If men want to make their calf muscles stronger and more prominent, then women, on the contrary, dream of slender, graceful legs. Pronounced calves are another problem for the fair half of humanity.

But women also need to strengthen these muscles, because no one is immune from tendon ruptures and sprains. What exercises can lovely ladies do to strengthen their legs while preserving and enhancing their beauty?

To help you - a set of exercises for the calf muscles together with the famous gymnast Laysan Utyasheva.

The calf muscle has a dense and compact structure. Despite the fact that this muscle is relatively small, it is one of the strongest.

The biceps gastrocnemius muscle is the most powerful and functional significant muscle human body, which, with the soleus muscle lying underneath it, forms triceps muscle shins.

The gastrocnemius muscle consists of two fleshy bundles of fibers (lateral and medial heads), which originate from the epicondyles of the femur and end with the transition, together with the soleus muscle of the leg, into the common Achilles tendon, attached to the calcaneus. With the help of the calf muscles, a person maintains vertical balance of the whole body, as well as its balance when moving, flexes the lower leg in knee joint and flexion (adduction) of the foot.

The calf muscle is involved in all types of vertical movement (walking, running, jumping, squatting), therefore in almost all sports, from karate, volleyball and tennis to figure skating, aerobics and bodybuilding, as well as in many types of outdoor activities (hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, skiing), success and achievements depend on her health and strength.

Stretching exercises are the best way to keep your calves toned. The calf muscles, as a rule, receive much less attention, although their condition and shape are often far from ideal.

So don’t be lazy and actively use stretching exercises for your calf muscles. This burns fat, increases muscle elasticity, and makes muscles more prominent.

How to stretch the calf muscles

I suggest trying the following calf stretches with detailed techniques to help you strengthen your calves and lower legs. In addition, the hips are involved during the exercise.

Experienced trainers recommend doing stretching exercises, when your muscles are sufficiently warmed up and prepared for stress. Otherwise, “cold” muscles can cause injury, sprained ligaments and tendons.
For basic training muscles to work, rise onto your tiptoes several times and stand on your toes for 40 seconds, then return to the starting position.

1. Stretching the calf muscles, resting your palms on the wall
When stretching calf muscle, stand facing the wall at a distance of ~1 m, feet shoulder-width apart. Step forward with your left foot.
Place your hands on a wall or grab a bar placed at chest level.

The foot of the left leg is firmly pressed to the floor and placed directly under the slightly bent knee, while the back leg (right) is extended back and straightened at the knee.

Without lifting your heels from the floor and keeping your back straight, move your hips forward (pain during stretching should not exceed 4-7 points on a 10-point scale).

Hold this pose for 10-15 seconds and then repeat the exercise with your right leg in front.

• When stretching the calf muscles, do not apply too much force.
• Breathe freely without holding your breath.
• Keep your shoulders straight, chest out, and shoulder blades down.
  You should not slouch or round your shoulders while stretching. Keep your chest open, your shoulders relaxed, and your shoulder blades drawn together.
• Do not straighten your arms completely or tense your shoulders. Arm bend angle elbow joints should be approximately 10 degrees.

Main Muscles When Performing a Calf Stretching

• Torso: abdominal muscles, erector spinae muscle.
• Hip joint: adductor muscles of the thigh, gluteus medius and minimus.
• Shoulder joint: front beam deltoid muscle, large pectoral muscle, rotator cuff.
• Shoulder: serratus anterior, rhomboids, lower trapezius.
• Hand: triceps
• Leg: rectus femoris, adductor femoris, back group thigh muscles.

2. Stretching the calf muscles while standing with your elbows against the wall
Stand facing the wall at a distance of ~1 m, shoulder width apart. Rest your forearms against the wall.
Without lifting your heels off the floor and keeping your back straight, lean your body forward and stretch your calf muscles.

Stay in this pose for 10-15 seconds

3. Stretching the calf muscles with an elastic band

Sit up straight. Place the band over the foot of your straight leg. Raise your straight leg and pull the band towards you.
Feel the tension in your calf muscle.

Stay in this position for 10-15 seconds, and then repeat the exercise for the other leg.

If you can reach the sock with your hand, grab your big toes with your index finger and thumb and gently pull the sock towards you.
But before doing these grabs, you can warm up your calves by alternating two of the simplest exercises: toes towards you - toes away from you.

4. Stretching the calf muscles and Achilles tendon
Step one leg forward. Without lifting your heels, bend your knees. Feel a slight tension in back surface calves
Hold for 10 seconds, then change legs.

5. Calf stretch

Here is another video in an overseas language, English... But I think it’s clear even without translation how to do the exercises :)

6. Stretching the muscles in a standing bending position

Place the heel of your right foot on the platform. At home, you can use a bench or low chair. Next, straighten your knee, bend forward and grab right hand toe the foot with the right hand, as in the photo. The left knee should be slightly bent and the back should remain straight.

Smoothly shift your body weight to your left leg and rest your left hand on your thigh. Pull the toe of your right foot towards you until you feel a sufficient stretch in the calf muscles. Repeat the exercise for the other leg.

7. How to properly stretch the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles
Why does pain remain after stretching the calf muscle? What is the soleus muscle and how to stretch it?
Answers to these questions will be given by Vladimir Demchenko - neurologist-vertebrologist, doctor of osteopathy, doctor of manual therapy

8. Exercises for the lazy
This complex can be performed even while lying in bed:
1. You lie on your back, legs extended forward. Pull the toes of your feet towards you and away from you. You can raise your legs a little.
2. Without changing your position, press your legs to the bed, and then, slightly relaxing your legs, pull them towards you, bending your knees.
3. And lying down again (lucky you), put your hands under your head, slightly raise your legs and stretch your feet away from you (pull your toes :). Stay in this position for a few seconds.

9. Self-massage of the calf muscle

Self-massage of the muscles of the back of the leg (calf muscle) according to the principle of myofascial release.

Calf muscle strain

Despite the fact that the calf muscle is able to withstand prolonged tension and heavy loads, and also has high elasticity and the ability to stretch significantly and quickly and then shorten, it is very vulnerable and is most often susceptible to such injury.

A calf muscle strain is a partial (in rare cases complete) tear of the fibers of the muscle itself or the denser connective tissue ligaments connecting it to the Achilles tendon.

Causes of calf muscle strain

1 The given range of motion is greater than the natural elasticity of the ligaments or muscle fiber. Simply put, the muscle ligament is damaged as a result of excessive tension. For example, in case of a fall, an unsuccessful landing after a jump or a push from the ground, when performing stretching exercises without first warming up the muscles (warm-up).

2 Sharp physical stress on a poorly warmed calf muscle. In this case, fiber rupture occurs as a result of very strong muscle contraction.

3, leading to overwork and overstrain of muscle fiber.

4 Swipe on the shin, leading to open or closed damage muscle tissue, ligaments, tendons.

Symptoms of a Calf Strain

With a minor muscle strain, the only symptom is aching pain, which is slightly intensified by straining the lower leg and pushing the foot off the ground. A beginner often experiences such sensations after his first workout. This pain is even considered useful, since micro-tears that arise in small areas of the muscle fiber heal quickly enough, and the muscle itself becomes more resilient and stronger.

If the sprain in the leg (calf muscle) is more serious, then immediately after injury, acute pain occurs, reminiscent of a direct blow to the shin and intensifies as the damage to the muscle tissue spreads, for example, when repeating the exercise. It is difficult for a person who has received this injury to stand on tiptoes and bend (extend) the foot.

With more severe injuries (tendon rupture, complete rupture of ligaments or muscles), a characteristic crack or click can be heard, and contractility completely disappears (it is impossible to stand on your leg or bring your foot in).

Often, when the ligaments of the calf muscle are sprained, due to internal damage to the blood vessels, a hematoma, edema (swelling) of the lower leg and ankle joint appears.

Treatment of a calf muscle strain

The answer to the question of how to treat a calf muscle strain depends on the severity of the injury. With a “beginner’s strain,” it is enough not to load the muscle until it is completely restored (until the pain disappears), which takes from 3 to 5 days. Then you can continue training, starting with minimal loads on the warmed muscle.

First degree sprains (micro-tears of a small amount) muscle fibers) and second degree (partial rupture of muscle fibers) are treated conservatively for 2-3 weeks and 1-2 months. A grade 3 calf sprain (a complete rupture of the muscle or tendon) is often treated with surgery and a full recovery takes three to six months.

Immediately after injury to the calf muscle, that is, when you feel characteristic pain, you must stop any movements associated with the load on the lower leg and ankle. To avoid internal hemorrhage and the development of hematomas, and also as an external analgesic, cold must be applied to the site of pain (ice, a bottle of cold water, frozen foods) for at least 20 minutes.
Do not apply ice to exposed skin to prevent damage to it (frostbite effect). To prevent swelling and swelling of the joint, the shin must be tightly wrapped with an elastic bandage.
Do not apply the bandage too tightly, as this can lead to poor circulation and hypoxia of muscle tissue.

If the symptoms indicate a complete rupture of the calf muscle ligaments, then you need to fix the leg bent at the knee joint with a splint and immediately go to the emergency room, where after a series of studies (MRI, X-ray) the complexity of the injury will be determined and qualified treatment will be prescribed.

If a child has sprained ligaments, you should immediately consult a doctor who will professionally determine the symptoms.

If motor ability the ankle is not broken, and the symptoms indicate a moderate severity of the injury, then a ruptured calf muscle should be treated according to the following scheme:

1 For two days after injury, it is necessary to exclude any tension in the lower leg muscles (complete rest). To relieve pain, you can take analgesics (painkillers), but if the joint is severely swollen, aspirin and ibuprofen are contraindicated, as these drugs affect blood clotting. To reduce the development of swelling, the injured limb must be kept slightly above the level of the heart (for example, lying on the sofa, placing your leg on a bed or on pillows). Apply cold for 15-20 minutes every 4-6 hours. Wear during the day elastic bandage. At night, apply a cooling ointment or gel (apizartron, voltaren emulgel, ketonal, bystrumgel).

2 Not earlier than 5-7 days, after the pain has completely disappeared, in order to restore the elasticity and functionality of the muscle fibers, it is necessary to rub twice a day with warming ointments (Ben-Gay, Viprosal, Capsicam), which improve microcirculation in the tissues. You should also knead the calf muscle with a light massage and simple warm-up exercises(for example, rotation of the foot).

3 Physiotherapeutic procedures, such as diadynamic therapy, magnetic therapy, and ultrasound treatment, significantly speed up the recovery process.

4 Resume training and active recreation necessary after complete recovery of the muscle (absence of pain and discomfort with full movements of the knee and ankle joints). You should start with minimal loads on pre-warmed muscles. If discomfort or pain occurs in the lower leg, you should immediately stop exercising to avoid further injury.

Take care of yourself and remember that a previously injured muscle has its own memory, and neglecting it in the future is fraught with serious consequences.
rastyazhenie.com

PS. It is important to note that by regularly stretching my calf muscles, I not only strengthened my shins and calves, but also completely prevented nighttime leg cramps!
By the way, these same exercises help me relax my calf muscles when I’m very tired.

Stretching the leg muscles (stretching) is required by professional athletes for running, hitting, jumping, and increasing their results. Proper stretching exercises are needed after intense exercise. strength training in the gym or at home, toning some parts of the body while leaving others unattended. Exercise will help you stay in shape longer and prevent muscle and tendon imbalances. Carrying out strength exercises to pump up your biceps or abs, it seems logical to use the leg muscle groups. An expander will definitely come in handy.

Before performing leg stretching exercises, it is recommended to prepare the muscles - warm them up with an intense warm-up, preventing stretching. Try to do the following exercises:

• Jump rope at home for ten minutes, warming up your body parts.
• Fifteen-minute jog, foot warm-up - toe/heel.
• Perform leg swings 20 times, stretching the groin muscle.
• Sit down fifty times (preferably), step on your foot.
• Stretch your arms with jerking movements.
• Bend your torso to the right, left side(20 times), stretching your back.
• Walk in place, even out your breathing and heart rate.

After execution standard exercises start stretching your leg muscles at home for people of any height and build. Exercises are classified into dynamic (suitable for those who frequently perform training) and static (for beginner women and men). For training, it is recommended to use an expander - it is easier to stretch with the exercise machine.

Standard set of exercises

Effective stretching helps muscle groups to constantly stay in good shape and allows you to make your legs slender. We perform leg stretching correctly and consistently:

• After warming up, sit on the floor of the house, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, and try to reach your toes. After the attempt is made, fixation and freezing in the required position for several moments. Repeat the exercises twenty times.
• The legs are placed wider to the maximum possible distance without pain (standing position). Cross your arms over your chest and try to slowly bend your body forward. The goal of the exercise is to try to touch the floor with your elbow, regardless of height. Three sets of 10 times. Don't step on your knees.
• To do it well, sit down on the floor at home, connect your feet together (heel to heel), and try to touch the floor with your feet in the area of ​​bent knees. Effective exercises for beginner women and men are given.

To properly stretch tendon tissue and muscles at home, it will take months of training the muscle groups in your calves, calves, and thighs. An expander helps to cope well with the task - they step on the simulator, grasping it when they are tall.

Complicating the task

After weekly training at home, with warm-up and standard exercises, they move on to complex stretches of muscles and tendons. Gymnastics begin to increase the load at home. A chair, an expander, and an elastic band will come in handy.

High-quality stretching for losing weight on legs includes a set of exercises:

Increase training – gradual addition of new movements, prolonged freezing in one position and effective calf and inner surface hips Correctly training body parts is a competent approach to physical exercise.

Twine for beginners

Splits help train muscles. You won't be able to sit down quickly like this. There is a set of exercises that are allowed at home for beginners: women, girls, boys and men. Achieve good results will only work if integrated approach by doing regular workouts at home:

There is no need to perform grueling and painful workouts, trying to quickly do the splits. Using a chair as a support, you will be able to train the muscles of your calves, lower legs, and thighs (especially in men) gradually. Try to alternately place your legs on the chair and bend, lowering your pelvis down. If you overdo it, you risk tearing the tendon tissue.

Yoga is the best stretch

After systematically performing standard exercises for men and women that help stretch and develop muscle groups and tendons of the lower leg, calves and inner thighs, try your hand at a new activity - yoga techniques help people of any height, gender and age. To avoid injuries leading to tissue ruptures, you should not stretch until it hurts, you need to train your muscles using support, for example, a chair, and be sure to do a good warm-up.

To sit on cross twine(Yogi’s teaching calls the exercise Samokanasana), perform the following actions:

The yoga technique helps to do the splits quickly, but it is imperative to perform the exercises gradually, avoiding pulling the muscles and injuring the tendon tissue. It is advisable to use an expander for tall people.

Yoga is an effective method to quickly master the cross-split technique. The technique does not allow impacts, only smooth movements, without injuries leading to tissue ruptures. Often for yoga they use a soft expander with a loop, stepping into it and performing difficult stretching movements. A special one has been developed that makes it much easier to do the splits. It is allowed to use any technique, extremely carefully and gradually.

An injury to the calf muscle immediately limits mobility; due to severe pain, every step becomes a real overcoming of oneself. The faster the victim receives medical assistance, the less time it will take for rehabilitation. Most susceptible to such injuries professional athletes, children, pensioners and people leading a sedentary lifestyle.

Causes of muscle strain

An elastic bandage fixes the damaged muscle

A calf muscle strain can happen in any situation due to an accidental injury or poor movement. Main reasons:

• Continuous loads. They contribute to overstrain of the muscle fibers of the lower leg, so a beginner in the field of sports can easily pull the calf muscle.
• Sudden, amplitude, unnatural movements of the leg.
• Limb injuries of various origins. These could be dislocations, sprains, bruises or falls.
• Cold muscle exercises. Lead to incomplete tear or damage to the ligamentous apparatus. To prevent this from happening, training should be done after a good warm-up.

Hypothermia of the body, general fatigue and increased stress during sports contribute to injuries. You can also pull a muscle due to careless walking on an uneven surface or an unsuccessful landing after a jump.

Symptoms of injury

Massage for a quick recovery

Depending on the severity of the injury, its symptoms may vary slightly. The main symptom of injury is pain. Its intensity fluctuates, but pain is inevitable.

The most common satellites of sprains:

• Swelling - develops when blood vessels are damaged due to injury. Depending on its severity, swelling can be mild or extensive.
• Hematoma. It also occurs against the background of damage to blood vessels due to muscle damage.
• Characteristic sound. At the time of injury, you can hear the muscles clicking, after which the victim loses the ability to move the limb, pain appears on palpation and it is not possible to stand on the affected leg.

With such symptoms, you need to provide first aid to the victim as soon as possible.

First aid for sprains

Cold compress to reduce pain and swelling

First aid for sprains:

1. Help the victim take a comfortable position and immobilize the injured limb as much as possible.
2. With severe pain, loss of consciousness is possible, so the patient must be fully monitored. It is important to ensure that the head is elevated, otherwise breathing may be impaired.
3. To reduce pain and swelling, apply ice or a cold compress to the damaged area.

After providing first aid, be sure to call a doctor. If the victim experiences severe pain before the ambulance arrives, he can be given a painkiller and the doctor can be notified about this.

If the injury is minor and the pain is tolerable, the hospital will send the victim home for treatment. But when the sprain is accompanied by extensive hematoma and unbearable pain, surgical intervention is necessary. In this case, the torn sections of the fibers are sewn together and a bandage is applied.

Therapeutic methods

Ointments relieve pain and swelling

We need to start as early as possible. Treatment tactics are selected based on the severity of the injury.
First of all, the patient is prescribed a diagnostic examination. For this purpose they prescribe:

• ultrasound examination;
• X-ray;
• blood test.

We will have to limit it as much as possible physical activity and in general any motor activity. Cold is applied to the injured limb and a fixing bandage is applied. For a minor injury, recovery will take about 3 weeks.

If the injury is serious, you will have to remain in bed.

The victim is prescribed medicines, apply an elastic bandage.

Drug treatment

Gel "Voltaren" with analgesic effect

Medicines help reduce pain, relieve swelling, eliminate bruising and accelerate tissue healing.

Popular drugs:

• Voltaren emulgel is a product for topical use that has a pronounced analgesic effect and helps relieve inflammation. The gel must be applied with massage movements to the affected area. Depending on the severity of the injury, it can be used up to 3 times a day.
• Ibuprofen. Refers to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, helps fight pain, swelling and inflammation. Available in the form of tablets and solution for injection. Use as directed by a doctor.
• Viprosal is a good warming ointment, helps speed up blood circulation and improves metabolic processes. Thanks to this, it is possible to prevent the consequences of injury and quickly heal the leg.
• Ketonal cream. It has an effective analgesic and cooling effect, applied topically to the affected area 2-3 times a day.

The listed medications are used for any degree of sprain and are prescribed by the attending physician. In addition to them, the victim may be prescribed cold and warm compresses, recommend complete rest, and in the most severe cases– surgery.

Traditional methods of treating sprains

Gelatin compresses will accelerate tissue regeneration

Folk remedies complement treatment, but do not replace it. Popular recipes:

• Compress with gelatin. It is a natural source of collagen and promotes the restoration of cartilage tissue. Dissolve 3 tbsp. l. gelatin in water, mix with sour cream or cream to a creamy consistency. Apply the compress daily for 1 hour.
• Compress with egg white. It needs to be whipped, applied to a cloth and applied to the sore leg. Do it daily until the muscle is completely restored; it is advisable to keep the compress for no more than an hour.
• Lotions made of clay. To 100 g of powder add 5 tbsp. l. natural apple cider vinegar. Add water to a creamy consistency. Apply the mixture to the affected leg and cover with a cloth. Keep for 1 hour, repeat daily.

Before using recipes traditional medicine You should consult your doctor to avoid undesirable consequences.

Leg stretching is an integral element of training for both beginners and experienced athletes exercising at home and in gym. Thanks to stretching exercises, the muscles become more elastic, so even the most complex complexes can be performed without damage to the ligaments and injuries.

All exercises that stretch the leg muscles are divided into two main types: static and dynamic.

Static exercises are suitable for beginner athletes. Their essence is to gradually stretch the muscles. Exercises are performed in one position for a long time. There are no active movements, so the muscles do not contract.

Dynamic stretching requires specific skill and experience. It involves active movements, such as leg swings. Use this type More experienced athletes with good flexibility need stretching. They are not suitable for beginners as they can cause injury.

Active and passive stretching also stands out. Active is done on your own, passive - with the involvement of a partner. Ballistic stretching can be distinguished as a special type of stretching. Exercises in this complex are based on jerks and springy movements.

Rules for conducting stretching training

When performing leg stretching at home, you must follow the following rules:

1. Start stretching with the simplest static exercises with a minimum duration of execution.
2. First warm up your muscles well, do a warm-up consisting of active exercises.
3. If muscle pain appears during training, immediately stop stretching.
4. After 2-3 sessions, increase the duration of the exercises.
5. Before moving on to more complex exercises, make sure your body is ready for the stress.
6. Stretching regularly. If there was a break in training, it is recommended to resume training from the very beginning. simple exercises.
7. Monitor your breathing while stretching. It should be deep and uniform.

Is it possible to stretch muscles quickly?

Stretching the legs at home can be done for general muscle strengthening or in the process of mastering the longitudinal or transverse splits. Regardless of the end goal, it is impossible to stretch muscles quickly. Experts warn about the dangers of accelerated stretching.

To quickly achieve results, many decide to start immediately with active and complex exercises. Muscles unprepared for such a load will not only not become elastic, but will also be seriously damaged. Therefore, it is necessary to be patient and also make efforts to make the body flexible without injury.

To master longitudinal or transverse splits, it takes at least 6 months with regular training. If stretching is carried out in combination with other exercises, then there is no need to leave it until the end of the complex.

How to Warm Up Your Legs Before Stretching

To do stretching at home, you need to remember to pre-warm your legs to avoid injury to muscles and joints.

The main pre-warm-up exercises are:

After warming up, you need to even out your breathing. To do this, you can walk in place or do breathing exercises.

A few exercises for beginners

You need to start stretching your legs with static exercises.

The simplest and most accessible of them are the following:

Stretching for weight loss

Stretching at home will help you lose weight in your legs.

Perform the following exercises:

Before performing a set of stretching exercises for weight loss, it is important to remember to pre-warm up.

Muscle stretching for splits

To learn how to do longitudinal or transverse splits, you need to perform a set of the following exercises daily:

To do the splits for a beginner, you need to practice for a long time. Stretching should be done for 4-6 months to prepare the muscles and joints. Gradually you need to increase the duration of each exercise by an average of 5 seconds.

Exercises for stretching the back (spine)

Exercises for stretching the back muscles will relieve tension, get rid of pain and defects of the spine, and improve blood circulation.

Back stretching for beginners is represented by a set of the following exercises:

Post-workout muscle stretching for women and men

After training at home, stretching your legs is necessary to help tired muscles recover and rest faster, as well as to regulate blood flow. Stretching also helps consolidate the effect of the exercises that make up the complex.

Features of post-workout stretching:

• Minimum duration is 5 minutes. The optimal duration of such stretching is 12-15 minutes.
• The best option for post-workout exercises is static exercises.
• Partner stretching is not suitable for post-workout exercise as it puts additional pressure on the ligaments.
• It is very important to control your breathing while performing the entire set of exercises. Deep and even breathing helps you relax and restore strength faster.

Exercise options:

How to stretch your muscles while doing yoga

Stretching with yoga elements will help you achieve quick results. Yoga helps to relax muscles and joints, as well as strengthen them and make them elastic without injury or damage, so leg stretching exercises often include elements of yoga.

A set of stretching exercises with yoga elements:

1. Sit on the floor, tucked under you right leg. The left leg is pulled back, keeping it straight. Bend your torso forward, resting your elbows on the floor. Maintain the position for 25-30 seconds, then change legs.
2. Squat down, placing your legs at shoulder level. After bending forward, stretch your arms in front of you. They rest their palms on the floor with their heads bowed. Depending on physical development The duration of the exercise can range from 30 to 50 seconds.
3. Lie on your back, raising your knees bent to chest level. Straight arms clasp the feet, fixing the position for 20-30 seconds.
4. In a sitting position, cross your legs. Hands move back slightly, touching the floor with your fingers. Lean forward a little to maintain balance. Remain in this position for 40-50 seconds.
5. In a sitting position, spread your legs with your knees to the sides and bring your feet together. Wrap your hands around your feet, performing a deep forward bend. At the same time, you need to press your elbows on your knees, pressing them to the floor. Fix the position for 20-30 seconds.
6. In a sitting position, bend the right leg at the knee, extending the left leg forward. Reaching out with their hands outstretched leg, trying to clasp your feet with your palms. Fix the position for 20-30 seconds.
7. Sit down on your left knee, bending your other leg. Lean on your right leg, stretching your left back. Fix the final position for 20 seconds, after which the leg is changed.

The elements of yoga not only have a beneficial effect on the leg muscles. They allow you to relieve stress and fatigue at home while stretching your legs.

Regardless of whether stretching exercises are performed at home or in the gym, you need to remember basic safety rules. Violation of the stretching technique can result in serious muscle injury, which will make it impossible to do exercises of any degree of difficulty.

Video about stretching leg muscles

Stretching complex at home:

Stretching for Beginners:

Leg stretching exercises are essential to prevent muscle imbalances and postural problems associated with it. Thanks to stretching, the body gains flexibility, movements become more dexterous, and coordination of movements improves in everyday life and during sports.

Good leg stretching is useful not only for demonstrating a beautiful split. Boxers need it to carry out some punches, dancers need it to perform dance elements, swimmers need it to jump into the water correctly and fast swimming. For a person who is far from sports, stretching the leg muscles will help protect the joints from hardening, improve blood circulation in the legs, and make walking easier.

There are many motives for performing leg stretching exercises, and everyone has their own, and the methods of stretching the muscles are also different. The choice of technique is determined by the level of training of the person and his goals.

Leg stretching for beginners includes several simple exercises, the regular performance of which is enough to get into a good split. The main thing is regularity and caution. For successful training, it is enough to have the necessary minimum information about and a responsible approach to business.

Leg stretching exercises

• Exercise 1

Bend your torso forward as low as possible, stretch smoothly, “spring” with a small amplitude, return to starting position.

• Exercise 2

Starting position – sitting on the floor, straight legs spread as wide as possible.

Holding your shin with your hands, bend as low as possible towards your right leg, “spring” 10 to 50 times, return to the starting position. Repeat the same with your left leg.

• Exercise 3

Starting position – sitting on the floor, straight legs shifted.

Bend as low as possible, pulling your torso towards your legs with your hands, “spring” 10-50 times. Ideally, you should touch your knees with your head.

Stand up straight. Slowly move your legs out to the sides so far that you feel the stretch in the muscles of your inner thighs. As a result, an angle of 120-140 degrees should form between the legs.

Then bend your torso down and place your elbows on the floor or slowly, without jerking, reach towards the floor. The back is straight. When you feel tension, hold the position for 5-30 seconds.

Every day, try to spread your legs wider and increase the interval of immobility.

The end result this exercise for there should be a transverse twine.

Starting position – stand on the floor, keeping your body straight.

Move your right leg back and your left leg forward as far apart as possible. Bend your leg forward at the knee, lowering yourself down. The angle of the bent knee should be 90 degrees. The back is straight. As soon as you feel the muscle stretch, relax your core, increasing the pressure on your legs, and stay in this position for 30-60 seconds.

During the exercise, clasp your hands behind your body or place them on your thigh or floor.

Repeat the exercise with your other leg forward.

Starting position – standing with a straight body.

Step your right leg to the side, bending it at the knee and thereby lowering your torso down. The foot of the completely straight left leg should be fully on the floor and pointing toe forward. When you feel sufficient muscle stretching, hold the pose for as long as possible (up to a minute).

Repeat the exercise, doing a symmetrical lunge.

Starting position – standing straight, feet shoulder-width apart.

Without bending your knees, perform at least 12 springy downward bends, trying to place your palm on the floor.

Starting position – sitting on the floor with bent knees and feet tightly pressed to each other. Palms on feet. Elbows rest on knees.

Using your elbows, slowly press on your knees, tilting your torso forward. The back should be straight at all times. Having reached the maximum possible muscle stretch, fix the position for a few seconds, gradually increasing the tension time to a minute.

Repeat the exercise several times.

Starting position – sitting on the floor with straight legs shifted.

Stretch your arms forward as far as possible. Lock yourself in the position of maximum tension.

Repeat the exercise several times.

Standing straight, use your hands to bend one leg at the knee so that your heel is pressed toward your buttock. You can lean on the wall with one hand to maintain balance. The knees should be on the same line, and the hips should be tightly closed.

Twist your pelvis forward and upward, hold for one minute.

For more tension, move your knee back.

Repeat with the second leg.

Lying on the floor, bend both legs at the knees, relaxing top part bodies. Grasp your right knee with both hands and place your left ankle on your right knee.

Slowly pull your right knee towards you.

Repeat the exercise for your left leg.

Starting position: face the wall, resting your palms against the wall.

Take your right leg half a meter back without lifting your foot off the floor. Once you feel tension in your calves and ankles, hold for one minute.

Repeat the exercise for the second leg.

This set of exercises should be performed daily or at least three times a week. This type of leg stretching at home will benefit everyone.

Video: Leg stretching exercises