Wall Straddle

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23) Wall Straddleclick here

This is likely to be the most productive adductor stretch you ever perform. When practiced correctly many people can see dramatic improvements in abduction of the hip in a fairly short period of time. There is one caveat: be sure you use your arms to bring your legs together following this stretch. Too many people are too aggressive when they exit a passive (static) stretch, and it is the aggressive exit that negatively impacts their athletic performance.

If you lengthen your muscles beyond their functional capacity to lift your own limbs (which this particular stretch can do to your Adductors), and then you lift your limbs immediately to get back to a normal position, you can injure the very muscles you just stretched. Remember the Stretch Reflex and learn how to feel your muscles "let go." When they do let go, assist them when exiting the stretch.

Video coming soon.

Wall Piriformis Block

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22) Wall Piriformis Blockclick here

Some people perform a version of this stretch in which they pull on their leg to stretch their opposite hip. We suggest that you learn how to relax first before attempting to use force to encourage any muscle to relax. By using the wall as a support in this stretch and "blocking" the ankle across your knee it is possible to concentrate on melting into the floor with your lower back, completely relaxing your hip and thigh muscles, and getting much deeper stretch in your Piriformis and other lateral rotators.

For an older video of how to do the Wall Piriformis Block, click here. A new video is coming soon.

Supported Angel

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20) Supported Angelclick here

This stretch is to the chest and shoulders what the Supported Corpse is to the hips and lower back. Many people develop an anterior rotation of the shoulders or a shoulder-forward posture as they age. This is one way to reverse some of that shortening of the muscles that cross the front of the shoulders. Much like with the Chin Tuck or the Supported Corpse, the hardest part of this stretch for some people is doing nothing for more than 2 minutes. By constantly moving the overactive muscles of the shoulders never truly shut down. This means they take much longer to ever lengthen and it will be harder to note progress.

Breathe deeply and feel your knuckles melt into the floor. When you feel your elbows also melt into the floor you are ready to raise your arms a little closer to your ears. 

Video coming soon.

Supine Hurdle

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19) Supine Hurdleclick here

Out of every stretch or functional movement we offer on this site this one is potentially the most dangerous. Why is it in our selection, then? Because it is a great test for the upper limit of Quads and hip flexor flexibility. If you can comfortably lay back with your foot tucked under your hip and your knee on the floor then you do not need to further lengthen your hip flexors or Quadriceps. It is better to use active stretches such as the Standing Rear Foot Grab or the Bench Lunge to initially lengthen your leg and hip muscles. When those stretches get easy to perform attempt the Wall Lunge with a hip flexor focus. After the Wall Lunge gets fairly easy, then you are likely ready for the Supine Hurdle.

Be sure to note your foot position before laying back. If you lack the plantar flexion to tuck your toes back under you prior to attempting to lay down, when you do lay backward you may injure your ankle or knee with the weight of your body applying too much torque to them. Check the notes for this stretch prior to attempting it. When you are ready this can be a great stretch in your routine (make sure you are ready).

Video coming soon.

Supine Frog

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18) Supine Frogclick here

This stretch is likely to be a safer alternative to the Frog. When this stretch becomes "too easy" or if your legs are too strong to be pulled wider by gravity alone, flip over and practice the Frog. Many people add more load to this stretch with the goal of accomplishing greater flexibility (like laying weights on top of their legs). The loading can be done effectively by some, but a smarter alternative is to simply turn over. Adding and removing weights requires you to activate the very muscles you are supposedly trying to stretch. You will get longer muscles more quickly with less risk of injuring them if you learn how to relax more rather than try to always add more weight to force you to relax.

Video coming soon.

Straddle Reach

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17) Straddle Reachclick here

This stretch is extremely similar to the Straddle Press, except that the focus is to reach forward as far as is realistic and then lay your hands on the floor and completely relax the core and legs. There is a subtle difference in the focus of the stretch you may feel with the Straddle Press and the Straddle Reach. The eventual goal of this stretch is to have your arms stretched out over your head while your chest is on the floor and your legs are straight out to the sides. This stretch tends to be a safer alternative to the Straddle Press for some people due to lower back issues. Use your best judgment when including specific stretches in your routine.

Video coming soon.

Straddle Press

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16) Straddle Pressclick here

This stretch is a "stepping stone" stretch to allow more flexion and abduction of the hips. It is also potentially dangerous to your lower and mid-back if you force your arms to the floor. The objective is to lean forward and gently "press" your elbows down, while minding the level of tension it takes to touch the ground with your arms. As you get more flexible you should gradually walk your elbows farther forward from your body. At no point is this movement intended to take force on your part to actually touch the ground with your arms...allow them to gradually make contact. If you practice this stretch properly you should notice an easier time touching the ground with your arms and no tightness or discomfort in your core or back. As this stretch gets easier all the other Straddle stretches also get easier.

Video coming soon.

Straddle Lean

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15) Straddle Leanclick here

This stretch is one way to more deeply address the Adductors as well as the hip and core muscles. Placing your lower arm in front your legs or behind them changes the intensity and the focus of this stretch, so try both. The wider you place your legs the more difficult this stretch becomes, so find the width best for your current level of flexibility. Regular practice of this and the other Straddle stretches will make all of them easier.

Video coming soon.

Straddle

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14) Straddleclick here

The initial purpose of this stretch is to lengthen the Adductors by sitting with your legs as wide as possible. The eventual goal is a Straddle Split. Leaning forward may help lengthen your leg muscles, but if you are too aggressive with your stretch efforts you can trigger the Stretch Reflex and you will not achieve a longer muscle (you might actually get tighter instead). So how you do this stretch is as important as the stretch itself. Eventually the goal is to lay flat on the floor with your legs straight out to the sides and your body totally relaxed (will take a while for some of you out there).

Video of the Straddle coming soon. For video of how to do the Seated Straddle (aka Floor Chest Touch), click here.

Scorpion

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13) Scorpionclick here

This stretch is notoriously performed far too aggressively and too quickly for most people to achieve any lengthening of tight muscles. In fact, if you are too aggressive with the rotation of your lower back you can injure yourself, so this stretch is best performed at a slow pace with a focus on feeling the musculature relax and lengthen across the front of your hip, core, and shoulder. When performed correctly this stretch is a very good way to re-establish or maintain good rotational ROM across the core.

It is not necessary to touch your hand with your foot, although some people will be able to do so. Forcing contact between your foot and hand is one way to injure yourself if your body is not yet that flexible (some of us will never be that flexible).

Video coming soon.