The perfect time to maximize your flexibility gains is when your muscles are nice and warm, like right after you’ve finished working your butt off through a workout or practice. I recently posted my Quick and Dirty Post-Derby Stretch routine, for when you still have your skates on, but today’s video is for flexibility training after your off-skate sweat sessions instead!
Here’s the drill:
This is a full-length, follow-along video. If you prefer the short version, go here instead.
Click here to download a printable of this routine: How-To-Stretch-Printable
Here are some quick tips and reminders to help you get the most out of this routine:
- Always be warm before trying flexibility training. Stretching a cold muscle is like taking a rubber band out of the freezer and trying to stretch it: not good for the rubber band, yo.
- Breathing deeply while stretching may provide some physical benefit and can definitely be calming.
- Be aware of tension in your jaw. Aim to keep space between your teeth (don’t clench) to maximize your ability to relax your other muscles.
And here are the stretches, with notes:
- Chest opener: Keep elbow at shoulder height or above
- Standing Quadriceps: Point knee straight down, tilt pelvis under.
- Lunge: Tilt pelvis under.
- Hamstring: Keep hips square.
- Pigeon (glute/piriformis): Keep front foot flexed, experiment with angles to suit your hips and knees.
- Taco Stand (groin/adductors): experiment to find a position that gives you the best stretch.
- Seated Twist: sit up very straight before twisting.
- Windshield-wiper twist: Take deep breaths. Try to keep both shoulders on the floor.
- Seated forward fold: Take deep breaths.
Follow this cool down routine after all your off-skate workouts to maximize your flexibility, potentially reduce future injuries, and feel noticeably less sore the day after.