From yoga to Pilates to more general workouts, the call for core strength is ubiquitous.

As a yoga teacher, I constantly need to remind students to engage their core. It’s not about shame or even strength鈥攊t’s the knowledge that an activated core will deliver support and improved alignment while alleviating potential pain.

Why Core Strength Is Essential

When contracted, the muscles of your core support the spine, help you maintain proper posture, and reduce your risk of injury. Many people think the “core” refers to only the superficial abdominal muscles, but your core muscles extend from the diaphragm to the pelvic floor and surround the trunk in a . That includes all of the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, and deep transversus abdominus) as well as those of the hips, glutes, and lower back (including the erector spinae and multifidus).

That鈥檚 a lot of support. If you鈥檙e not properly activating your core, or if you lack sufficient strength in your muscles, you鈥檙e at a disadvantage.

Given the complexity of the primary and supportive muscles that are considered part of the core, it can actually be easier to discern when you鈥檙e not engaging them compared to when you are using your core effectively. These signs may be subtly indicating that you need to activate or strengthen your core.

6 Signs You Need More Core Strength

Though there are many causes for each of the following indications, a weak core is a simple factor to address.听Be sure to consult with your physician if you鈥檙e experiencing pain or discomfort.

1. Posture Challenges

Slouchers, this one’s for you.

Your core muscles support the spine and help you maintain a neutral posture. If you struggle to do so when you鈥檙e seated or standing, these are signs that you might not be engaging your core or would benefit from strengthening your core.

2. Difficulty Maintaining Alignment

If you experience difficulty maintaining alignment in your lower back and hips when you鈥檙e in yoga poses or other positions that demand strong core engagement, you may not be using those muscles as much as is needed.

For example, do your hips start to sag in ? Does your look more like a or ?听You may need to engage or strengthen your deep transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and perhaps gluteus maximus muscles to help support your spine.

3. Balancing Challenges

that increasing core strength supports better balance. A strong and active core enhances balance by strengthening the connection between the upper and lower body and delivering more control over your center of gravity.

But don鈥檛 strain with all your might. Tensing to the point of becoming rigid is actually counterproductive to balancing. Your body needs to be able to as you balance. Simply focus on drawing your muscles toward your spine and grounding through your standing leg while breathing slowly and easily.

4. Hip Pain

If your hips ache after a workout or throughout the day, one potential cause is not engaging your deep hip muscles.

These deep core muscles create connections among the spine, pelvis, and hips and are essential to maintaining your alignment. A lack of support from weak or inefficiently engaged muscles will be taken up elsewhere by neighboring muscles, such as the hip flexors, external rotators or adductors, or the hip capsules or joints themselves. This overloading can cause strain.

For example, when you balance on one leg, if you鈥檙e engaging your deep abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles, and gluteus medius muscles, your hips will remain level. But if the hip on your lifted leg side drops down and the hip on your standing leg sways out to the side (known as ), chances are your gluteus medius is weak or not engaging. This can cause referral tension in one or both hip flexors, adductors, piriformis, and of the hips (as well as the quadratus lumborum in the lower back).

5. Knee Pain

There is evidence that suggests a weak core can increase the risk of knee injuries and knee pain. A conducted in athletic populations found that lower scores in core strength, core proprioception, and neuromuscular control of the core were found to be risk factors in the development of lower extremity injuries.

Your entire body is connected through your skeleton, muscles, and connective tissue. If you are not engaged and aligned toward the top of your body, the structures below will also experience misalignment. This can place excessive pressure on the knee joints, including the cartilage, meniscus, ligaments, and bony structures.

6. Low Back Soreness

There are countless explanations for low back achiness, soreness, discomfort, and pain. However, if you feel a dull ache in your lumbar area after practicing yoga, find it difficult to get out of bed the morning after a challenging workout, or have developed chronic back pain, there鈥檚 a chance you鈥檙e either not engaging your core muscles or need to strengthen them.

The purpose of the core muscles is to help stabilize the spine. When you engage your core, you create tension in the abdominal and lower back muscles that reinforces spinal stability and reduces the load on your joints as well as your intervertebral discs. This tension results from contracting the deep and often overlooked muscles of the core, including the multifidus, rotatores, intertransversarii, and pelvic floor.

Without the stability provided by deep muscle engagement when you move through yoga poses, workouts, or everyday life, the more superficial muscles in the lower back will be forced to compensate, or that load will be transferred to joints and other structures. These muscles are better suited to other roles like large or fast movement, so demanding that they take on the role of creating stability could lead to those muscles feeling tense or sore later.

This can of lower back pain and tightness and make you susceptible to tweaking your back.

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There are always going to be days when there鈥檚 not time to make it to a studio yoga class or even stream a quick online practice at home. That鈥檚 when you need a short sequence you can practically practice from memory and take advantage of anytime, such as a 10-minute yoga for core strength sequence.

It can help to create a mental library of several quick 10-minute yoga sequences (of course, if you can鈥檛 always remember them, you can always check back here). That way you have something on standby if you want a hip-opening practice after cycling or a full-body yoga stretching sequence if it鈥檚 your only opportunity to move throughout the day. The idea is you can opt for yoga, like this 10-minute yoga for core strength practice, even when you can鈥檛 access your abs exercises at the gym.

Of course, what makes these shapes yoga and not just core-strengthening exercises is how you show up to them. Slow your breath, focus on your alignment, and practice quieting your thoughts even in discomfort. And stay self-aware so if you鈥檙e underworking or overtaxing yourself, you can adjust accordingly.

10-Minute Yoga for Core Strength

This yoga sequence is unique in that it includes a couple bodyweight exercises that aren鈥檛 yoga although you can approach them with the same focus and breathwork. If time allows, practice a short warm-up first with some seated or reclined twists and some 鈥�. If you鈥檙e already warmed up, start your yoga for core strength practice straightaway, saving you even more time.

Tabletop to Bird Dog Pose

Start on your mat on all fours in Tabletop and draw your belly button toward your spine. As you inhale, extend your right arm forward and your left leg straight back. Squeeze your glutes to help you find balance and keep your shoulders and hips square to the floor. Remain here for 20 seconds.

Slowly and with control, bring your right arm and left leg back to the mat. Pause here and then extend your left arm and right leg. Stay here and find your balance for 20 seconds. Come back to Tabletop.

Plank Pose

From Tabletop, step your feet back and come into . Stack your wrists, elbows, and shoulders and continue to focus on drawing your belly button toward your spine. Also squeeze your inner thigh and pelvic floor muscles to engage your entire core. Breathe here for 30 seconds.

Four Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)

From Plank Pose, lower yourself into , which places more emphasis on the core muscles, rather than the shoulders, as you hold yourself in a straight line. Press your hands and toes into your mat and draw your pubic bone toward your belly button to engage the deep core and pelvic floor muscles. Also, squeeze your glutes to relieve strain on your lower back. Breathe here for 30 seconds.

Cobra Pose

Slowly lower your feet, thighs, and hips to the mat and press your hands into the mat to lift your chest in . Stay here for a breath or two to stretch your abs. Then lower your head to the mat and rest for a moment.

Side Plank Pose (Vasisthasana)

Push yourself up to Plank Pose and roll onto the outer edge of your left foot. Shift your weight into your left hand and slowly lift into by stacking your shoulders and your hips and reaching your right arm toward the ceiling, which requires you to work the obliques (side abdominal muscles).

If you have trouble balancing or supporting your body, stagger your feet by bringing your top foot on the floor ein front of your bottom leg. If the pose bothers your wrists, . Breathe here for 20 seconds.

Take a moment to relax in before repeating on the other side.

Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana)

Next, flip over so you鈥檙e sitting on your mat. Lean slightly backward and keep your back straight as you lift your feet off the mat and straighten your legs to create a V shape. Reach your arms straight in front of you in . Stay here for 30 seconds. Remember to breathe!

Continue to keep your back straight and shoulders drawn back to build strength in the hip flexors, lower abs, and back. If you can鈥檛 hold the shape without rounding your back, bend your knees and hover your calves parallel to the mat.

Dying Bug

Finally, relax all the way onto your back.Pause here before you rally for your last exercise. Although not technically a yoga pose, Dying Bug is essentially Bird-Dog flipped over. Instead of being on your hands and knees, you鈥檙e lying on your back in the same starting shape as Savasansa and moving your arms and legs in space above your body. This varied relationship to gravity targets different muscles of the core, including the tricky-to-isolate hip flexors and including the , and lower part of the rectus abdominis.

From Savasana, lift your opposite arm and leg off the mat, extending your arm behind your head and your leg straight forward. Move slowly but continuously, alternating sides, for a total of 30 seconds.

Then collapse on the mat in Savasana. Linger here for as long as your schedule allows.

The post 10-Minute Yoga for Core Strength that You Can Practice Anywhere appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

As a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher, I work with a lot of . This happens for several reasons, among them the fact that learning the poses can be a lot harder than you鈥檇 think. There are literally hundreds of poses, each demanding strength and coordination. It鈥檚 essentially like learning an entirely different language. But if you already strength train at the gym, there are yoga poses that will feel very familiar to bodyweight exercises.

In fact, some of the best yoga poses for building strength are those that have a bodyweight exercise equivalent, which are exercises in which you build muscle by supporting the weight of your body. Below are some of the best bodyweight exercises for strength that just happen to be yoga.

12 Yoga Poses That Are Essentially Bodyweight Strength Exercises

These strength-building yoga poses have a surprisingly strong resemblance to bodyweight exercises. Keep in mind, what makes something yoga isn鈥檛 the shape but how you hold yourself in the shape. Slow your breath. Notice where you鈥檙e holding unnecessary tension. And hold for time.

1. Boat Pose

Yes, the exercise you dread most. is one of the . It targets all of the abdominal muscles, particularly the deep, deep transversus abdominis and lower portion of the rectus abdominis. It also strengthens the easily overlooked muscles of the core, including the hip flexors, pelvic floor, and lower back muscles.

This yoga pose is identical to a V-sit, the challenging core exercise found in many ab workouts. V-sits are sometimes performed dynamically as V-ups, where you go from lying on your back with your arms extended straight over your head and your legs straight on the floor and then you contract your core muscles to fold your body up, piking your legs into the V-sit position and then relaxing back down before beginning the next rep. Holding yourself in that oh so challenging peak position is Boat Pose.

Practice

2. Bridge Pose

Just like the Glute Bridges included in regular strength training workouts, ) is a strong workout for the glutes.

Here again, the difference is that you hold your body in the top position of the bodyweight exercise, demanding that you engage all of the muscles in the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and core muscles.

As a personal trainer, I actually prefer the Bridge Pose approach because the isometric contraction of the glutes helps you more readily activate your glutes during other exercises. Breathe into the pose and squeeze your glutes (but not too tightly) as you bring your awareness to how these strong muscles are supporting your body against the resistance of gravity. Bonus: Squeeze a block between your thighs to ensure you engage your adductor muscles.

Practice

3. Locust Pose

Yoga has numerous backbending and , but is probably the most familiar to gym goers thanks to its resemblance to the exercise known as Superman.

In both exercises, you are lying on your belly and contracting all of the muscles along your spine as well as your glutes, hamstrings, and shoulders to simultaneously lift your upper and lower body off of the ground.

It鈥檚 a powerful pose to strengthen the muscles along the entire posterior body that are often underworked and overstretched due to our everyday tendency to slouch or spend your . Athletes who do a lot of core work tend to focus on the abdominals, but it鈥檚 equally important to target the lower back extensors. This is an essential yoga pose to incorporate into your strength routine. Option to clasp your hands behind your back and reach your knuckles toward the wall behind you.

Practice

4. Plank Pose

As with bodyweight training, yoga has a variety of plank poses. is a carbon copy of high plank, the bodyweight strengthening exercise in which you are in the top position of a push-up with your arms straight and your glutes, quads, and core engaged.

This exercise and yoga pose also strengthens the upper back, shoulders, arms, and wrists. You want to draw your navel toward the spine and push your heels toward the wall behind you to really engage your core muscles. Also think about drawing your kneecaps toward your hips to activate your quads. Make sure to keep a straight line in your body from your head to your heels like a stiff board鈥攈ence the name plank! (Conversely, Forearm Plank is an exercise that yoga has borrowed from strength-training workouts.)

Practice

5. Low Push-Up or Chaturanga

Yoga push-ups, known as , aren鈥檛 quite an exact replica of bodyweight push-ups most people are familiar with from calisthenics, but both exercises target the same muscles: the pectoralis major and minor in the chest, the triceps in the back of the upper arm, the deltoids and rotator cuff muscles in the shoulders, the upper back muscles such as the rhomboids and upper traps, and the core muscles.

With Chaturanga, the body remains in the lowered position with you squeezing your elbows toward the ribs and contracting your core. As with push-ups, you want to keep your spine neutral, core tight, hips in line with your body, and gaze straight down at the floor between your palms. It鈥檚 not easy.

Practice

6. Side Plank Pose (Vasishthasana)

Whether you are doing them at the gym or on your yoga mat, Side Planks are tough. But precarious balancing position strengthens the obliques, which are the abdominal muscles on the sides of your torso, along with the rest of the core muscles.

in yoga is extra challenging because instead of having your entire forearm to support your body, your balance on your outstretched hand. This reduced base of support challenges your core muscles to steady your body. That鈥檚 how you build strength.

Practice

7. Dolphin Plank Pose

This pose is similar to the regular forearm plank that most athletes have a love-hate relationship with. It鈥檚 a solid isometric hold that strengthens the core muscles without flexing the spine as you would in abdominal crunches.

The important thing to remember about is to draw your navel toward the spine to build tension in your core. Make sure to keep a straight line in your body from your head to your hips.

Practice

8-10.Warrior Poses + Lunges

and Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana I and II) as well as High Lunge in yoga have a lot of crossover with the forward lunges you practice at the gym. The arm positions are somewhat different and there鈥檚 a little spinal twist in the Warrior poses, but you still engage and strengthen the same lower body muscles (quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves).

Each of these improves core strength because the narrow base of support with a staggered stance requires the core muscles and small stabilizing muscles in the glutes and hips to activate and help steady challenging your balance.

Practice , , and

11. Goddess

There isn鈥檛 an exact match between a bodyweight squat and a yoga pose. But Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana) comes close.

As with most yoga poses, instead of performing reps in rapid succession, as you might with bodyweight exercises, Goddess Pose is a static hold in the lowered position. That stillness is one of the powerful strengthening benefits of yoga. Holding a position in which your muscles are under tension is known as an isometric contraction. This type of muscle engagement helps build strength and increase muscular endurance. There is also some evidence to suggest that

The primary difference between sumo squats and regular bodyweight squats is that the sumo squat exercise targets the easy-to-overlook inner thigh and hip rotator muscles, including the gluteus medius. This is a result of your feet being positioned significantly wider than hip-width apart and turned slightly outward rather than pointing straight ahead. Goddess Pose utilizes a similar foot position and that same wide stance to stretch your hips and adductors of the inner thighs.

Practice

12. Bird Dog Pose

One of my all-time most recommended bodyweight exercises and yoga poses is Bird Dog. Here, the exercise and the yoga pose are identical. Both exercises are performed from hands and knees.

The emphasis here is on core stability. As the opposite arm and leg are lifted from the floor and extended in front and behind the body, respectively, you have to engage the entirety of your core as a cohesive unit to keep your chest and hips square to the mat.

Practice

As can be seen, there are strengthening yoga poses that are almost identical to the bodyweight strength training exercises you already practice. When you鈥檙e already familiar with a similar bodyweight strength exercise, it makes it easier to understand how to do the yoga pose.

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For most of the 20 years that I鈥檝e been a competitive runner, I鈥檝e intentionally disregarded yoga. I assumed that it wouldn鈥檛 offer anything meaningful to my workout routine. But as I鈥檝e become older鈥攁nd, it seems, wiser鈥擨鈥檝e found the exact opposite to be true. Especially when it comes to the benefits I experience from core-strengthening exercises in yoga and what they contribute to my training.

After racing competitively in college, I shifted my focus to intense training for half-marathons, marathons, and other road races. It wasn鈥檛 until after I began incorporating core-strengthening exercises from yoga into my gym workouts that I began to feel stronger than ever.

Yoga poses engage the less-obvious core muscles often ignored by runners, hikers, cyclists, mountain bikers, and other outdoor athletes. Those include the transversus abdominis and other , the side abdominal muscles, the spinal stabilizers, and the overlooked pelvic floor muscles.

Although the benefits of incorporating yoga into your training aren鈥檛 limited to making the shapes. It鈥檚 also how you hold yourself in the shapes. I鈥檝e found that the long holds and slow breathwork emphasized by yoga have enhanced my endurance, my balance, and my ability to be more aware of my body.

When I coach others, I encourage them to take a 鈥渢raining wheels鈥� approach by incorporating a few simple yoga poses into their usual ab or core workout. This ensures that you鈥檙e not neglecting whatever static or dynamic core strength training already works for you. Yoga will never supplant your gym workout. But it can supplement it to bring you surprising and tangible results.

7 Best Core-Strengthening Exercises for Athlete Needs

Rely on the following sequence of core-strengthening exercises as a complete core workout or incorporate three or four of them into your existing core exercise routine. Maybe you swap out your usual Forearm Plank for Chaturanga or replace V-ups or toe-touch sit-ups with Boat Pose.

1. Cat-Cow

鈥� is a dynamic exercise that mobilizes the entire spine, which is often overlooked during core-strengthening exercises. It鈥檚 basically a slow transition between two poses, and as you sync your movement with your breath, you bring awareness to your ability to isolate your vertebrae. You also train yourself to engage your deep transversus abdominis muscles each time you draw in your belly, which helps stabilize your core.

2. Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose)

This core exercise is similar to the familiar Plank and Forearm Plank drills. But demands that you draw your pubic bone toward your belly button to maintain your balance on your forearms and your toes, which engages your pelvic floor muscles. This is important as the pelvic muscles are crucial for improving your breathing mechanics and your stability as you run, squat, bike, or practice whatever outdoor adventure you most love.

Also, be sure to squeeze your glutes to relieve strain on your low back and find safe and optimal alignment.

3. Virabhadrasana 3 (Warrior 3)

All Warrior poses in yoga engage your core, but is the best for strengthening your core muscles. The full-body balancing pose requires engaging all of your core muscles in a 360-degree manner to find and maintain your stability. You experience a similar demand on the core in running, hiking, and weightlifting exercises, although it鈥檚 easier to cheat on your form since you鈥檙e upright rather than steadying yourself on one foot.

4. Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose)

is a static, isometric hold that requires tons of core control. This yoga core exercise strengthens not just your abs but supporting muscle groups, including your quads, hip flexors, and spinal stabilizers.

It鈥檚 important to keep your back and shoulders straight, rather than rounded, because this helps build your core strength and balance while also supporting proper posture. It also practices engaging the lower abs and lower back, which synergistically support your form. To maximize the benefit of this pose, bend your knees if you must rather than allow yourself to slouch.

5. Vasisthasana (Side Plank Pose)

One of the best yoga core-strengthening poses for your tricky-to-isolate obliques (side abdominal muscles) is . It also shifts the load to your shoulders and demands support from your front and back core muscles, which must engage in varying degrees to support your balance.

6. Eka Pada Utkatasana (One-Legged Chair Pose)

This variation of is basically like holding a single-leg squat but by lifting one foot any amount听 It鈥檚 a strong pose for runners, cyclists, and outdoor athletes because it requires engaging your core to keep your trunk upright and body balanced while simultaneously strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and back. It not only strengthens your muscles but your sense of proprioception, which is an awareness of where your body is in space.

7. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose)

is one of the best yoga poses for any athlete as it stretches the entire posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, lower back, calves, and Achilles tendons), which is not only essential but feels incredible after biking, running, hiking, rowing, using the elliptical machine, and almost any workout. It also strengthens the shoulders and core, which are often overlooked by those who engage in these endurance sports.

Focus on drawing your belly button toward your spine and squeezing your inner thighs and pelvic floor muscles. This approach engages your core in a complete and balanced manner. Engaging your quads and glutes will increase the intensity of the pose.

Additional Core-Strengthening Exercises for Athletes

If you鈥檙e looking to switch up your routine and work in different core-strengthening exercises, consider including , , or cable machine,, and either hanging leg raises or .

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Athletes, take note: Although you already know that the best way to release tension is stretching, you may need a reminder that increasingly supports the fact that practicing stretches after a workout can literally minimize your aches and pains after resistance training of any sort.

Your stretching routine doesn鈥檛 need to be particularly long or involved to be effective. But you do need to target all of the major muscles you just exhausted during any full-body workout. So if you engage in strength training of any sort, set aside five extra minutes. You鈥檒l thank yourself later.

6 Best Stretches After a Workout

Or you can pick and choose specific stretches for back muscles, leg muscles, and upper body muscles if you鈥檙e short on time or you rely on a body part split routine.Try to stay in each pose for 30 to 45 seconds. Depending on how tight you feel after lifting weights, you can linger in the stretches for longer. Don鈥檛 forget to breathe.

1. Downward-Facing Dog

One of the most well-known yoga poses, Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is also one of the best stretches after a workout when you鈥檙e strength training because there鈥檚 a strong chance it will help lengthen at least one of the muscles you just repeatedly contracted in your weightlifting session. The pose lengthens the entire posterior chain, including your spine and upper back.

It also targets the calf muscles and Achilles tendons, which makes it especially useful following squats. Tightness in these tissues will limit your squat depth and make it difficult to keep your heels firmly grounded when lowering your body into a back squat. Without this stability and mobility, you reduce your Without that full range of motion, your muscles will not get the maximum stimulus for . Lack of flexibility also increase the risk of losing your balance when you go for depth in the squat.

How to: The key to practicing is drawing your hips up and back toward the ceiling and reaching your heels down toward the mat. (There鈥檚 no need for your heels to touch the mat. But you want to reach for it to lengthen those muscles and connective tissues.)

Think about creating two sides of a triangle with your body: you should have a straight line from your hips down through your back, shoulders, and arms down to your wrists. Plant your palms firmly on the ground with your fingers spread nice and wide. Then, you should mirror this straight line and a similar angle from the hips down through the heels.

2. Cat-Cow

Not all yoga poses require you to get into a specific shape and then hold it statically. Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) is a dynamic yoga exercise that flexes and extends the spine to improve mobility of all of the tissues related to the spine. It also promotes hip mobility. Although this is one of the best stretches after strength training, but it can also be performed as part of a dynamic warm-up.

How to: You will move between an anterior and posterior pelvic tilt in 鈥�. Being able to consciously perform a posterior pelvic tilt is critical for any supine weightlifting exercises, such as the bench press. Understanding how to engage the lower abdominal muscles, as you do in Cat-Cow, helps you press your low back and back of the pelvis into the bench to prevent straining the back.

One tip is to not rush the movement between the cat posture and the cow posture and to sync your movement with your breath. Improving this mind-body connection can help you better activate your core muscles when you are performing other strength training exercises with weights.

3. Extended Triangle Pose

Any version of Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) will help stretch your hips, spine, glutes, hamstrings, and inner and outer thighs. Best of all, this is an excellent yoga pose after chest workouts because it helps open up the pectoral region and shoulder girdle. Use this yoga pose after bench pressing or performing chest fly.

How to: Think about spreading your weight evenly between both feet and grounding them down into the floor in . If you cannot reach the ground with your front hand that is aiming downward, use a yoga block under that hand.

4. Cobra Pose

This backbend helps stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdominal muscles. Because your arms help support your shape in Cobra (Bhujangasana), it doesn鈥檛 require a lot of back strength. Also, you get to control how intense you make the stretch.

How to: Try to squeeze your glutes and press the front of your pelvis into the mat to support safe alignment and muscle engagement in

5. Puppy Pose

Puppy (Uttana Shishosana or Anahatasana) is one of the best yoga poses after weightlifting exercises that work the shoulder girdle, arms, and upper back.

How to: Think about lifting your hips up and stacking them directly over your knees as you walk your chest forward in . Also, focus on elongating your spine and stretching along your armpits.

6. Lizard Pose

Also known as Dragon Pose, this is one of the best yoga poses to stretch the quads and hip flexors. The quads stabilize your knees when you practice squats and lunges and the hip flexors help stabilize the pelvis when you lift the bar while deadlifting. The hip flexors are also essential during hip thrusts, kettlebell swings, and so much more, so it鈥檚 important to stretch them after a leg workout.

How to: Lizard Pose (Utthan Pristhasana) has countless different options depending on your desired intensity. You basically start in a low lunge with your back knee on the mat. Bring both hands inside your front foot and stay here or come down onto your forearms. You want to feel a stretch along the front of your back hip and thigh. Don鈥檛 worry about bringing your forearms all the way down.听

If you practice each stretch one time, the entire post-weightlifting routine takes less than 10 minutes. You can repeat any of the poses where you feel like you need to target the muscles again.

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If you鈥檝e ever been sore after a yoga class or felt your muscles aching while holding Warrior 2, you鈥檙e familiar with the strengthening benefits of yoga. Although many of us associate yoga with primarily increasing flexibility and calming one鈥檚 chaotic thoughts, yoga does build muscle. But how effective is it? Does yoga count as strength training?

Does Yoga Count as Strength Training?

The short answer is, it depends.

According to the , adults should accumulate a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week plus at least two total-body strength training workouts per week. Strength training increases muscular strength and muscular endurance, which are two of the five components of health-related fitness.

Strength training, also known as resistance training, involves exercises that load your muscles. This not only builds muscle but and helps stabilize joints to prevent injuries. Lifting weights or using resistance bands are two common options for strength training.

But they鈥檙e not necessarily the only options. Bodyweight training, in which you use your own weight as resistance, is another type of strength training. Some styles of yoga can be considered bodyweight training and can be ideal for anyone who either doesn鈥檛 have access to a gym or doesn鈥檛 care for or have time for traditional strength training exercises.

That said, there are two factors that largely influence the response to does yoga count as strength training.

1. Type of Yoga

Yoga is an extremely diverse practice with many different styles and ways to practice. Certain types of yoga and poses can strengthen muscles and potentially even build muscle.

2. Your Fitness Level

The other factor that plays a significant role in whether yoga functions as strengthening is your fitness level. Ultimately, it is more difficult to build muscle with yoga than it is with traditional resistance training using external implements such as dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, etc.

In order to build muscle, you need to overload your muscles鈥� current capacity enough to induce some amount of damage to your muscle fibers. This microscopic damage triggers a process known as muscle protein synthesis, which repairs and rebuilds muscle and helps make your muscles stronger over time.

While it is possible to strengthen your muscles and potentially build muscle exclusively through bodyweight exercises, most people reach a plateau of body strength where some external resistance is necessary to continue strengthening and increasing muscle mass. In general, practicing yoga is not as effective as lifting weights.

However, anything that challenges you is strengthening your muscles. For example, chair yoga can be an efficient strength-training workout. Don鈥檛 compare yourself to others and meet your body where you鈥檙e at. Also, never push your body beyond your current fitness level or to the point of pain or extreme discomfort.

What Are the Best Types of Yoga for Strength Training?

Beginners often assume that classes for more experienced practitioners are inherently more difficult and better for strengthening than . This isn鈥檛 necessarily true. These classes are often faster-paced and focus more on transitions between poses and less instruction from the teacher. This can increase the risk of injury for those who are still mastering the foundations and learning basic yoga poses. It can also shift the emphasis to the space in between the poses rather than the strengthening practice of holding the poses for a length of time.

It鈥檚 the style of yoga that plays a more important role in whether or not you will be strengthening your muscles or focusing on other aspects of fitness and health in your yoga class.

Some of the best types of yoga for muscle strength include:

• Vinyasa yoga
• Power yoga
• Ashtanga yoga
• Iyengar yoga

Aside from the style of yoga you practice, there are other ways you can ensure you鈥檙e building muscle with yoga and/or have yoga 鈥渃ount鈥� as strength training:

• Do a minimum of two per week in which you work all the major muscles of your body. This means your yoga routine should include yoga poses that strengthen:Lower-body muscles: (, hip adductors, hip abductors, hip rotators, and ankle stabilizers)Upper-body muscles (traps, rhomboids, lats, pecs, deltoids, biceps, triceps, and grip muscles)Core (diaphragm, abs, obliques, pelvic floor, and )
• Choose poses that require your legs, arms, or core to hold the position or support your body, such as the Warrior poses, or Revolved Lunge, , , and
• Hold each pose for at least 30 seconds and practice three sets of your strengthening poses. Alternatively, complete numerous reps in a sequence of several strengthening poses performed back to back. For example, perform 15 cycles of continuous flow between and .
• Finally, . That allows you to take advantage of the numerous benefits of yoga as well as more traditional resistance training exercises. Or, if you prefer to keep your yoga practice separate, supplement it with a gym workout or at-home strength training.

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For some athletes, taking pain relievers like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen, an NSAID drug) to ease muscle soreness after a hard workout is second nature. However, while pain relievers may have their place in lessening discomfort, pain can also be an important signal from the body that you鈥檝e overdone it.听So, how do you know when to take an occasional Advil for an achy knee and when to see a professional for help?

You Can Treat Minor Aches with OTC Medications; Injuries Require Special Attention

One of the most common reasons people feel sore after a workout is due to delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS. This can feel like tenderness in the muscles, stiffness, or mild swelling.

For instance, if you had a tough leg workout, you might spend the next few days walking funny up and down the stairs. You can still exercise when you experience this kind of soreness as long as the tenderness doesn鈥檛 affect your movement. However, if you can鈥檛 properly execute an exercise without shifting form, then it鈥檚 wise to take it easy.

It鈥檚 always important to warm up before a workout, especially if you鈥檙e feeling muscle fatigue. This can decrease the chance that your soreness will get in the way of your routine.

, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and听迟he director of the Center for Sports Medicine at the New York Institute of Technology, says that this kind of soreness is typical and shouldn鈥檛 be cause for concern. 鈥淎fter exercising, our muscles are inflamed,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f there鈥檚 no larger injury, this is normal and healthy. When the muscle heals after inflammation, it becomes stronger.鈥�

In cases such as this, you can take an anti-inflammatory (such as ibuprofen) until DOMS subsides. Take note, however, of how often you鈥檙e doing this. Dr. Reuben Chen, a board-certified sports medicine physician, says that DOMS isn鈥檛 necessarily reoccurring, and thus you shouldn鈥檛 need to be popping pain relievers after every workout. In fact, as you progress in your physical fitness, DOMS should go away completely within a few weeks to a month.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 occasional swelling in the knee joint, for example, then taking an anti-inflammatory would be appropriate,鈥� says Chen. 鈥淏ut if you notice the need to take an anti-inflammatory every time you exercise because of swelling and pain, then it鈥檚 time to seek professional help.鈥�

Is It Muscle Soreness or an Injury?

To differentiate between injury and DOMS, you should pay attention to how the painful spot feels when you move around. With DOMS, the pain should lessen when you warm up and move your body.

Injuries, however, usually become more painful with movement. Instead of soreness, an injury will feel like localized sharp pain and bruising that doesn鈥檛 go away.听

What Is the Best Pain Reliever for Soreness After a Workout?

Chen makes it clear that while NSAIDs can be helpful for short-term pain management, continuous use can be dangerous. shows that long-term usage can impair healing, make someone more prone to injury, and create health problems down the line. He adds that if you really need a pain reliever, it might be best to take Tylenol, which has been shown to produce fewer GI issues in the future.听

鈥淭ry some other over-the-counter medications, like Tylenol, about 30 to 60 minutes before you hit the gym,鈥� Chen advises. 鈥淎lso, be sure to consult with your doctor on any OTC meds you take and stay hydrated by drinking fluids before and during any workout.鈥�

Other Pain Relief Treatments for Sore Muscles

Chen, who has a background in traditional Chinese medicine, also recommends considering some Eastern medicine modalities for managing aches and pains. He adds that acupuncture is a beneficial holistic pain reliever alternative.听 suggests that it鈥檚 effective at treating various forms of pain, including osteoarthritis and myofascial pain syndrome.

鈥淢odalities like controlled breathing, ice, and osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), are safe, inexpensive, and effective ways to reduce pain,鈥澨� Zwibel says. 鈥淭hey also empower patients by allowing them to feel more involved in their own care.鈥�

Food, as we know, can often be the best medicine. Turmeric, for example, has been for its anti-inflammatory effects on irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis, atherosclerosis, and other diseases.

Hydrolyzed , , and also have anti-inflammatory properties. The good thing about these options is that you can consistently take them, unlike NSAIDs that, over time, with your heart and kidneys.

Overall, it鈥檚 best to avoid regular use of pain relievers like Advil and Tylenol after a workout to ease sore muscles and try alternatives first. But if you need to occasionally take the edge off muscle aches and soreness, Tylenol is the best option.

Most importantly, remember to listen to the signals your body is giving you. If that aching isn鈥檛 clearing up or seems more sharp and pronounced, it鈥檚 time to see a doctor.

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When it comes to the best stretches for outdoor athletes, the emphasis tends to be on lower body movements. It makes sense: Your hamstrings, quads, and calves work hard to keep you healthy and mobile. However, upper body stretches are just as important鈥攅specially if you鈥檙e a climber, triathlete, or cyclist. Many of these stretches will feel basic, which underscores the point that sometimes you don鈥檛 have to get complicated to get results.听

What to Focus on With Upper Body Stretches

If you want to have a well-balanced recovery routine, make sure to target the pectoral muscles of your chest, the deltoid and rotator cuff muscles in your shoulders, the triceps and biceps in your upper arms, and the rhomboids, traps, lats, and serratus anterior muscles in your upper back. By giving attention to each of these key areas, you鈥檒l maintain flexibility and mobility in your top half.听

The Best Upper Body Stretches for Outdoor Athletes

Some of these movements are great for a dynamic warm-up before starting an activity, while others are good recovery options. By integrating these stretches in your regular routine, you鈥檒l feel more mobile and flexible throughout your upper body.听

1. Arm Circles

This movement is a great dynamic stretch to do before beginning any workout to help open up your chest, shoulders, and upper back.

How to do it:听

1. Stand upright with good posture.
2. Bring your arms straight out to the sides in a T-shape.听
3. Slowly rotate both arms forward, tracing small invisible circles with your fingers. Keep your elbows straight. Gradually increase the size of the circles with each rotation.听
4. Complete 15 arm circles.听
5. Reverse the direction of your circles and repeat.

2. Trunk Twists

This is another great stretch to add into your warm-up routine to support your upper back and shoulders.听

How to do it:听

1. Stand upright with your feet planted hip-width distance apart. Bring your arms out to the sides in a T-shape.听
2. Keep your hips square. Rotate and twist your torso from right to left, opening up your obliques, back, and chest. Gradually increase the speed and range of motion.
3. Twist for 30 seconds.听

3. Chest Stretch

If you鈥檙e looking for a post-workout recovery movement, this is a great stretch to turn to. Focusing on the pectoral muscles in your chest and the front of your shoulders, this exercise is particularly helpful for cyclists who spend a lot of time hunched over in an aerodynamic position.听

How to do it:听

1. Face a doorway with your arms out to the sides in a T-shape.听
2. Step your right foot far enough forward through the doorway so that your arms catch on the sides of the entrance. You should feel a stretch across your chest and the front of your shoulders.听
3. Keep your spine neutral, gaze forward, and core tight.
4. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.听

4. Shoulder Stretch

As the most mobile joints in your body, your shoulders do a lot. To offer them some relief, try this post-workout stretch.听

How to do it:听

1. Bring your right arm in front of your body. It should be parallel to the floor. Keep your elbow straight.
2. Hook your left arm under your right and use it to pull your right arm across your body, toward your left shoulder. Your right hand should be pointing to the left.听
3. With your left hand, gently press behind your right elbow or the back of your upper right arm. Keep your right arm straight.听
4. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Switch sides and repeat.听

5. Overhead Triceps Stretch

After swimming, lifting weights, or practicing yoga, this stretch can open up your shoulders and triceps.听

1. Straighten your right arm and lift it overhead. Bend your right elbow and reach toward the top of your spine with your right hand. Your right elbow should point toward the ceiling.听
2. Press into the back of your right elbow with your left arm to deepen the stretch. By doing so, your right hand should be able to reach a bit further down your back.
3. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
4. Switch sides and repeat.听

6. Eagle Arms

If you are an avid yoga practitioner, you may be familiar with this arm variation. But beyond being a part of your asana sessions, this stretch is a great go-to move for softening the muscles in your back and shoulders.听

1. Sit on the floor with your legs crossed in a comfortable position.听
2. Hook your right arm under your left. Press your palms together.
3. Lift your elbows to shoulder height.听
4. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
5. Switch sides and repeat.听

After practicing eagle arms, move into another yoga arm variation, cow face pose, to stretch your chest and shoulders.听

1. Sit in a comfortable seated position on the floor.听
2. Lift your right arm up. Bend at the elbow and reach for the upper part of your spine.
3. Bend your left arm and place it near your left hip. Reach toward your right arm with the back of your left hand pressing against your spine.听
4. Unless you are extremely flexible, your hands likely won鈥檛 touch. If they do, interlace your hands to open your chest.听
5. In either case, hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
6. Switch sides and repeat.听

7. Neck Stretch

This gentle stretch can help loosen up your and your upper traps to help relieve tension in your neck.

1. Wrap your right hand over your head.听
2. Place your right palm slightly above your left ear.听
3. Gently pull your head towards your right shoulder. You should feel a stretch along the left side of your neck.
4. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds.听
5. Switch sides and repeat.听

8. Downward Dog

You likely think of downward dog as a lower-body stretch for your hamstrings, calves, and glutes. However, it鈥檚 also one of the best upper body stretches to do after exercising, as it targets your back, shoulders, triceps, and forearms.听

1. Come into a tabletop position. Your hands should be slightly in front of your shoulders. Your knees should be underneath your hips. Curl your toes under your feet.听
2. Spread your fingers apart. Your hands should be as wide as possible. Press your palms into the floor.听听
3. Lift your knees off the floor and press your heels down as you raise your butt toward the ceiling. Your body should be folded at the hips in an inverted 鈥淰鈥� shape. Make sure your chest faces your thighs.听
4. Engage your core. Keep your neck and spine neutral.听
5. Hold for 30 seconds.听

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Regardless of whether you鈥檙e a runner, skier, or climber, you鈥檙e likely overlooking a key muscle in your training: the gluteus medius. Located within the , alongside your gluteus maximus and the gluteus minimus, this muscle helps protect and drive your hips. You engage this critical mover on a regular basis鈥攚ithout even thinking about it.

What Are the Benefits of Gluteus Medius Exercises?

It鈥檚 about much more than developing lower body strength. Your glutes also help extend and stabilize your hips. While hip extension is primarily driven by the gluteus maximus, your gluteus medius is essential for hip abduction, the movement of bringing your leg out to the side of your body.

Weakness in this muscle can increase the risk of injury, including knee and hip issues, IT band syndrome, and lower back pain. Strengthening exercises that target the gluteus medius help avoid these issues by building stability in your hips.

How to Understand the Strength of Your Gluteus Medius

If you鈥檙e unsure about how strong your gluteus medius is, there鈥檚 a simple test you can do to see. One of the common indications of weakness in this muscle is the .

Here鈥檚 how to do it: Stand on one leg and have a friend look at your pelvis straight on. It should remain level. If your non-weight bearing hip drops down, that鈥檚 a sign of weakness in your glute muscles, particularly your gluteus medius.

The 8 Best Gluteus Medius Exercises

To strengthen your gluteus medius muscle, turn to these exercises a few days a week.

1. Lateral Banded Walks

:

• Slide a small loop resistance band around your ankles. Stand upright with good posture. Place your hands on your hips.
• Your feet should be at least hip-width apart. Make sure there is tension on the resistance band. If the band is slack, swap your band out for one with more resistance or gradually increase the distance between your legs.
• Keep your core tight, glutes engaged, back straight, and chest up. Take a large lateral step out to the right with your right foot.
• Take a small step with your left foot to the right. There should be enough distance between your two legs to maintain tension on the band.
• Repeat this process. Continue taking small shuffle steps to the right. Allow for a slight bend in your knees.
• Take 20 to 30 steps to the right before repeating the same process on the left side.
• Complete three sets.

2. Frog Bridges

You may turn to a glute bridge as a go-to bodyweight exercise on your lower body days. And while this movement is useful for supporting the gluteus maximus, it doesn鈥檛 target the gluteus medius. However, this variation of the exercise does just that.

:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent. Place your feet flat on the floor. Cross your arms over your chest.
• Drop your knees out to the sides and position the soles of your feet together. Your legs should be in a
• Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips off of the floor. Your butt should be in line with your knees and your shoulder blades.
• For a modified version, place your elbows alongside your body for added support.
• Pause and squeeze your glutes for 3 to 5 seconds in the lifted position.
• Slowly lower your glute

3. Side Planks With Side Leg Lifts

Sure, side planks are often a go-to exercise for working your core. However, adding a lateral leg lift also makes it a great gluteus medius strengthening move.

:

• Start in a low side plank position. Your elbow should be directly under your shoulder. Stack your feet on top of one another.
• Engage your core. Squeeze your glutes. Slowly lift your top leg a few inches up. Keep the leg straight.
• Slowly lower back down.
• Complete 15 leg raises. Keep your hips lifted throughout the movement.
• Switch sides and repeat.

4. Lateral Lunges

In addition to strengthening the gluteus medius muscle, this exercise also works the adapters in your inner thighs, as well as your quads and core.

:

• Stand with your hands at your sides and your feet hip-width apart. If you want an added challenge, hold a dumbbell at your right shoulder.
• Step your right leg out to the right. Shift your weight toward your right side as you bend the right knee and drop into a side lunge. Keep your left leg straight.
• When your right knee is bent to 90 degrees or more, press through your right foot to return to the starting position.
• Complete 10 reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

5. Side-Lying Leg Raises

For an added challenge with this exercise, add ankle weights.

:

• Lie on your right side with your legs straight and stacked on top of one another. Prop your head up with your arm.
• Lift your top leg as high as you can.
• Slowly lower it back down.
• Complete 20 reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

6. Fire Hydrants

Like the previous exercise, add ankle weights to make this movement more challenging.

:

• Start in a tabletop position. Keep your core tight and back flat.
• Engage your core to stabilize your hips. Lift your right leg out to the side. Keep the leg bent at a 90-degree angle. Stop when the knee is parallel with your shoulder.
• Pause for 2 to 3 seconds at the top.
• Return to the starting position.
• Complete 15 reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

7. Single-Leg Balance

This movement may seem simple, but it can be very helpful for strengthening the gluteus medius, particularly for runners, hikers, and cyclists.

:

• Stand on one leg with a small bend in your lifted leg.
• Hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds. To make it more challenging, close your eyes. For added support, hold onto a wall.

8. Clam Shells

:

• Place a resistance loop band around your thighs, just above your knees.
• Lie on your left side. Stack your knees on top of each other. Bend your legs at a 90-degree angle.
• Lift your right knee toward the ceiling, pushing against the resistance of the band. Rotate your hip to open your groin.
• For an added challenge, squeeze your heels together and lift your feet a few inches off of the floor. Keep your feet in this position throughout the exercise.
• Complete 10 to 15 reps.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Want more of听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Health stories?听.

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Whether you identify as a runner, cyclist, or hiker, you likely know that you should be incorporating a full-body stretch routine into your day. However, it can be difficult to know which exercises to do. (And, when you don鈥檛 know, it offers an easy excuse to skip.)

Here, we break down eight movements you can turn to on a regular basis to keep your body ready for all of your outdoor adventures.

Do I Need to Do a Full-Body Stretch?

We get it: You鈥檇 rather be out on the mountain or hitting the trail than forward folding in the parking lot. However, there are a number of for outdoor athletes.

The Benefits of a Full-Body Stretch Routine for Outdoor Athletes

1. It increases your range of motion and flexibility. A 2016 study published in Physiotherapy: Theory and Practice static stretching can improve your range of motion and increase your flexibility. cited the same result for dynamic stretching done prior to a workout. This can help you optimize your movement mechanics鈥攁nd help you avoid feeling stiff and sore after outdoor exercise.
2. It delays potential soreness. Incorporating stretching into a cooldown can help minimize the severity of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS),
3. It can decrease your risk of injury. A 2021 study published in Sports Health dynamic stretching helps activate your muscles prior to a workout, improving your movement efficiency and reducing your risk of injury.

The Best Full-Body Stretch Routine for Outdoor Athletes

Looking for some inspiration? Try completing this full-body stretch routine after your workout a few days a week.

1. Leg Swings

This pre-workout stretch will help open up your hips, loosen your hip flexors and glutes, and increase blood flow to your legs.

How to do it:

1. Come to stand. Position your body perpendicular to a wall, chair, or pole and hold onto it with your right hand.
2. Lift your left leg and swing it back and forth in front of and behind your body (like a pendulum). Keep your left knee straight. Maintain a soft bend in your right leg to avoid locking it out.
3. Keep your core and glutes engaged. Your torso should remain stationary and upright. Avoid hunching over.
4. Complete 15 leg swings. As you warm up, you can increase your range of motion with each swing.
5. Switch legs and repeat.

2. Downward Dog

Downward dog is a yoga pose that stretches the entire posterior chain of your body, which includes your hamstrings, glutes, calves, Achilles tendons, lower back, upper back, and shoulders. This move is particularly beneficial for cyclists who ride in an aerodynamic position, as well as runners and hikers who tend to feel tightness in their lower body.

How to do it:

1. Come into a tabletop position. Place your hands slightly in front of your shoulders. Your knees should be directly underneath your hips. Curl your toes under your feet.
2. Spread your fingers. Press your palms firmly into the floor.
3. Lift your knees off of the floor. As you straighten your legs, press your heels down and raise your butt into the air. Your body should be folded at the hips into an inverted 鈥淰鈥� shape. Make sure your chest faces your thighs.
4. Draw your belly button toward your spine to engage your core. Keep your gaze toward your feet to maintain a neutral position in your neck and spine.
5. To give a deeper stretch to your Achilles, bend your knees slightly while pressing your heels down.
6. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

3. Butterfly Stretch

This move stretches your groin, glutes, and the adductor muscles along your inner thighs, while also opening up your hips.

How to do it:

1. Sit upright on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat.
2. Place the soles of your feet together in front of your body. Allow your knees to fall out to the sides. Your legs should be a diamond shape.
3. Keep your core engaged and your back straight. To deepen the stretch, use your elbows to gently press down on the inside of your knees. Hinge forward from your hips.
4. Hold this position for 30 seconds.

4. Knees-to-Chest Stretch

If you鈥檙e a cyclist, runner, or just spend the majority of your day hunched over a screen (guilty!), this stretch will provide some relief to your lower back.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Bend your knees. Bring them toward your chest.
3. Use your arms to hug your knees in place. To get a deeper stretch, squeeze tighter.
4. Hold for 30 seconds.

5. Glutes/Piriformis Stretch

This is one of my go-to stretches for outdoor athletes because it stretches your glutes and deep piriformis muscle, which have a tendency to get tight with repetitive motions.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor.
2. Lift your left foot off the floor. Create a 90-degree angle with your leg. Your shin should be parallel to the floor. Hold the leg in this position.
3. Bend your right leg. Rest your right ankle on your left thigh. Rotate your right hip outward.
4. While holding this position, grab behind your left thigh with one or both hands. Pull the leg in toward your chest. For a deeper stretch, press your right thigh away from your body with your right hand while hugging your left leg in.
5. Hold for 30 seconds before switching sides.

6. IT Band Stretch

If you鈥檙e an outdoor athlete, you likely have tight IT bands. This post-workout stretch not only helps massage this connective tissue but also stretches your hamstrings, lower back muscles, calves, and glutes.

How to do it:

1. Stand upright. Cross your right leg over your left leg. Your right heel and ankle should be planted to the outside of your left foot.
2. Keep your knees straight. Hinge at your hips and reach toward your toes.
3. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Stand up and switch legs.

7. Standing Quad Stretch

This static stretch targets your quads and hip flexors, while also improving your balance.

How to do it:

1. Stand upright with good posture.
2. Lift your right foot off the ground. Bend your knee. Pull your heel behind you (toward your butt) with your right hand.
3. Try to keep your knees aligned. Don鈥檛 allow your left knee to drift out to the side.
4. Hold for 20 seconds.
5. Press your pelvis forward. Lean back slightly with your torso. You should feel a stretch in your hip flexor.
6. Hold for 20 seconds before switching sides.

8. Chest Stretch

The muscles in your upper body are likely in need of a stretch, especially if you鈥檙e a skier, swimmer, or hiker. This move offers relief to the pectoral muscles in your chest and the anterior deltoids in the front of your shoulders.

How to do it:

1. Face an open doorway. Lift your arms up and out to the sides. Your body should form a T shape.
2. Step one foot forward through the doorway. Your straightened arms should catch on the sides of the door frame.
3. Keep your gaze forward and your spine upright.
4. Hold for 30 seconds. Switch your front leg and repeat.

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