Stretches to Improve Physical Fitness
Coach Brian will teach you 5 simple stretches that will improve your flexibility and overall fitness.
- Bow:Extend arms out in front of you and place bottom right back onto heels. This will extend your vertebrae.
- Arch:Place hands directly under shoulders, pull stomach in, arch your back and stretch your spine. Then, lift your tail and chin up. Repeat 2-3 times.
- Lizard 1:Lay flat on your stomach and place hands under shoulders. Push up with hands until your arms are fully extended and lift your chin up towards the sky. (This is an advanced version and should not be performed for people with lower back issues.)
- Lizard 2:Lay flat on your stomach and bend arms at the elbow. Push up through the forearms while keeping them firmly planted on your mat and lift your chin up towards the sky. (This version is safe for people with lower back issues.)
- Split:Stand up and spread your legs. Reach down as far as you can towards the ground and drop your head.
- Sky Reach:Interlock fingers, take a deep breath and reach your hands up towards the sky. Exhale, unlock hands and bring arms down towards your side.
Hi Brian,
I am unable to kneel at all also at the moment I would find it very hard to get down on the ground and back up. What would you suggest I could do to modify these exercises?
Cheers Maz
Just started looking at some of your suggestions and am happy to see that there are things that I can do (even though I am quite overweight and out of shape and achy at this time). I haven’t come across a stretch for the upper back that would be doable at the office. (I’m another desk/computer worker). It is in my upper back between and below the shoulder blades that tenses up for me. I haven’t looked at all the videos, so if you’ve already got this covered, please just point me in the right direction. Thank you so much for the clear instructions and videos.
DeAnn
Hello Brian,
I have a question about the lizard. Years ago when I had our last baby, I experienced quite a severe case of diastasis recti. (Stomach muscles pull apart.) My doctor said there was nothing I could do to get them back together and get my stomach back in shape, so not to worry about it. But I did a search on the internet and found some things. One of the cautions was not to do the moves found in the lizard because it would actually make it worse. I worked at another program a few years ago that made it A LOT worse! But it was mostly pelvis tilts. You hear so many things from so many people. It is hard to know what to believe. I wonder if you know anything about this? This stretching daily practice looks doable to me and beneficial. I just want to make sure I won’t be making things worse.
Thanks for your help, and all the helpful things you contribute to the GM.
Shawna
Hi Shawna,
thanks for your question, it is an excellent one.
My advice would be to NOT do any floor abdominal work in the short term. It may, as it has before, make your condition worse.
I understand this could be frustrating but I have a clip for you to check out ….Standing Abs. Much better! Love your feedback.
Here’s the clip
https://members.thegabrielmethod.com/standing-abs/
Brian
Thank you so much, Coach Brian! I really appreciate your individualized attention to help. I am looking forward to working with these. I am new to the GC. I am just starting the tabata method on the mini tramp and I am loving it! Thank you again.
Shawna
Hi Brian,
Thanks so much overall for your fitness guidance. I’m following you and finding the Tabata method amazing, though I just started yesterday. Yesterday I followed your 4-minute chair training and today I did 4 minutes on my stationary bike. It’s the best workout I’ve ever had on that bike and I’m psyched! 😀
I have a question, though. I have some arthritic problems in my left knee following a knee surgery. I’m wondering if there are adaptations to make for a quad stretch that doesn’t require me to completely bend that knee all the way back, which isn’t good for it. Thanks!
Best,
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen,
Please email us at help@thegabrielmethod.com and our team will do the best to help you in your concerns.
Have a nice day!
These are 5 of the 6 recommended ‘therapeutic movements’ in the book “3 Minutes to a Pain-Free Life.” In this book the 3 minutes refers to doing each movement for 30 seconds for a total of 6 minutes. The 6th move is a natural squat position. I have been following this 3 minute program for several months now and highly recommend it. The book is very good although you might want to save the first 120 pages for later background reading and get right into the program. In addition to the 3 minute program he offers an “encyclopedia of pain relief” with a variety of 30 second therapeutic moves that you can add to your routine to address specific problems. I found that the move for feet and toes has been marvelously effective for lingering plantar fasciitis. I’d recommend checking it out.
that’s cool Kathryn, glad to see I’m on the same page. I will check out the book too. Thanks
Great streches. I’ll incorporate these with your daily HIT workout and swimming
Cool Andrew, they’ll really help. Brian
Hi Brian,
Is it better to do stretches before or after warming up. There seems to be confusion about this.
Regards,
Heather
Hi Heather,
sorry for slow reply!
Don’t think it really matters to be honest.
It’s the length of time in the hold that counts, greater than 30 seconds is ideal.
It would make sense to stretch after a warm up as the body is warm, but if that’s not practical you can do these stretches anytime.
i would be interested in these type of video as well as i have acute lower back pain at the moment
Hi Nick.
Do a google search on stretches for psoas muscle, and see if doing them helps your lower back. The psoas muscle originates at the front of the lower lumbar verterbrae and often when tight can cause lower back pain. This is from my own experience and be sure to do them gently mate.
I’ll go the seated stretch blog on my ‘to do list’ .
All the best and let me know how you go.
Brian
Hi Brian,
I can do the last one, Sky Reach. Due to knees and back getting down on the ground is difficult and getting up even more so. Can you advise me on some stretches standing up please? I used to be able to do all of them and will again so I just need something else in the meantime. Thank you Brian.
Regards Janis
Hi Janis. Sounds like I need to do a video blog for some stretches you can do if you have sore knees/back. The Sky Reach is a good start for you and I’ll work on a video blog specific for people just like you. Thanks for the suggestion.
Thank you so much Brian. Just went to a Carers workshop and they did a series of stretches while sitting and they were excellent. I’ll start there.
🙂 Jan
Hi Brian, for the past eight months I have experienced –
Pain in both knees that restricted me to continue tai chi, also I found it difficult to walk upstairs. I stopped tai chi which improved the knee problem, but I know if I start again it will return, so I am conscious of my knees and am very protective of them.
Then. I found that both my hip joints would give me dreadful pain When getting out of a chair (I work full time in an office). This improves once I start walking but I have no relief from this at all.
Then my back started to ache and on and off I have aching down my right leg on occasions at night.
I walk about 45 mins a day, 20 mins with dog and the rest at lunch time at work.
Afterwards it feels like my muscles in my shins have done a massive workout, and are pretty tender. Also at times it feels like there are tendons down my buttocks are being stretched.
I feel like my legs don’t belong to me.
I went to the doctor who was useless. I had X-rays which showed I don’t have arthritis in my hip joints, so I then went to a myotherapist which was ok, but once I stopped the pain returned and I can’t afford weekly treatment. I was considering pilates. Do you think this would help? I would go back to the doctor, but I can’t afford the barrage of tests that I assume I will need to have. I thought it may be a mild dose of fibromyalgia, but I will need a process of elimination with tests to confirm this, again money is a problem.
After all that, my question is, what do you advise my best option is? Where do I begin? Is the exercises you show above suitable, do you think they will help? And I don’t wish to put you on the spot but what do you think the cause of this is? I have worked in an office for 40years and not had this issue before, why now? Again do you think Pilates would help?
Your advice will be greatly appreciated
Regards
Mary
Hi Mary. Thanks for your post. I can only give you my opinion and please understand I’m unable to offer you a diagnosis. Firstly I’d say the stretches given in my blog would be beneficial for you. It appears as though your symptoms maybe generating from a lower back complaint. Do them gently to begin with Mary, and keep me posted…hope that helps. Brian