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Daily stretch routine to increase flexibilty and overall fitness?
I run to keep fit, but a combination of poor warm up/down routines and hours at a desk every day have lead to very stiff muscles - I can barely touch my knees let alone my toes. Are there any good resources for a daily stretching routine, ideally no more than 20-30 mins, that can help me regain flexibility?
Check out Daily stretch routine to increase flexibilty and overall fitness?
Then since you are a runner, you most likely need stretches for your lower extremities, including:
Also, given your prolonged sitting you will want to make sure that you stretch your spine and trunk muscles. I like Joseph Weisberg’s 3 Minute overall stretch. Ming Chew also has a nice set of stretches for the spine and fascia. Then they each also have good stretches for individual muscles where you need emphasis. For more detail on these two books. 20 - 30 minutes is plenty of time.
The foam roller is a nice method for massaging and releasing tight muscles by yourself. For example, here is a video using a foam roller to release the TFL/ITBand.
A stretching strap helps esp. with hamstring and hip flexor/quad stretches. This video shows how to combine a stretch out strap with a PNF contract - relax method.
