Every walking workout should finish with a session of stretching, here are 9 of the best stretches to try.
You must make time to stretch after every workout, as your muscles are nicely warm and it will keep your joints and muscles healthy and mobile. Here’s how:
1. Hamstring stretch
Stand facing a support between knee and hip height. Extend one leg and place it on the support, with the foot relaxed. Your supporting leg should be perpendicular to the floor. Now hinge forward from the hips (don’t round your back), keeping the pelvis level and the knee of the extended leg straight. Feel the stretch along the back of the supported thigh. You don’t need to pull your toes back towards you - the only reason this intensifies the stretch is because it stretches the sciatic nerve.
2. Calves and Achilles stretch
Stand facing a support, with your feet at stride length apart, your back leg straight and front leg bent.
Press the back heel into the floor so you experience a stretch in the middle of the calf muscle. Turn your toes slightly inwards to focus on the outer side of the calf, and hold. Now bring the back leg in a little, bend the knee and flex the hips, so the stretch moves down to the lower part of the calf and Achilles tendon. Finally, with both legs still bent, place the front toes of the front leg up against a wall to stretch the muscles of the foot.
3. Quad stretch
Stand tall with your feet parallel, then lift your right heel, taking your right hand behind you to grab the foot. Bring the pelvis in to a neutral position and gently press the foot into your hand, keeping your knees close together. It doesn’t matter if your stretching thigh is in front of the supporting one, as long as you feel a stretch.
4. Hips/iliotibial band stretch
Stand tall, and cross one leg behind the other, sliding it away from you until you feel a stretch in the back leg hip. Bend the supporting leg and lean the torso in the direction the back leg is stretching.
5. Hip flexor stretch
Assume a lunge position, allowing the back knee to go to the floor, and the toes to face down. Tighten the tummy muscles and extend forwards from the back hip, until your front knee is at 90 degrees and your back knee is behind the hips. You should feel a stretch along the front of the hip joint and thigh.
6. Shin stretch
Kneel on a mat with a rolled-up towel under your feet. Gently lower your weight onto your haunches and feel a stretch along the front of the shins and ankles. To increase the stretch, place both hands on the floor then lift each leg alternately.
7. Inner thighs stretch
Sit on the floor with your knees drawn into the chest and your feet flat on the floor. Drop your knees open to the sides and use your elbows to gently press the legs open. Don’t round your back, sit up tall.
8. Glutes/abductors stretch
Sit against a wall with your legs outstretched. Cross your right foot over your left thigh and put that foot flat on the floor. Now take your left arm around the right knee and gently pull it around towards the shoulder (rather than hugging directly to the chest). Sit up tall during the stretch.
9. Back stretch
Roll on to your back, bend your knees in towards your chest and link your arms around them. Pull the knees towards the shoulders, pressing the lower back into the floor. Then take your arms to a crucifix position, alternately dropping the knees down to each side