Table of contents:

Anatomy of stretching in pictures: exercises for arms and legs
Anatomy of stretching in pictures: exercises for arms and legs
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Lifehacker shares Part 2 of the Stretching Guide, illustrated by Vicky Timón, yoga expert and author of the Encyclopedia of Pilates Exercises, and James Kilgallon, creator of Mazlo’s Body Maintenance.

Anatomy of stretching in pictures: exercises for the arms and legs
Anatomy of stretching in pictures: exercises for the arms and legs

Alternate finger stretching

anatomy of stretching in pictures
anatomy of stretching in pictures

What muscles do we stretch: extensor muscles that are involved in the work of the finger.

Performance. Stretching is performed for each finger separately. Grasp the tip of your finger with your other hand and gently bend it towards your palm. In doing so, the wrist should remain curved approximately 90 degrees.

A comment. During the exercise, try to bend your wrists slightly each time you pull your finger. This will slightly increase the tension, but be sure to keep in mind that any stretching exercise should be slow and controlled.

Splitting fingers

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: palmar interosseous muscles, dorsal interosseous muscles of the thumb.

Performance. This exercise is recommended for musicians playing the flute, guitar, and piano. Using your other hand, spread your fingers one by one, pulling them slightly to the side. Alternatively, you can place small rubber balls between your fingers and squeeze your palm lightly. Small muscles such as the palmar interosseous respond very well to this exercise.

A comment. Some activities put a lot of stress on the fingers, requiring flexibility and mobility from them (playing some musical instruments, painting, surgery, typing a lot of text, and so on). This stretching will give you the necessary rest and relieve tension from tired muscles and joints.

Abduction of hands with an open elbow

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: long radial extensors of the wrist, muscles abducting the thumb of the hand (short and long).

Performance. It is advisable to perform this exercise while standing with the elbow fully extended. Stretch your hand slightly forward with your palm up, cover it with the palm of your second hand and, keeping it in this position and pressing lightly on your thumb, pull your wrist towards you.

A comment. Stretching the elbow allows you to work all the target muscles, not just those associated with the work of the thumb (they pass through both the elbow and the wrist).

Pronation of the arm with the elbow extended

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: instep supports, muscles abducting the thumb of the hand, extensor muscles of the thumb of the hand.

Performance. Like the previous one, it is advisable to perform this exercise while standing, the elbow should be fully extended. Stretch your hand forward, turn your palm outward (as if you are going to pour water from a jug), grab your thumb with your other hand and pull it slightly (this will increase the tension).

A comment. Stretching is a combination of several movements, since these muscles are usually difficult to stretch due to the limited mobility of the bones. Pain in this exercise indicates that you are overdoing it.

At first glance, this rotation is performed at the expense of the wrist, but in reality the rotation is performed from the elbow. As a result, the muscles of the forearm are also included in the work.

Knee bending

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: quadriceps femoris.

Performance. Stand up straight with your hand on the balance support. Bend the knee and hold the working leg by the dorsum of the medial part of the foot with the same hand, as shown in the illustration. Try to keep the thigh of the working leg at the same level with the supporting leg, the knees should also be at the same level. The harder you press on the foot, bringing the heel closer to the buttock, the stronger the tension will be.

A comment. During this exercise, the hips should not be bent, the body should not bend. Abducting the hip slightly backwards increases the tension. Bringing the knee slightly forward will shift the focus of the stretch from the long stretch to the lateral and medial thigh muscles.

Tibial Bent Knee Stretch

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: soleus muscles.

Performance. Stand up straight and grasp the support with your hands. Place the foot of one leg at the base of the support, the other (working) leg at a step distance. The knees of both legs should be bent. The foot of the working leg must be fully pressed to the floor. When doing this, you should feel a slight pull on the soleus muscle, which is located under the calf. The degree of tension is adjusted by transferring weight from one leg to the other.

A comment. In this exercise, it is important to keep the knees of both legs constantly bent: this will allow you to stretch the soleus muscle well. To reach the point of maximum stretch, gently place the heel of your back (working) foot on the ground. The most common way to adjust the tension in this position is to bring the knee as close as possible to the support you are holding onto. The closer the knee is to the support (with the heel on the ground), the stronger the stretch.

Seated Tibial Stretch

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: calf, soleus and hamstrings.

Performance. Sit on the floor, one leg is straight, the other is bent at the knee with the foot to the pelvis, the heel is located on the adductors of the working leg. Now you should, as it were, get your buttocks out from under you and slowly bend over to the straightened leg, bending not in the lower back, but in the hip joints.

A comment. During the exercise, the head and body should remain in line, the abdomen is pulled up to the thigh, the crown stretches towards the foot. The most common mistakes are lower back flexion and hunched back. It seems to you that you can bend closer to your leg, but in this case, the wrong muscle group is being stretched. Bend not so low, but correctly: try to put your stomach on your thigh and at the same time keep your knee and back straight.

Sitting on heels thigh stretch

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: quadriceps femoris.

Performance. Sit on the floor with your buttocks on your heels (preferably on a soft surface), then lean back, slightly apart your hips, and try to lay your pelvis between your feet. During this exercise, not only the quadriceps muscles are stretched, but also the hip flexors.

A comment. Some people are more comfortable with their feet on the floor with the ups down (the heels look up), while others find it easier to maintain this position with the toes turned out. If you have pain in your hips, feet, or knees, it is advisable to choose another stretch option.

Lunge

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: iliopsoas muscles.

Performance. From a standing position, take a wide step without lifting your free leg off the floor. In this position, bend your front leg at the knee, transferring most of your weight to it. The knee should not extend beyond the foot. Slowly and carefully lower your body down (the pelvis tends to the floor). The lower you go, the stronger the tension in the muscles will be.

A comment. This simple exercise works very well in the hip flexors. For better balancing, you can rest your hands on your front leg or stick to a bench, since it is precisely maintaining balance that has a huge impact on the technique of stretching.

Lying hip stretch

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: large gluteal muscles.

Performance. Lie on your back, bend one leg at the knee and hug it with both hands, trying to press it to your chest. The other leg remains extended forward.

A comment. This exercise helps to stretch the gluteus maximus muscle well, and also affects the hip flexors of the extended leg. If your stretch is not very good, your extended leg will come off the floor a little. This should be avoided. One of the options is to put your foot under the bottom section of the wall bars. Alternatively, you can ask a partner to help you and hold your foot.

Standing hip abduction

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: gluteal deltoids (superficial fibers of the gluteus maximus muscle and tendons of the broad fascia of the thigh).

Performance. Stand a step away from the support and grab it with your hand, the other hand lies on your side. Bring the leg closest to the support behind the second and transfer the main body weight to it. Begin to slowly lower your body down and at the same time move your free leg slightly to the side.

A comment. You will feel tension not only in the muscles mentioned above, but the gluteus medius muscle of the supporting leg will also be included in the work.

A prerequisite for the correct execution of this exercise is the vertical position of the spine, no bending to any of the sides. You should feel tension running along the entire side of your leg, from your hip to your knee.

Seated foot stretch

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: long and short flexors of the toes.

Performance. Sit on the floor, straighten one leg (working leg), for the other, choose a comfortable position. Wrap your hand around the toes of your working foot and pull them towards you (towards the tibia). In this case, the palm should cover most of the foot. If the knee of the working leg is extended, the main tension will shift to the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles, while the half-bent position stretches precisely the flexors of the toes.

A comment. If you focus solely on stretching the fingers, not only the short and long flexors of the fingers will be involved, but also the worm-like muscles (the muscles of the plantar part of the foot). Therefore, it is advisable to do all of these stretching options to ensure that as much muscle as possible is being worked out.

Separation of toes

stretching anatomy
stretching anatomy

What muscles do we stretch: muscles adducting the big toe, plantar interosseous muscles.

Performance. During this exercise, the fingers are separated one by one using the hand. This stretch will be especially useful for those who often have toes pinching due to too narrow shoes.

A comment. Uncomfortable shoes hurt your feet by making your toes less mobile. As a result, problems are transmitted higher, like a chain, and you may feel pain in your knee, hip or even spine. A simple exercise such as splitting the fingers will help restore their mobility and give rest to tired muscles, which have to be in an unnatural and very uncomfortable position for quite a long time.

Other parts of the illustrated stretching guide can be found here:

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