Exercise
Description
Muscle(s) Stretched
Neck
Stretch both sides of body. Hold stretches for 15-20
seconds. No pain should be felt.
Main muscles
Forward Neck Flexion
Incline Neck Stretch
Lateral Flexion
Stand upright with relaxed shoulders. Try to touch
chin to chest.
Upper fibres of Trapezius. Splenius
muscles. Levator Scapulae
Turn head as far as comfortable, Then tilt the head to
the same side, as if trying to reach the ear to the
Sternocleidomastoid
shoulder.
Upper fibres of Trapezius.
Stand upright with relaxed shoulders. Try to touch
Scalenes.
Levator
left shoulder with left ear.
Scapulae
Stand upright with relaxed shoulers. Turn head to the Upper Trapezius.
Splenius.
left, hold then turn to the right.
Sternocleidomastoid
Neck Rotation
Shoulder & Arm
Anterior Shoulder Stretch I
Stretch both sides of body. Hold stretches for 15-20
Main muscles
seconds. No pain should be felt.
Stand Upright with back straight. Clasp hands behind
Anterior Deltoid.
back. Slowly lift hands away from back towards
Pectoralis Major
ceiling.
Chest Stretch
Stand upright, place arm on wall at shoulder height.
Slowly turn away from wall until you feel stretch
Partner Chest Stretch
Hold arms out behind you parallel to floor. Partner
Pectorails Major.
stands behind and holds lower arms. Partner applies
Minor
gentle pressure as if trying to push wrists together.
Posterior Shoulder Stretch
Stand upright and bring one arm across body at
shoulder height. Use opposite hand to pull arm
across body towards opposite shoulder.
Supraspinatus Stretch
Place backs of hands on hips. Push elbows forwards. Supraspinatus
Tricep Stretch
Place hand behind head between shoulder blades
with elbow pointing up. Use opposite hand to gently Triceps
push elbow down.
Back
Lower Back Stretch
Abs Stretch
Back Slump Stretch
Cat Stretch
Latissimus Dorsi Stretch 1
Latissimus Dorsi Stretch 2
Lower Lumbar Rotation
Stretch both sides of body. Hold stretches for 15-20
seconds. No pain should be felt.
Lay on floor on back. Bring knees to chest and use
arms to pull them in further.
Lie on front. Put hands on floor under shoulders.
Straighten arms to lift upper body off floor. Keep
hips flat on floor.
Kneel on floor on all fours. Allow back to slump as if
trying to get belly button to floor.
Kneel on floor on all fours. Arch back up as high as
possible.
Stand tall with arms straight above head. Reach up
as far as possible.
Kneel on floor. Lean forwards with arms
outstretched as far as possible. Place hands on floor.
Push bottom down to heels keeping hands still to
increase stretch.
Pectorails Major.
Minor
Pectoralis
Pectoralis
Posterior Deltoid. Supraspinatus
Main muscles
Erector Spinae
Maximus
Gluteus
Rectus Abdominus
Multifidus
Spinae
Multifidus
Spinae
Latissimus Dorsi
Latissimus Dorsi
Lie on back legs straight. Bring one knee up to chest.
Then take it across body trying to get inner knee to
Lower Back
touch floor on other side of body. Hand can be used
to increase rotation.
Erector
Erector
Side Stretch
Stand upright with feet shoulder width apart.
Support body with one arm and lift other arm over
head. Lean over to opposite side.
Torso Rotation Stretch
Stand upright with arms folded across chest. Rotate Multifidus
shoulder to one side and hold.
& External Obliques
Hip & Thigh
1 Leg Standing Hamstring Stretch
Figure of 4 Stretch
Quadratus Lumborum. Internal &
External Obliques
Internal
Stretch both sides of body. Hold stretches for 15-20
Main muscles
seconds. No pain should be felt.
Stand with 1 leg in front of the other. Bend back
knee and rest weight on back leg. Bend forward from Hamstrings
waist as if taking a bow.
Lie on back. Cross right ankle over left knee. Grip
thigh of left leg and pull knee towards chest lifting
Piriformis
foot off floor. Pull knee further towards chest to
increase stretch.
Gluteal Stretch
Lie on stomach and bend 1 leg up under your
stomach. Lean forwards to further rotate and flex
the leg and increase the stretch.
Gluteus Maximus.
Gluteus
Medius.
Gluteus Minimus.
Piriformis
Gluteus Maximus Stretch
Lie on back. Pull bent knee up towards opposite
shoulder.
Gluteus Maximus
Hip Flexor Stretch
Kneel with one knee on the floor and the other foot
in front with the knee bent. Push your hips forwards Rectus Femoris.
and keep the back upright.
Kneeling Quad Stretch
Position yourself with one knee on the floor and the
other leg out in front with the knee bent and foot flat
on the floor. Grasp the ankle of the back leg behind
Rectus Femoris.
you. Lean forwards from the hips and at the same
Quads
time pull the ankle towards your buttocks. When you
can start to feel a stretch in the front thigh, hold the
position.
Long Adductor Stretch
Sit on floor with legs apart and knees straight. Keep
back straight and lean forwards form the hips.
Gracilis.
(Magnus / Longus)
Lying Quad Stretch
Lie on front. Pull one ffot up to touch bottom.
Quadriceps
Outer Hip Stretch
Kie on back. Cross right foot over left knee. Keep
right knee bent. Use left hand to pull right knee
across body
Gluteus Medius.
Gluteus
Minimus.
Tensor Fascia
Latae
Piriformis Stretch
Lay on the floor on your back and cross the right
ankle over the left knee. Grip the thigh of your left
leg and pull the knee towards you, lifting the foot off Piriformis
the floor. Pull the knee further towards you to
increase the stretch.
Iliopsoas
Iliopsoas.
Adductors
Sitting Hamstring Stretch
Sit on floor with knees bent and soles of feet
Adductors (Longus / Brevis)
together. Place hands or elbows on knees and gently
Pectineus
push down to increase stretch.
Sit on floor with both legs straight. Keep back
Hamstrings
straight and bend from hips.
Standing Groin Stretch
Stand with feet apart and knees straight. Bend the
right knee out to the side and lean to right.
Gracilis.
Adductors
(Magnus / Brevis / Longus)
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Stand with feet shgoulder width apart. Keep legs
straight (not locked). Slowly bend forwards at the
hips. Try to touch the ground with hands.
Hamstrings
Short Adductor Stretch
Standing Outer Hip Stretch
Stand with leg to be stretched behind the other.
Lean over to non stretching side. Push hip to be
stretched out to the other side.
Standing Quad Stretch
Use wall to balance. Take left ankle in left hand (hold
at laces). Pull left foot to bottom. Keep knees
Quadriceps
together. Push hips forwards.
Lower Leg
Tensor Fascia Latae.
Iliotibial Band.
Stretch both sides of body. Hold stretches for 15-20
seconds. No pain should be felt.
Sartorius
Main muscles
Advanced Soleus Stretch
Stand with the toes on a step, the heel off the back
and the knee bent. Make sure you have something
to hold on to before dropping the heel down
carefully until you can feel a stretch.
Foot on Wall Stretch
Place 1 foot forwards the other behind. Place toes as
high up wall as pissible while keeping heel on ground.
Gastrocnemius
Keep leg straight. Use back leg to push hips close to
the wall as possible.
Knee to wall stretch
Stand facing wall. Place 1 foot forwards and 1 foot
back. Place toes of front foot slightly away from wall.
Soleus.
Bend front knee and try to touch wall with it. Keep
Posterior
front foot flat on ground. Move foot away from wall
to increase stretch.
Peroneal Stretch
Sit in a chair with one ankle resting on the other
knee. With your hands, point the foot (plantarflex)
and turn the sole of the foot upwards (invert).
Peroneal (Longus / Brevis)
Plantar Fascia Stretch
Sit on the floor with the knee bent and the heel on
the floor. Pull up on your toes to stretch the arch of
the foot.
Flexor Digitorum Longus.
Hallucis Longus
Shin Stretch
Kneel on the floor on both knees, with the shins flat
on the ground and toes/feet pointing back. Slowly sit
back on the to heels. If a stretch cannot be felt, place Tibialis Anterior.
Extensor
the hands on the floor behind you and lean
Digitorum Longus. Extensor
backwards. The stretch can be further increased by Hallucis Longus.
placing a rolled up towel under the top of the shin to
increase the stretch angle at the ankle.
Soleus Stretch
Stand with one leg in front of the other close to a
wall. Place your hands on the wall for balance. Bend
Soleus.
both knees, focusing on the back knee. Move your
Posterior
weight forwards onto your toes but make sure you
keep the heel down at the back.
Standing Shin Stretch
Stand with your toes of the left foot on the floor on
the outside of your right foot. Bend the right leg to
push your ankle towards the ground. Swap legs!
Tibialis Anterior.
Extensor
Digitorum Longus. Extensor
Hallucis Longus.
Wall Calf Stretch
Stand with one leg far in front of the other and lean
forwards against a wall. Keep the back heel flat on
the floor. Bend the front leg to lean forwards and
keep the back leg straight.
Gastrocnemius
Soleus.
Posterior
Tibialis
Tibialis
Flexor
Tibialis