Become more limber in 60 seconds or less.
Post-workout stretches may feel like the last thing you want to do after a super-intense kickboxing or HIIT class. After all, you already put in all of that hard work. Stretching might also seem redundant after Pilates or yoga, but don’t be fooled! Spending a few extra minutes stretching after every workout — both low- and high-impact — could reap big rewards.
“The more trained your tissues are, the easier it is for them to adapt to imposed demands and recover fully,” Los Angeles-based physical therapist Joey Mattina tells DailyOM. “Stretching decreases the viscosity of tissue, meaning the tissue becomes more pliable. This is beneficial because it enhances the length-tension ratio of muscles and has been shown to be a factor in reducing injury.”
According to a study published in the Journal of Athletic Training, researchers learned that stretching not only relieves muscle soreness, but can also lead to faster recovery times. “Some of the many benefits [of stretching post-workout] include maintaining a full range of motion in the joints and decreasing injury, muscle tension, and soreness,” says fitness expert and celebrity yoga instructor Desi Bartlett, who has worked with Kate Hudson and Alicia Silverstone. The expert tells DailyOM, “It also promotes proper posture and calms the nervous system.”
Here, Bartlett shares nine of her favorite post-workout stretches to relieve muscle soreness and tension and help you recover faster. Spend about five minutes on these. Stretch gently and don’t push your body past your own comfort level, and stop if anything hurts. If you have any injuries or health concerns, speak with your doctor or physical therapist for their advice. (And don’t forget to make time for pre-workout stretches to warm up, too!)
9 Post-Workout Stretches
1. Quadriceps Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Quadriceps
Instructions: Begin by standing. Gently bend your right leg behind you at the knee. Bring your right hand behind you to hold on to the arch of your right foot. Make sure that your knees are lined up side by side and hold the stretch for 20 to 60 seconds. Change sides. If standing or balance is an issue, this stretch can be performed lying down on your side. Lying on your right side, bend your left knee behind you and take hold of the top arch of your foot. Hold 20 to 60 seconds, making sure that your hips are stacked on top of one another, as are your shoulders, and that your knees are lined up.
Perfect For: Walking, running, or climbing stairs
2. Hamstring Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Hamstrings
Instructions: Begin seated with your legs extended straight out in front of you. Lift your arms up overhead on an inhalation and exhale as you bend forward to reach for your toes. Make sure that your spine is elongated and not hunching over. If it is challenging to touch your toes in a seated forward bend, lie down on your back with your right knee bent and your right foot flat on the floor. Extend your left leg straight up to the sky. Bring your hands behind your left leg on the hamstrings or calf muscles. Slowly pull your left leg toward your face. When you feel a gentle stretch, maintain that same position for 20 to 60 seconds. Change sides.
Perfect For: Running, cycling, and walking
3. Hip Flexor Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Hips
Instructions: Begin by kneeling with your right knee on the floor and your left knee bent at a 90-degree angle in front of you. Maintain an upright posture and lean forward slightly from the waist into the left hip, until you feel a stretch down the front of the left hip at the hip crease. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds. Change sides.
Perfect For: Running, cycling, skiing, and CrossFit
Interested in learning more? Check out Beneficial Stretches for the Inflexible
4. Lower Back Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Lower back
Instructions: Begin on all fours on the floor. Slowly guide your hips back to sit on your heels as you straighten your arms and allow your forehead to come down toward the floor. This stretch, commonly known as Child’s Pose from yoga, will help stretch your lower back muscles. Try to keep your elbows off the floor during this stretch and hold for 20 to 60 seconds.
Perfect For: Weightlifting, golf, and tennis
5. Chest Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Chest
Instructions: Begin in a standing position, with your hands, palms facing out, on either side of a door frame with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Step one foot 6 to 12 inches in front of the other and gently lean forward. Feel the stretch in your chest and hold for 20 to 60 seconds. If the stretch creates too much pressure in the shoulder joint or you only feel your shoulder stretching and not your chest, try this second stretch on your knee. Begin by kneeling on the floor. Place your hands on a bench or chair. Bending at the waist, allow your head and neck to bow down between your arms on the floor. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds.
Perfect For: Rowing, yoga, and weightlifting
6. Triceps Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Triceps
Instructions: Begin seated or standing and lift both of your arms overhead. Bend your right elbow and reach your right hand down onto your spine between your shoulder blades, trying to keep your shoulders down. Your left hand can gently guide the right elbow so that it is in line with the spine and the wrist. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds.
Perfect For: Tennis and rowing
7. Biceps Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Biceps
Instructions: Begin on your hands and knees with your hands shoulder-width apart. Turn your fingertips back toward your knees with your palms on the floor and your arms straight. Move slowly and gently into this stretch. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds.
Perfect For: Weightlifting
8. Calf Stretch
Muscles It’s Working: Calves
Instructions: Begin standing with your hands straight out ahead of you and shoulder height on a wall. Step your left foot back into a lunge position until you can bend your right knee to a 90-degree angle. Feel the stretch in your left calf. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds. Change sides.
Perfect For: Power walking, running, and cycling
9. Supine Lower Back Release
Muscles It’s Working: Back
Instructions: Lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart, inhale and relax your abdomen while contracting your lower back. Exhale and slowly lengthen your lower back so that you feel your back softening down toward the floor. Be aware that you are not forcing or pushing your lower back into the floor. This should feel more like melting your lower back muscles into the earth. Maintain the soft lengthening for a few breaths, then slow your entire body to release.
This final exercise is known as a somatic stretching exercise, a gentle form of movement with intention and awareness that helps to cool down the body, calm the mind, and provide increased flexibility. Somatic exercises are best done after a workout or on their own anytime.
