Simple Stretches for Before and After You Run or Exercise

It’s always a good idea to stretch your muscles before you exercise. Stretching serves as a warmup and gets the blood flowing. You can prevent muscle cramps if you stretch before you do cardio, weightlifting or weight bearing activities.

This is especially important if you’re running in inclement weather such as if it’s cold or raining. You are more likely to feel stiff, tense up and get a cramp if your body feels cold before starting out with exercise outdoors.

Stretching prior to a run is also really good for your joints. If you do stretches such as yoga, you will realign your body before beginning your run or outdoor workout. In your body, everything is connected to everything else.

So if for example the alignment of your hips is off, this is going to throw off the balance of weight on your knees. You might end up putting too much pressure on one knee or stressing the joints on one side of your body. A good prior to and after vigorous exercise can prevent this from happening. What stretches should you do before you run?

The downward dog stretch from yoga is a good warm up for your hamstrings and calf muscles. It will also align your hips to prevent injury as stated.

To do the downward facing dog stretch, get into a position as though you’re about to do a push-up but instead of doing the pushup, bring your backside towards the ceiling so that you have placed your body in a V-shape and are supporting yourself with your hands and feet.

Breathe into this stretch and focus on various body parts as you inhale and exhale slowly for several counts. Focus on the sensations in your calves, then shift your attention to how your hips feel as you continue to breathe while pointing your tailbone toward the ceiling. Keep breathing as you become mindful of your hands and wrists supporting the weight of your body. You can remain fluid in this pose and shift around slightly.

From here you can ease into what is known as the runner pose. This where you are still maintaining a position of palms to the floor supporting your body, backside still pointing towards the ceiling, but now you are bending each knee forward why you keep the other leg while you keep the opposite leg straight out behind you to feel an extra deep stretch in that extended leg from the gluteus to the hamstring to the calf muscle. Keep your body fluid as you breathe through this stretch, shifting your weight around a bit for maximum effectiveness. Once you feel like your calf and surrounding muscles are warmed up, switch legs. You can switch back and forth between one leg and the other for a deep stretch until you feel like everything is nice and loose and warm.

Another good classic runner stretch is the seated straddle. Sit on the floor with your legs splayed out to the sides. Flex your feet to stretch the calf muscles and hamstrings. Breathe through this, slowly leaning your torso forward as you keep your sit bones grounded into the floor to anchor your body.

placing your hands out in front of you inching your fingers forward along the floor, then slowly reverse it backing up into your original straddle position and continuing to flex your leg muscles while stabilizing your core. Keep taking long, deep breaths through this stretch.

From the straddle, move into seated forward fold which will bring your legs from the sides into an out-front position while you are still remaining seated. Your ankles should be aligned with your hips and your hands at your sides, you can press them into the floor slightly to stabilize. Sit tall and gently press your ankles into the floor while breathing, feeling the stretch in the backs of your legs from your gluteus to your hamstrings.

Take a deep breath and swoop your arms from the sides to an overhead position, feeling the stretch in your spine and inhaling deeply as you pull your core muscles in. Lean forward at the waist and reach your hands out to your toes while flexing them. Continue to breathe deep breaths for several counts through this stretch. Deepen this stretch by pulling one leg at a time in as you keep the other leg extended out as in the prior stretch position. You are basically talking in your foot so that it presses against the opposite leg at the knee. Grab hold of the foot that belongs to the extended leg and grip your arch to increase the flex. Breathe through this stretch for several counts taking slow and mindful inhales and exhales. Shift your attention to different sections of your leg, first focus your mind on how your flexed arch of your foot is feeling.

Then as you continue to stretch, turn your attention to the sensations of your calf stretching. Finally, visualize your hamstrings lengthening as you continue breathing through this pose.

When finished, remain in this position but then ease your torso back to a regular seated position with your legs still out in front of you. Sit tall and breathe. Cross the right leg over the left and twist your body towards the right side so that your left knee comes into contact with or crosses your right elbow. Breathe deeply and move your body at a slow and steady pace. Do not push. Feel the stretch in your hip and at your waist. Breathe through this for several counts. Then slowly return your torso to the forwardfacing position with legs still out in front of you.

Now cross the right ankle over the left knee and slowly rotate your torso to the left side of your body again with right elbow crossing over the left knee. Again, breathe through this for several counts. When finished, return torso to center.

Another great stretch to warm you up before heading out to exercise in the elements is the chair pose. This is where you are standing upright with feet planted on the floor hip width apart. Raise your arms up overhead and lean forward slightly. Let your heels take the weight of your body as you bend at the knees as though you are about to sit in a chair, but don’t sit all the way in the chair. Instead lift your toes up and increase the stretch in the back of your legs and buttocks by shifting your weight to the heels.

Your arms should stay overhead, they do not have to be straight but

raising them will help you stay balanced and isolate your core muscles. This one is more challenging especially if you are not used to stretching. Do your best, it’s a great warm-up and you can breathe through a few counts.

Finally, return to a standing position, raise Your arms high up in the air and take a deep breath while you stretch your fingers toward the ceiling. Your feet should be planted firmly into the floor, hip width apart. Take a few good breaths and then do a swan dive swoop into standing forward fold. Feet remain hips distance apart but now you are bent at the waist stretching your fingers out to touch your toes or get as close as possible.

People who are used to doing this pose and feel very limber can take it a step further by placing hands on the outside of both legs and pressing them into the floor for a much deeper stretch of the hamstrings and calves.

Do not concern yourself if you are not flexible enough to reach past your toes let alone stabilize with your hands pressed into the floor. If you continue to do this stretch daily or at least prior to running or exercising, you will find that you become more flexible over time and are able to reach farther with each session.

Lunges. Lunges are really good for stretching the legs prior to doing cardio exercise. Stand up with feet planted firmly on the floor, hips width apart. Place hands on hips. Step one leg backward. Bend the front leg at the knee to support you. Your weight will shift to one hip as you stretch the opposite leg out behind you. Try to press the heel of that leg into the floor. If you are new at this stretch, then just do what you can. Breathe slowly while holding the pose through several counts. Again, the knee of the front leg should be bent slightly. After several breath counts, return the extended leg to the forward position, then with hands remaining on hips, switch legs and repeat.

Stretch the quads. This is a simple classic stretch from your gym class days in school. Stand with feet hip width apart. Hands are at your sides. Posture is erect. Bend your right knee so that your right angle is now behind you touching the right butt cheek. Grab the right ankle with your right hand and balance on your left foot. Breathe slowly and mindfully through this stretch while focusing on the sensations in your right thigh muscle. Hold the pose for several breath counts, then switch and do the same on the left side.

You may find that it is easier to hold your balance on one side then it is the other. If you hop around a bit, it is okay. You can also maintain your balance by doing the stretch close to a wall and placing your opposing hand on that wall to steady yourself. Move slowly and calmly, breathing deeply.

These stretches can be done prior to engaging in cardio exercise, and again after your workout. You can do some of them or all of them. Stretching helps you with balance and coordination, prevents muscle injury, increases your flexibility, and releases stress from the body. Adding a stretching session before and after your high impact workout is a great thing to do for your body.