Have you ever used bands to stretch?
Aside from providing elastic resistance in workouts, bands are also a great tool for stretching. Improve your flexibility by using this guide for a 9 stretch sequence you can do with just one little band.
See also this video and these drills.
Give these a try and post your thoughts and experience to comments.
Upper Back
- Keep weight on your legs – don’t rely on the band
- Your arms stay as close to your head as possible
- Try to get your bicep behind your ear
- Relax and breathe into the stretch
- Go to discomfort rather than pain
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Lats
- Keep weight on your legs – don’t rely on the band
- Your arms stay as close to your head as possible
- Try to get your bicep behind your ear
- Try to lengthen the whole way from shoulder to hip
- Relax and breathe into the stretch
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Chest / Shoulder / Obliques
- Keep weight on your legs – don’t rely on the band
- Your arm stays above shoulder height
- Try to open your chest as much as possible
- Try to open from shoulder to opposite hip
- Relax and breathe into the stretch
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Hamstrings
2 options:
- Leg straight and toes pointed or
- Leg slightly bent and toes back
- Keep both hips on the floor
- Band around upper back; Relax and breathe
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Adductors
- Same setup as the hamstrings stretch
- Keep both hips on the floor
- Open hips / take foot out to the floor
- Band around upper back; Relax and breathe
- Go to discomfort rather than pain
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Internal Rotators
- Same initial setup as the hamstrings stretch
- Put both feet into the band
- Move your knees to outside the band (the band will run to the inner knee/thigh area
- Move elbows/forearms to inside the band
- Put your feet on the floor and add pressure with elbows
- Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute
Hips
- Get into squat position with feet on the wall
- Keep both hips on the floor
- Run the band under you – at pelvis level
- Loop the band over each knee
- Let femurs draw to hips; Relax and breathe
- Hold for 1 to 2 minutes
Hips and Shoulders (Less Intense)
- Same initial setup as the hips stretch
- Continue to keep both hips on the floor
- Take broom handle “overhead” with hands wide
- Keep neutral spine
- Relax and breathe
- Hold for 1 minute
Hips and Shoulders (More Intense)
- Same initial setup as the hips stretch
- Continue to keep both hips on the floor
- Take broom handle “overhead” with hands narrow
- Keep neutral spine (no raised or puffed chest)
- Relax and breathe; allow shoulder to ‘sink’ open
- Hold for 1 minute
As at the top: see also this video and these drills.
