Stretching exercises in five minutes
Stretching is often forgotten during training. This makes it all the more important to know the best stretching exercises.
After training, most people prefer to take a shower straight away instead of spending ten minutes to stretch their tired muscles. It’s not the end of the world, because there’s still no consensus on whether stretching after sport does you any good.
Stretching properly
Martina Kratzer, personal trainer at Zone4Performance in Winterthur, recommends that you dedicate a few minutes to mobility and stretching exercises or incorporate them into your workout routine. The latter approach is particularly beneficial for strength training, because it helps you do the exercises correctly and with your full range of motion. The following video will help you improve your flexibility – any time, any place.
Video: The best stretches
Benefits of stretching: mobility vs. stability
When it comes to stretching and flexibility, many people think about shortened muscles. However, our joints are also affected, because shortened muscles can limit their mobility or cause biomechanical strain. In fact, some joints require better mobility, while others need to build up stability. Here’s a quick overview:
-
stability
- Knee
- Lumbar spine
- Shoulder
How do I improve my stability?
You can improve the stability of a joint with targeted strength training. For example, abdominal exercises to stabilise the lumbar spine or leg and glute training to stabilise the knee joints. -
Flexibility
- Ankle
- Thoracic spine
- Shoulder blades
How do I improve my flexibility?
Flexibility can also be improved through specific exercises, with stretching playing an important role. In the beginning, just take five minutes to do the stretches shown in the video. You can stretch at home. It’s worth it!
You can find additional tips on stretching and sport-specific stretches for bikers or runners in the online magazine.
Martina Kratzer plays in the Swiss national water polo team and gained a masters in elite sports at the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport in Magglingen.
