Safe Stretching
Your muscles should be warm before stretching to ensure higher blood and oxygen flow. This will decrease your risk of injury.
What can stretching do?
- Reduces muscle tension and relaxes the body
- Helps coordination by allowing for free and easy movement.
- Enhances body awareness
- Helps reduce the likelihood of injury
- Promotes circulation
Things to remember when stretching
- Stretch alternate muscle groups
- Stretch gently and slowly, rather than bouncing
- Stretch to the point of tension or discomfort, but never pain
- Hold your stretches for a minimum of 15 seconds
- Stretch for the same amount of time on each side of your body
- Keep breathing evenly while stretching
- Stretch at the beginning and the end of your exercise
Below are some examples of stretches to get you started. Remember, it's important to stretch at the beginning to warm your muscles up and then at the end to cool down.
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Standing Quadricep Stretch Hold onto something for support with one hand and grab your ankle with the other hand. Pull your ankle towards your bottom, then try to straighten your knee while resisting with your hand |
| Standing Gastrocnemius Stretch Stand in a walking position with one leg stretched straight behind you and the other leg bent in front of you. Using a wall or chair for support, lean forward and down until you feel the stretch in your back calf. make sure that both feet are pointing straight ahead and that your heels stay on the floor the whole time. |
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Standing Hamstring Stretch Place one heel on a low step or bench and, keeping your knee and back straight, bend your upper body forwards from your hips. You should feel the stretch behind your knee.
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| Standing Hip Adductor Stretch Standing with your legs astride and straight, bend one leg and put your hands just above your knee. Bend your leg even more and put more weight on it. You should feel the stretch on the inside thigh of your straight leg. |
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Hip Flexor Stretch Stand in a wide walking position. Put both hands on your front knee, while keeping the back knee straight. push your hip forwards and down, keeping your back straight. You should feel the stretch behind your knee and thigh. |
| Standing Achilles Tendon Stretch Standing with one leg slightly behind the other, push your heels down while bending your knees. |
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Reference:
2003-2004 Walking Guide, Department of Health, Department of Planning and Infrastructure, Department of Sport and Recreation, National Heart Foundation, Main Roads WA and Premier's Physical Activity Taskforce.
This page has been reviewed by:
