Starting a Stretching Routine

[Sharla]

Believe it or not there are a few here which would not be very appropriate for someone like who is prone to incorrect posture. I have been warned off certain stretches by my chiro.

The first one I can be prone to arching my back while doing it which doesn't even allow me to feel a good quad stretch.



This second one i like but i tend to find i need to do it with my arm bent a a right angle on a door frame so my whole forearm is supported vertically against the doorframe. I start facing the same direction as my palm and move my feet a little slowly so to face away from my hand so that i target my chest rather than twist my back.


These two i'd be prone to placing too much pressure on my lower back. As you can see in these pictures it's very easy to hunch your back over while doing them in an effort to you try to stretch your leg more. I'm banned from these completely.

To get into my calves i find just standing on a curb and letting my heel drop in a controlled way is the easiest way to target my calves without hurting my back.

Also lying on my back and using a stretch band or a skipping rope or a towel works well.




For my birthday I ordered myself a new stretching book:

Facilitated Stretching Third Edition - PNF stretching and strengthening made easy by Robert E. McAtee and Jeff Charland.

I have had time to look through it thoroughly but it came with a DVD which I have watched and it does include a few good ones which stretched a few things I haven't succeeded in targeting properly before.

I'd recommend borrowing it if you can ge hold of it Chris - I think it was published somewhere in the USA and is meant to be a reference for rehab nurses etc so it wouldn't suprise me if you could find it available in a public library somewhere either just a general library or a uni library.

Once i've had more time to study it i might be able to put my new favourites up here.