15 Aug Pilates to go: stretch and release (part I)
Be it by plane, train, or automobile, traveling can leave your body feeling bound up and cranky. Here’s a few of our fave on-the-go stretches to get you through those tight times. Part II, with more tips & techniques, coming soon!
What you’ll need:
Yoga strap or Thera-band
Small rubber ball
Yoga block
Room to stretch
Exercise #1: Cat-Cow
Target: Tight back, neck, shoulder & abdominal muscles
Set Up:
- Position yourself in a quadruped position, on hands and knees, with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Maintain a neutral pelvis.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Contract your abdominals, rounding your back, articulating from your lumbar line to the crown of your head.
- Inhale: Expand your ribcage, slide your shoulders away from your ears, and slowly extend your back, articulating from the crown of your head to the lumbar spine.
Repeat 6-8 times.
Modify:
- Reverse the direction of your spinal articulation (e.g. start from the crown of the head to round the spine).
Tip
- Be careful not to overextend the back or neck in the second-half of the exercise.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZzKd86iSjI]
Exercise #2 : Happy Cow
Target: Tight back & abdominal muscles
Set Up:
- Position yourself in a quadruped position, on hands and knees, with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
- Maintain a neutral pelvis.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Contract the abdominals and round your back, articulating from your lumbar to the crown of your head.
- Inhale: Begin to circle your hips and head, articulating your spine into a neutral position, side-bended to the right.
- Exhale: Continue to circle your hips and head articulating through extension to complete the circle, side-bend to the left, and return to start position.
Repeat 6-8 times.
Modify:
- Reverse the rotation of the spine through round back, side bend and extension.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQZsproHy1o]
Exercise # 3: Knee Stirs
Target: Tight back and hip flexor muscles
Set Up:
- Lay on your back knees bent, arms resting by your sides
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Gently tilt your pelvis posteriorly, bring one knee toward your chest, and then by the other.
- Inhale: Gently grasp on to front of your knees.
- Keep breathing: Circle your knees in opposite directions.
Continue for 4-6 rotations, and then switch directions.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNUHfUI6fSA]
Exercise # 4: Hamstring Stretch
Prop: Yoga strap or flex-band
Target: Tight hamstrings
Set Up:
- Lay on your back, knees bent.
- Wrap a yoga strap around the ball of one foot.
- Maintain a neutral spine.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Using the strap for support, straighten one leg and reach it toward the ceiling.
- Inhale: Lower your leg toward the floor.
- Exhale: Lift the leg toward the ceiling (stabilizing your pelvis in neutral).
- Hold stretch for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-4 times, and switch sides.
Modify:
- Straighten the non-stretching leg if flexibility allows.
- Turn out leg that your are stretching.
- Turn in leg that you are stretching.
- Bend and straighten leg that you are stretching.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i94FMRWx9PY]
Exercise # 5: Adductor Stretch
Prop: Yoga strap or flex-band
Target: Tight inner thigh muscles
Set Up:
- Lay on your back, knees bent.
- Wrap a yoga strap around the ball of one foot.
- Maintain a neutral spine.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Using the strap for support, straighten one leg and reach it toward the ceiling.
- Inhale: Slowly lower stretching leg to the side (away from stabilizing leg), using strap for support.
- Exhale: Continue to stretch leg (stabilizing pelvis in neutral).
- Hold stretch for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-4 times, and switch sides.
Modify:
- Straighten the non-stretching leg if flexibility allows.
Tip:
- Make sure pelvis does not rotate when stretching leg away from your body.
**See Exercise #6 for video instruction**
Exercise # 6: Abductor/IT Band stretch
Prop: Yoga strap or flex-band
Target: Tight outer thigh muscles & IT band
Set Up:
- Lay on your back, knees bent.
- Wrap a yoga strap around the ball of one foot.
- Maintain a neutral spine.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Using the strap for support, straighten one leg and reach it toward the ceiling.
- Inhale: Take leg across the body (toward stabilizing leg).
- Exhale: Continue to stretch leg (stabilizing pelvis in neutral).
- Hold stretch for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-4 times, and switch sides.
Modify:
- Straighten the non-stretching leg if flexibility allows.
Tip:
- Make sure pelvis does not rotate when stretching leg across your body.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kor1hGMWjXo]
Exercise # 7: Calf stretch
Prop: Yoga strap or flex-band
Target: Tight calf muscles
Set Up:
- Lay on your back, knees bent.
- Wrap a yoga strap around the ball of one foot.
- Maintain a neutral spine.
Move:
- Inhale: Connect with your abdominals.
- Exhale: Using the strap for support, straighten one leg and reach it toward the ceiling.
- Inhale: Flex your foot.
- Exhale: Continue to stretch the calf ( stabilizing pelvis in neutral).
- Inhale: Point the foot.
- Hold each position for 10-15 seconds, repeat 2-4 times, and switch sides.
Modify:
- Straighten the non-stretching leg if flexibility allows.
Tip:
- To prevent the band from slipping off your foot and whacking you in the face (ouch!), try wrapping it around your foot.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvmnAL_RT50]
Portable Pilates: stretch and release (part II) | get kinected
Posted at 22:00h, 07 September[…] Be it by plane, train, or automobile, traveling can leave your body feeling bound up and cranky. Here’s a few of our fave on-the-go stretches to get you through those tight times. See Part 1 here! […]