Most of us refer to exercise with the term training. However, it is important to understand that training is perfect only when every aspect of it --nutrition, rest and stretching-- is given equal importance. Stretching is often overlooked. You may notice it in your gym that only a handful of people do stretching. Stretching enhances joint mobility and the range of motion of your muscle, and so it can have an enormous impact on your results. Here, Rachit Dua,Online Fitness Coach with Team Aminder sheds some light on some imperative post workout fascia stretches.
Understanding fascia
And if you are wondering what fascia is, know that fascia is a connective tissue that appears like a spider web structure which helps perform various functions such as holding, stabilising, covering, and supporting several parts of the body. A healthy fascial system has to be flexible and elastic. A tight fascia only leads to dysfunctioning of nerves and the muscles. With some basic compound stretches you can keep the fascias supple and flexible. Broadly, the fascia lines are categorised into five parts-- front line fascia, back line fascia, lateral line fascia, spiral line fascia and the arm line fascia. These five fascia stretches are a must perform after a workout.
Front line fascia stretch
- Lie flat on your back.
- As you exhale, bend the knees and bring the feet as close to the buttocks as possible. Remember to keep the soles of the feet flat on the floor.
- Bend the arms at the elbows and place the palms of the hands flat on the floor directly under each shoulder with the fingers pointing toward the back.
- While inhaling slowly, begin to raise the head, back and buttocks off the floor while arching the spine.
- Continue to press downward on the hands and feet while raising the hips and stomach as high as possible.
- Hold for 10-15 seconds.
- To release the position, lower your body till it touches the ground. Straighten your legs and get your hands back to the original position. These early morning stretching exercises will keep you energised throughout the day.
- Stand upright and with a wide stance (wider than shoulders).
- Ensure that your feet are pressing the ground and the weight of your body is equally balanced on both the feet.
- Inhale deeply and as you exhale, bend your body to the right, downward from the hips. Do this while keeping the waist straight, allowing your left hand to come up in the air while your right hand comes down towards the floor.
- Keep both arms in a straight line and repeat the same on another side.
- Hold for 10-15 seconds.
- Stand straight with shoulder width stance and bend forward without bending your knees.
- If your body is flexible enough, then touch the floor, or you can hold something in front of you and then stretch while throwing your hips back.
- Hold for 10-15 seconds. Here are five stages of stretching for improved flexibility.
- Stand straight keeping your legs shoulder width apart.
- Raise your right arm towards the sky while keeping your palm facing towards the ear.
- While maintaining the body straight, bend on left side. Keep your right arm straight up while your biceps touch your right ear.
- Hold for 10-15 seconds. Repeat the same on the other side.
- Stand straight with a hip width stance. Raise your hands horizontally in the line of your shoulders and place your palms at the point where you could stretch both your arms.
- While keeping your chest up, bend a little forward.
- Hold for 10-15 seconds and repeat.
- You can also do this by taking one arm at a time and placing it against a wall.
