It’s not just about warming up your quads and calves.
stretches your pecs,” she explains. “If your back muscles are weak, you will have a greater tendency for tight pecs. So usually solving flexibility problems is best complemented by also strengthening the opposing muscle.”
To stretch, cross your arms in front of your body, then pull your arms back behind you as far as possible. At the end point, hold for 15-30 seconds then repeat. You should feel a stretch in your pecs, along with contraction of your back muscles.When you sit, your hips are flexed—and when your hips are flexed, the muscles of the hips shorten.
.” If these muscles don’t have adequate strength and/or endurance, the demands of sitting become too much and you’re setting yourself up for pain.Opening your hip flexors is key—they cross eight joints, including your entire lumbar spine. And then there are exercises that help: “Planks and push-ups require you to activate your spine stabilizers to maintain a neutral spine,” says Straub.Start at the top of a push-up position, shoulders directly over wrists.