Weekends are all about winding down. And if you’re like me, who’s currently recovering from DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), then you’re probably feeling stiff like a stick!
While everyone loves a good stretch, not a lot of us enjoy that dull, pulling pain you get when the muscles are tight and tough. I myself, have a hard time holding a stretch the day after a strong workout. For someone who often cross trains, I’d say my flexibility isn’t too shabby. However, my body seems to lose its usual suppleness when it’s sore or has just recently recovered from soreness. That’s going to be pretty evident in the photos below because these are shot while I was really sore from personal training the day before. 😀 They’re pretty honest photos, I must say!
I’m sharing with you four of my favorite hip and shoulder stretches. Ones you can easily do at home with a strap or belt. Here I used the Recovery Strap, a product proudly made in the Philippines.
Try these stretches out and work on gradually shortening your straps and walking your hands closer and closer to your feet. Be sure to read the detailed instructions below each of the photos.
SUPINE HAMSTRING STRETCH
Lie on your back and place the strap around the balls of one foot. Hold on to both ends of the strap with each hand and allow your entire back to come flat on the mat/floor. Relax your shoulders and arms as you pull on the strap and bring the thigh closer to your chest. Hold for 5-10 breaths then switch legs.
EXTENDED SUPINE TWIST
This one feeds two birds with one seed. Still on your back, transfer both ends of the strap onto the hand opposite the lifted leg. bring the leg out to its opposite side, keeping it straight and perpendicular to the other leg. Ground both shoulders down and notice the muscles around your spine start to relax as you hold. The twist releases tension around the back and the extension of the leg to the side stretches your TFL (Tensor Fascia Latae). This muscle runs from the outside of the knee up to the butt cheek. Keep the leg straight allows you to get to a deeper muscle called your Piriformis. It’ll start out painful but you’ll enjoy it towards the end (and most espeically once you release!) So keep your eyes on THAT prize and just breathe through it! Hold for 5-10 breaths.
SEATED COMPASS
This is a tough one, but I encourage you to see it as something you can work towards. It’s an awesome way to measure progress because the fullest expression of the pose does not involve the strap or props anymore. So the end goal is to hold without props! Seated compass allows you to stretch the sides of your torso, your shoulders and open up the hips as well. Start by bring one thigh as high above your elbow as you can. Imagine putting a backpack strap on. Hook your foot with a strap, walk your hand down the strap and start to extend the leg. Open your chest up to the opposite side and try to bring your head underneath the raised shoulder. The bottom hand will support you and keep you from falling to one side. Hold for 3-5 breaths.
KING PIGEON
This one is tough too but feels really good after. Bend one knee in front of you and let it out to the side. Extend the other leg to the back. Draw your foot in towards you and hook the foot onto the strap. Grab on to both ends of the strap with either hands and bring the arms overhead. Bend at the elbows and try to pull the foot close keeping your strap as short as possible. Relax the shoulders and pop your heart open!
If you decide to go for the last two stretches, I suggest you get your body warmed up by doing 5-10 rounds of sun salutations. You can find a breakdown HERE written by BDJ writer and the fittest Make-up Artist I know, Bambi Dimapilis. When you warm up your body, you prepare your muscles for the activities you are about to do. It helps keep you from injury and allows you to go deeper into poses like the ones above.
Just remember that these poses are meant to help you RECOVER. Stretching to gain flexibility is different from stretching for recovery. When you’re recovering, you shouldn’t go hard on your body. Listen very closely to it and if you should go deeper into the poses, remember that the intention is feel good, not to cause further tears on the muscles that should be healing. 😉
Disclaimer: The exercises above are merely suggestions and should not be taken over the advice of your licensed physician. Please make sure you are free from injuries before attempting to do these exercises without the supervision of a professional.
Recovery Straps are perfect for athletes and are available for sale online. They customize to include your team logo on the design too! Follow them on Instagram to find out more.
