Best Stretches For After Running
Running stretches after
Many women love to walk or run for exercise yet they feel too tight and stiff to keep going every single day.
The best way to reduce the tightness and stiffness is to stretch after every walk or run. Stretching doesn’t need to be extensive or elaborate to be effective. Read on to see the best stretches to do after a walk or run.
Standing calf stretch
Quad stretch
Pigeon pose with quad stretch
Kneeling hip flexor stretch
Hamstring stretch
Soleus stretch
That’s 6 stretches, each one for 1 minute (split up) on each side means these stretches should take you less than 15 minutes to complete once you get the hang of them.
I love these stretches because they stretch out the big muscle groups that you’re using when you walk and run. You may decide a stretch feels really good and you want to stay in it longer (hello pigeon pose!)... if you’re new to stretching, ease into it by splitting up the 1 minute total of each stretch into repetitions.
Beginner stretching:
When I’m doing a new stretch I like to hold each stretch for 15 seconds at a time. To complete the 1-minute total stretch that means I’m doing it for 4 repetitions, alternating right to left.
As I get used to each stretch I’ll hold the stretch longer, 30 seconds for 2 repetitions.
Running injury stretching
When you’re an injured runner stretching can help rehab your running injury. A few tips to help stretch your injury:
Go light —> if you can’t hold the stretch, just move into the position slowly and then out of it slowly
If you can hold the stretch, but not too long, don’t force it.
Make sure your body is warm when you stretch.
Ice the area after you stretch, not before.
