- Use a chair or wall for balance. Stand with your feet together. Lift one leg behind you until you can grasp the ball of your foot with your hand. Pull your foot toward your buttock. Keep your knees together and your back straight. You should feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Hold for 15 seconds and release. Repeat this stretch four times for each leg.
- Stand an arm's width away from a wall with your feet shoulder width apart and your body turned toward the wall. Lift your arms to shoulder height and extend them so that they touch the wall. Step back into a lunge. Keep your feet pointed forward and your heels on the ground. You should feel a stretch in the back of your calves. Hold for 15 seconds and then step forward again. Repeat this stretch four times for each leg.
- Sit on a flat surface with both legs straight out in front of you. Bend at the waist and reach for your toes. Keep your back straight and lean forward as far as possible. Look past your toes instead of down to your knees. Since your body tends to move where your eyes look, this will help you keep your back straight. Do not bounce, but move steadily and firmly. When you have bent as far as you possibly can, hold the stretch for 10 seconds. Then relax.
- Lie back on a flat surface with your toes pointed straight up. Slide your foot up until your heel touches your buttock, bending your leg and lift your knee so that it points upward. Then slide the leg back to the starting position. Repeat this exercise 20 times with each leg. For a variation on this exercise, roll onto your stomach and bend the leg backward until it touches the buttock.
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