No Gym? No Problem. 5 Exercises to Try At Home
Sometimes we don’t have access to a gym or the time to go to one after work or school. These are 5 exercises and stretches that you can do in the comfort of your own home or your local park!
1. Teapot Stretch
THE SETUP: Start with your legs twice as wide as your shoulders, toes facing forward.
THE MOVEMENT: Hand on your hip, slide down to the crease. Leading with the hips, tilt directly to the side giving a light push with your hand.
REMEMBER! Hold for a second then stand up tall. Repeat on the same side a few times in a row.
→This stretch is for high up on the inside of the thigh.
→Notice the difference in where you feel the stretch if you lead with your HIPS or if you lead with your shoulders.
2. True Hip Flexor Stretch
THE SETUP: Start in a half kneeling position with the target leg's knee on the ground and the other knee in front of you. Have a 90 degree angle in both knees and your front hip.
→The most common form mix up is to go right past the hip flexor into a long lunge. Make sure your knee is directly under your hip to start off!
THE MOVEMENT: Tuck your pelvis (posterior pelvic tilt) and shift your weight forward until a stretch in felt in the front of your hip where the slit of your pocket would be.
→Take full deep breaths in this position. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.
REMEMBER! Your psoas muscle lives deep in your stomach beginning on the front of your spine.
Origin: Vertebral bodies of T12-L4, intervertebral discs between T12-L4, transverse processes of L1-L5 vertebrae.
→This means that the position of your spine is very important! If you allow your back to arch (belly out), then the muscle has slack so you will not feel a stretch.
→Tuck the pelvis under and maintain a neutral spine while taking full deep breaths and relaxing into the stretch.
3. Ballerina Taps
THE SETUP: Start by hinging at the hips, relaxed knees, maintain a stable foot by pressing equally between big toe - little toe - heel.
THE MOVEMENT: Reach with the opposite foot as far as you can each direction without letting anything else move.
→Self check that your pelvis is level and facing forward!
→This will get a great burn in the thigh and hip of the stance leg!
4. Single Leg Reach
→Find your balance on one leg. Maintain a neutral pelvis (hips level!)
THE SETUP: Reach your opposite foot as far as you can FORWARD-SIDE-BACK. Stand up tall between each movement.
Pay attention to the pressure on your foot. Is your ankle wobbling? Is all your weight on one point?
REMEMBER! Try to maintain the arch in your foot by pressing evenly on your BASE of BIG TOE - BASE of LITTLE TOE - HEEL.
Practice barefoot and with shoes to find your weak spots!
5. T-Position
Harder than it looks!
→Can you reach hand to the floor without letting your arms leave the T position?!
Stand up and try!