Stretching should be a part of every single one of your workouts. Sound like too much work? It’s really not! I stretch for around 10 minutes after every workout. Just 10 minutes out of your day will make such a difference.
So why should you stretch? Well the best benefit for me is that it helps with recover and reduces muscle soreness for the next few days. It also help elongate your muscles, reduce your risk of injury, improve your range of motion (so you can perform better exercises such as a deeper squat) and improve your posture, just to name a few. I don’t do much flexibility training or yoga and I have a really high level of flexibility, just from 10 minutes of stretching after my workouts. So get stretching!
Here are some of my favourite stretches that I do after every workout. Obviously if I’ve just done a legs workout or a run, I won’t stretch my upper body (and vice versa). Hold each exercise for 20 seconds and repeat each exercise twice.
Hamstrings
Quadriceps
Calves
Glutes
Hip flexor
Chest
Triceps
Shoulders
Upper back
Lower back
Another great stretch I love to do after an upper body workout, is to just hang from the chin up bars. It feels so good! And helps improve your grip strength!
It’s FREE
Hi Rachael! I was quite confused and decided to ask you whether it’s true that stretching after doing workouts that may cause bulk in thighs such as lunges, burpees, squats shall not cause bulk.
Hi lovely! It’s true that we recommend stretching right after your workouts because this will help relieve muscle tension and soreness. However, if your legs get bulky easily and you want to avoid building more muscle, the best exercises to avoid are those where you can feel your quads burning. This includes squats, deadlifts, lunges, and overdoing it on the HIIT exercises including burpees, jump lunges, jump squats and box jumps.
Also, you can check out our Lean Legs Program which is designed to help you get slim and toned legs without causing any unwanted bulkiness. If you have any questions, you may reach out to us at info@rachaelattard.com. :)
Thank YOU!! I haven’t been consistent with my stretching, but this is inspiring me to start!!
Hi lovely <3,
Very glad you feel inspired! :)
Love,
Sara