If you, like me, get hit by stretching videos every time you open TikTok, you’ll know how important it is by now. If you’ve not yet added some sort of mobility exercises to your workouts, what’ve you been doing?
And if your TikTok isn’t full of stretching, find the benefits here:
Lower Body Stretches To Smash Your Leg Day
Do not skip your stretches. We repeat. Do not skip your stretches.
Marino Katsouris knows about the benefits of stretching. He always completes an extensive upper-body warm-up to maximize his workout performance. Be like Marino — don’t neglect stretching!
The routine
Do this whole circuit 1-2 times before 2-3 warm-up sets of your first exercise, and you’ll be primed and ready to go!
Banded shoulder rotations
Grab either end of a large resistance band in each hand, with the band sitting behind you
Pull the band so it’s taut
Starting with your hands by your sides, bring them up and round until they’re above your head, with the band still taut
Then bring your arms back down to your sides with the band in front of your body
Scapular push-ups
Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a mat with your legs out behind you, with your body straight
Allow your shoulders to drop
Push them back up and continue to push up until your back is arched
Cobra stretch
Begin the movement in a push-up position, with your hands flat on the mat, roughly shoulder-width apart, and your legs out behind you
Drop your hips until they’re as flat as possible against the mat, while keeping your arms straight
Then push your hips back up until your bum is in the air and your arms are straight
Elbow supported rotator cuff
Sit on the mat with one leg bent at the knee
Rest your elbow on this knee and put your other hand on the floor to support you
Arm bent at the elbow and at a right angle
With a small weight in this hand, rotate your arm so your palm faces the floor, keeping your elbow on your knee
Reverse snow angel
Lie on a mat with your chest facing the floor
Begin the movement with your arms straight in front of you and your palms facing the floor
Use your chest to push your upper body off the mat slightly while bringing your arms round your body until they reach your bum (keep your arms straight as you do this)
Shoulder rounds
Stand up straight with one arm by your side and the other arm firmly planted on your stomach, reminding you to engage your core
Rotate the arm that’s by your side in a full circle, keeping it straight the entire time
Scapular pull-ups
Hang from a suspended bar with your palms facing away from you
Hang so your upper-body muscles are loose
Squeeze your upper-back muscles while lifting your chest slightly
Loosen your muscles again and repeat
Take home message
And there we have it. Be like Marino and make sure you prioritize stretching. It's not as much a chore as you think. Loosen up, get warm, and you’ll soon feel the benefits.
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