HOW: While seated, cross the leg you want to stretch over your other knee. Sit up straight and lean forward, hinging at the hips. Lean as far as you comfortably can.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your hip muscles as you lean forward. The more you lean the greater the stretch.

 

COMPENSATION: Keep your back straight, don’t slouch as you lean forward.

HOW: Get set-up seated and assume a slump position by letting your upper body round and slump forward. While maintaining this position, kick your leg straight and point your foot down as you simultaneously look up with your head and neck. Reverse the motion back to starting position and repeat.

 

FEEL: You may feel a stretch and a pull from your low back all the way to your foot on the side you’re kicking, if you get significant numbness and tingling or pins and needles or you already have these symptoms and they get exacerbated, back off and don’t kick as far.

 

COMPENSATION: Maintain the slump position, keep both leg and head movements happening at the same time, don’t move too fast. Do not point your foot up, that is a different nerve exercise.

HOW: Get set up first by placing a barbell around thigh height on a rack. You can also perform this exercise on a box, bench, or any other object around that height. Then get down on both knees and place the end of your triceps, just before your elbows, onto the barbell or box. Scoot your knees back so you are comfortable. Drive your chest down to the floor as far as you can. Many times you will have to lower your head as well to get your chest lower, which is normal.

 

FEEL: You should feel a huge stretch in your upper back, and even sometimes under your arm pits and your triceps region.

 

COMPENSATION: The key is to arch your back with this stretch. Do not just simply drive your chest to the floor.

HOW: While seated, bring your chest towards your knees and reach down on the inside of your knee. As you reach down, rotate up to the ceiling with the opposite arm. Your chest should be facing the side you opened up to in order to get the best stretch. Alternate reaching down and twisting up with each arm.

 

FEEL: You should feel a stretch in your mid back, chest, and shoulder.

 

COMPENSATION: Don’t lean back as you rotate up for each side. Stay straight up once your arm reaches the best stretch for you.

HOW: While keeping your elbows at your side, focus on spreading the arms as far as you can while holding onto a band.  Initiate this motion with the shoulder blades and allow your arms to follow. The firmer the band (Double up the band if appropriate) or the more you tighten up the band, the more challenging this exercise will become.

 

FEEL: Primarily the muscles on the inside of the shoulder blade with some assistance with the muscles on the back of the shoulder.

 

COMPENSATIONS: Keep the low back from arching.