while keeping your right knee straight and your heel firmly planted. Hold for a little while, then switch to the other leg.

4.Seated Hamstring Stretch 

Your right leg should be extended in front when you sit on the ground. Your left leg should be bent, with the sole resting against your inner thigh. Leaning forward, pull the toe of your ankle as close to your body as you can. Then, switch to the other leg and hold for another 10 seconds.

5.Standing Side Stretch

Lift your arms high while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Put your hands together in a fist-clout. Reach upward as you inhale, and as you exhale, bend your upper body to the right. Take a five-second hold. Exhale, go back to the beginning, then repeat on the left side.

6. Spinal Twist Lunges

In the fitness community, this stretch is frequently referred to as the "world's largest stretch," according to Atkins. And for good reason: According to Dan Giordano, DPT, CSCS, cofounder of Bespoke Treatments Physical Therapy in New York City and Seattle, "it's vital to aid with posture-related pain or for those who sit for longer periods of time." He explains to SELF that it "helps expand your hips and increase thoracic (mid-back) mobility."

Start by putting your feet together and standing. Put your left foot far enough forward to create a staggered stance. You can feel a stretch in the front of your right thigh by bending your left knee and dropping into a lunge while keeping your right leg straight behind you and your toes on the ground. Your upper body should be twisted to the left as your left arm is raised toward the ceiling. With your right hand on the ground, do the same Hold for between 30 and 2 minutes. On the opposite side, repeat.

7.Triceps Stretch

A fantastic stretch to perform following an exercise for the chest or shoulders is the triceps stretch, one of the most well-known upper-body stretches. It relaxes the muscles on the back of your upper arms.

Legs should be hip-width apart while you kneel, sit, or stand tall. To touch the top middle of your back, bend your right elbow and extend your right hand. Grab your right elbow with your left hand raised in the air. Pull your right elbow slowly in that direction, toward your head. Change arms, then repeat.

8.Figure Four Stretch

 

"This precisely stretches the I.T. band and the piriformis and iliopsoas muscles, which are your hip rotator and flexor muscles. This, together with the pose's passive character, make it a great and gentle method for easing knee and sciatica-related issues "According to John Murray, a co-founder of Lyons Den Power Yoga and a yoga instructor.

Your feet should be flat on the floor as you lay on your back. your right quad over your left foot. Take off your right leg off the ground. Gently draw your right leg toward your chest by holding onto the back of it. Hold where you reach a comfortable stretch. Hold for between 30 and 2 minutes. Then switch sides once more.

9.Butterfly Stretch

Knees should be bent out to the sides while you sit upright on the ground. Holding onto your ankles or feet, contracting your abs as you slowly descend your body toward your feet, pressing your knees as close to the floor as you can. Simply press your knees into the ground if you find it difficult to bend over. Holding this stretch for 30 to 2 minutes is recommended.

10. Knee To Chest Stretches

Lay backwards with your legs extended. Keep your left leg straight and your lower back pressed against the floor as you draw your right knee toward your chest. Hold for between 30 and 2 minutes. Continue with the opposite leg.