A Quick Guide to Leg Stretching

Article by Vance Kardasian

Leg stretching is more important than most people realize. A lot of people assume that they can just skip over leg stretching exercises because they are not worried about getting injured, well not only is this not true, but there are other reasons why you should make sure to do this stretching as well.

Did you know that by doing even just five minutes of leg stretching before and after a workout you are going to help boost your metabolism and ensure that you are always getting the most out of your workouts.

It is very important that you either use a leg stretching machine or do your own leg stretches without one, and you are going to notice a remarkable improvement in your workouts and how easy they become and how less strained your muscles are overall. There are a few stretches in particular that you are going to want to include in your routine, because they are proven by physical therapists to work extremely well at loosening and limbering up the muscles in the legs.

Best Leg Stretches

So for leg stretching, one of the best stretches that you can do is the hamstring stretch. This is going to stretch the muscles at the very back of your legs, the back thighs. Tight hamstrings are a common complaint among exercisers, and so you are going to want to make sure that you include at least some hamstring stretches in your routine.

These are very easy to do, and one idea is to sit on the floor with your legs out straight, and then extend your arms and reach forward by bending at the waist as far as you can. Make sure that you go as far as you can until you feel a slight stretch, but not too far or you could injure yourself.

You are also going to want to stretch the quadriceps when you do your leg stretching, and for one of the best exercises that you can do, you just lie down on your side, and then you bend the knee at the top of the leg as far as you can, and maintain this position for about thirty seconds. Keep in mind that the most common mistake people make when performing these stretches is that they do not hold them long enough, so make sure that you do this. Also be sure that you never push it too far and end up straining your muscle.