HOW: In a sidelying position place a foam roller just underneath your Lat’s, which are a big muscle that are just underneath the side of your shoulder. You have the option of rolling up and down, from side to side, or performing a pin and stretch. Work around this area and see what feels good for you. Focus on your breathe as you perform these mobilizations.

 

FEEL: It is common for the soft tissue in this area to be sensitive. There are many nerves that run around this region, do NOT continue if you feel numbness and tingling. Take a quick break until that sensation diminishes.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t roll the ball too fast or too slow, find the right speed that fits your best needs.

HOW: Start by lying on your side with your knees bent and raised to hip height. Clasp your hands on top of each other. Slowly reach your top hand forward as far as you can. Then, slowly pull your hands back, across your chest, and drop to the opposite side.

 

FEEL: You should feel a nice gentle stretch through your mid-back region. You may also feel a little pec stretch in the front of your shoulder.

 

COMPENSATION: Make sure to keep your knees high. If your knees are not high enough, you will not get the stretch in your mid-back region.

HOW: Lean against a wall with your back flat and feet out with a slight bend in your knees. Raise both arms up as you rotate your hands out. Try to get your elbows to touch each other. Do this in a slow and controlled motion.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your lat muscles. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep you back and head flat on the wall.

Follow along with the video to learn how to roll out the  muscles in your hips! You want to avoid any bony landmarks like your sitbones. Everywhere else on your hips you are welcome to roll as long as you want! You only need to spend a minute or two maximum in each body region.

HOW: Begin in the quadruped position. Your hands on the ground underneath your shoulders and your knees on the ground under your hips. Starting with a flat back, create a hump in your back as much as you can by pretending you have a tail and you’re tucking that tail in between your legs. Continue that hump in your mid and upper back while looking down with your neck. From here, reverse it and pretend like you are sticking your tail out as you arch your low, mid, and upper back while you attempt to look up. 

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in your lower, middle, upper back working/stretching as you push away from the ground creating the hump in your back and arching it. 

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your elbows straight, don’t bend them as you arch your back. Don’t rock back and forth with your hips.

HOW: Get set-up in a half-kneeling position with something under your knee for comfort. Tuck your tailbone, keep your low back flat and chest up, and shift your weight forward to get a stretch on the hip flexor. Then straighten your other knee, hinge at your hip with your chest up, and shift your weight backward to get a hamstrings stretch. Repeat.

 

FEEL: The side with the knee down is going to be the side you feel the hip flexor stretch on in front of your hip and maybe even down into the front of your thigh. The opposite leg you will feel the hamstrings stretch behind your thigh.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch or bend excessively at your back, move from your hips to drive the motion.

HOW: Get set-up on your back with your knees bent and the bottom of both feet touching one another so that the outside of your ankles are on the ground. Flatten your lower back into the ground followed by bridging up and lowering down. Repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel your glutes working hard with this exercise.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not arch your back, do not let your knees straighten

HOW:  lay on your back facing up with one foot over the opposite leg. Use the elevated leg to help drop your knee in towards the floor. Reach with your arm towards the side that is getting stretched to maximize this stretch and avoid any compensation via rotating the entire body.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the hip that his being pulled by the other hip. You may also feel a stretch in your low back.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep you mid back and shoulder stay on the ground during the stretch.

 

Note:  You may also feel a stretch in your low back (particularly with the first exercise). No worries, this is likely a stretch of the commonly tight Quadratus Lumborum muscle being stretched. Don’t push much through any irritation of the hip

HOW: Get set-up laying on your back with your hips and knees bent with your legs in the air. Place a foam roller, yoga block, your fists, or any object you feel comfortable with to squeeze in between your distal thighs and knees. Perform the exercise by keeping your thighs and knees squeezed together, low back flat and core engaged with your pelvis in a neutral position, followed by separating your feet apart from one another as far as you feel comfortable with, slowly return to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You should feel the muscles in front of your hips and deep in your hips working with this exercise. You will also feel your core working to keep your low back flat and pelvis in a neutral position. You shouldn’t feel a pinch in the front of your hips, modify the position of the exercise if you do by moving your knees away from your chest and not separating your feet as far.

 

COMPENSATION: Do not lose the tension that you are working on by squeezing your thighs and knees together. Do not arch your low back, perform strict hip rotation versus any other hip motion. Your knees should be relatively still and in the same position that you start in.

Follow along with the video to learn how to roll out your calves! You only need to spend a minute or two maximum in each body region.

HOW: Get set-up standing with a wall in front of you and place your hands on the wall. Take a step back with the side you plan to stretch, let the knee be bent and keep it bent. While keeping the foot you stepped back with flat on the ground, knee bent, and toes facing 12 o’clock, slowly lean and shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in the calf of the foot that is behind you, specifically lower in your calf above your ankle. You shouldn’t feel pain or a pinch in front of your ankle.

 

COMPENSATION: Be sure to keep your back foot facing 12 o’clock, do not let your foot turn out or in. Try to keep your heel down. Be sure to keep the knee bent

HOW: Place a step in front of a wall or an object to use for balance. Step onto the box with the balls of your feet on the edge of the box, and your heels off the box. While keeping your glutes and quads tight to keep your knees straight, lift your heels up in a slow and controlled manner, then slowly lower your heels back down to the ground. Repeat

 

FEEL:  You should feel your calves getting a workout, but also your glutes and quads working as well to help keep your legs straight.

 

COMPENSATION:  Do not let your knees bend as that is a different exercise. Do not shift your weight side to side. Make sure you go through your full range of motion at your ankle. This is not a balance exercise, so hold onto something to help with balance as the goal of this exercise is to strengthen your calves!

HOW: Start by lying on your back in the hook lying position with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Place on hand over your chest and the other hand over your stomach. Focus on breathing in your lower abdomen area. Take slow and controlled breaths through your diaphragm. Your hand on your stomach should rise feeling your lower rib cage expanding as well. 

 

FEEL: You should feel your core muscles working. 

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t breathe in and out with your chest. You should not feel the hand over your chest moving much.