AGE ON YOUR TERMS
1. UPPER TRAPEZIUS STRETCH
1 Set / 3 Reps / 20 sec hold
- Start in a seated position.
- Place one hand under your chair and hold.
- Take your other hand and place it on your head.
- Tilt your ear directly down towards your shoulder and hold this position. You should feel a stretch down the side of your neck. Repeat with the other side
2. CERVICAL FLEXION STRETCH
1 Set / 3 Reps / 20 sec hold
- Sit upright in a chair.
- Keeping your back straight, look down at your lap, dropping your chin to your chest.
- Place both hands behind your head, and gently apply some pressure to pull your chin further in to your chest. You should feel a stretch down your neck and back.
- Hold this position.
3. HAMSTRING STRETCH IN SIT
1 Set / 3 Reps / 20 sec hold
- Sit in a chair.
- Place one leg out in front of you.
- Straighten your knee, keeping your foot on the floor.
- Keeping your back straight, lean forward from your hips until you feel a stretch down the back of the thigh. Hold and then relax. Then repeat with the other side
4. HIP FLEXOR STRETCH HUGGING KNEE TO CHEST
1 Set / 3 Reps / 20 sec hold
- Lie on the bed with your legs hanging off the of the end of the bed.
- Bring one leg in towards your chest.
- Hug your knee into your chest.
- Your other leg should remain dangling off the edge of the bed. You should feel a stretch in the front of your hip.
- Hold this position before relaxing your leg back down and then repeat with the
5. LATISSIMUS DORSI STRETCH DOOR
1 Set / 3 Reps / 10 sec hold
- Stand up straight facing a door or rail.
- Hold onto the handle with both hands.
- Bend your knees a little and lean back off the door, pushing your hips back behind you.
- Round your back and tuck your tail bone under.
- Keeping this position, side bend away from the side you would like to stretch.
- You may also wish to reduce your grip, or even let
6. PIRIFORMIS STRETCH AGAINST WALL
1 Set / 3 Reps / 20 sec hold
- Lie on your back with your feet facing a wall.
- Bend one leg and place your foot on the wall
- Bend the other leg leg and place the outside of your ankle just above your opposite knee.
- Allow your knee to relax outwards.
- Move your body towards the wall until you feel a stretch in your buttock, and then hold this position. It may become easier,
7. PRONE TRUNK EXTENSION ON FOREARMS
1 Set / 3 Reps / 10 sec hold
- Lie on your stomach with your forearms under your shoulders.
- Push your chest up with your forearms, extending in the lower back. Keep your hips pressed in to the floor and your legs straight.
knee health
Knee flexibility and arthritis
Take your knee to the end of its range to avoid an early knee replacement.
One great way to look after your joints’ health is to maintain their natural range of motion.
For example, the knee is a hinge joint , it is designed to bend and straighten out.
Simply if you make sure you are not gradually losing the amount of bending and or straightening out, then you are effectively saving more healthy years for your knee.
The stiffer your joints the more rigidity and wear and tear
( e.g. arthritis )
But it is imperative to understand why your joint is stiff in the first place, before start mobilising it.
So, just make sure you knee is always nice and free, if it is not then defiantly get it checked up to understand the cause of the stiffness.
Try the following 3 knee range of motion home exercises, just stop if you feel any discomfort.
Happy moving :)
Welcome to Team8 active dee why
A results driven gym for the over 50s community of the Northern Beaches - run by our team of physiotherapists and exercise physiologists.