If you have been looking for stretches that will help you to start feeling loose, flexible fast, and will let you feel amazing every day then these are the ones you need. None of these movements will take you any longer than a minute to perform and they can all be performed in your home without any equipment at all. Everyone can do these four stretches no matter what level of ability or flexibility you have right now.
The key to any effective stretching program is to make sure you include both static stretches and dynamic stretches.
In these four stretch daily flexibility routine you have two of each.
The first of these is the most important, so if you are short on time this is the one that you are going to want to make sure you prioritize. This is called the bridge and reach over. This dynamic stretch starts with a good glute activation by driving your feet into the ground and lifting your butt up into a bridge position. Not all stretches have to be done passively. The active contraction of the glutes will actually help to accentuate the stretch placed on the hip flexors on the front side of the joint and increase your range of motion.
This is incredibly important for people that have tight hip flexors from sitting down all day.
Beyond this however we get the benefit of upper body flexibility as well. The reaching of the arm up and across the body will improve shoulder mobility as well as the tightness we often feel in the posterior deltoid on the back of the shoulder. The reaching also promotes thoracic rotation. This is something that doesn’t get worked enough. Often times, people will try and increase back rotation in error through the lumbar spine. This is not what you want. Instead, look for ways to twist through the middle portion of your spine like this and you will feel better very quickly.
The goal is to perform 10-15 reps to each side and then move onto the second stretch in this daily flexibility routine.
The next stretch is called the QL slide. This is going to help anyone out there that has suffered from muscular low back pain. The Quadratus Lumborum or hip hiker muscle is often times relegated to chronic stiffness and tightness from never being adequately stretched. This easy to perform movement is going to do a great job stretching this low back muscle.
Simply drop a leg back and use your arms to prop up your body into a side bent position. Try and maintain this position for 30-45 seconds each side and look to feel the stretch most in the outside area of your lower back just around your waistline. To increase the difficulty of the stretch even more you can allow the other leg to slide out a bit which will place more stretch on the adductors of the hips.
The third stretch is called the side pretzel stretch. This is an amazing one for the hips and back but also helps to increase shoulder and upper torso mobility and flexibility as well. Start by laying on your left side and grabbing your left ankle with your right hand. Pull back until you feel a stretch on the quads. From here, grab the top knee with the opposite hand and try to pull the knee down towards the floor without letting your hips rotate too much (which would shift the stretch to the low back in error).
Finally, we have a dynamic stretch called the NSFW. It’s named this because this is simply something you don’t really want to be doing at work since it will likely raise some eyebrows. That said, it will fit perfectly when performed in the gym especially as a squat warmup or in preparation to do a sumo deadlift.
The key is to open up the hips and place the feet in a frog position with the insides of the feet flat against the floor. You should feel a big stretch on the hip adductors and rotators in the bottom position of the stretch. Hold for a brief 2 second pause and then repeat for a total of 10-15 repetitions.
The key to any good stretching routine is that you can perform the stretches without any equipment in a limited amount of space. Once you do just a few sets of these you will see just how amazing you can actually feel with such a small time investment. If possible, incorporate all 4 stretches into your daily routine and let me know how it helps you.
If you are looking for a complete workout routine and meal plan to compliment your flexibility and mobility routine, be sure to head to athleanx.com and check out the program selector tool. It will take you just minutes to find the exact plan that fits your current goals and will help you to build ripped athletic muscle quickly.
For more home stretching routines and the best stretches for your hips, back and shoulders be sure to subscribe to our channel here on youtube via the link below and remember to turn on your notifications so you never miss a new video when it’s published.
Build ripped athletic muscle here – http://athleanx.com/x/my-workouts
Subscribe to this channel here – http://bit.ly/2b0coMW
*NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY* – It’s back!! Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached!
https://giveaway.athleanx.com/ytg/4-stretches
If you don’t win, no worries, you’re not going away empty handed. Just be sure you have your notifications turned on so you can get to my next video quickly and try again. Good luck and thanks for being a loyal subscriber…
@Joseph dude, no one cares about your opinion on diet and exercise. If you don’t want to eat well or workout, that is your call. Stop trolling people.
I won it
Great video Jeff…… But, can you wear a lighter colored pair of pants so it’s easier to see where the legs are moving. Thank you.
@Joseph lolz i say that every time i don’t win the prize
This came at the perfect time. I was feeling awful about myself today, but then Jeff uploaded this great video. Thank you!
lol same
So how you choose to feel is dictated by externalities you cannot control…
Hope you are doing good dude! Life’s good
Ive been feeling awful for the last 3 years so I wish this wouldve come a bit earlier but better late than never.
@Dödispää honestly same until i took control over my demons and decided to become a fucking savage. thank god for jeff cavalier, joe rogan and David Goggins. pick any day to become a badass, brother.
Day 436 of “you were here on time”
@Derrek Haring Why did you keep entering? >_<
You don’t need that program that 436 days could change your life by watching his videos and start training
@peter hale I havent even used mine yet lol. BUT I made my entire weekly workout around his videos
@peter hale No im training just want the program for some useful tips and exercises
Apart from you have under 4 comments
How to feel amazing everyday? Answer is: Watch atleast one video of Athlean-X and do whatever Jeff recommends.
“These excercises can even cure corona virus……..oh wait no that’s facepulls”. LMAO
@Prof. Jason Beluga Blaha You are
Bahaha!!
@Prof. Jason Beluga Blaha Who is this? Lord Blaha, the super popular croatchk Jason Blowhole!! But coath why am I able to see your teeth in your PFP? I know you don’t have any teeth
1000th like
Ahahaha
“Face pulls cure covid”, thanks Jeff
@Billy Bob Sure thing sweetie….
@AxxL never knew you watch fitness
Billy Bob I hope ur joking
confirmed by Jeff! 😀
Wait, I thought they prevent cancer?
“I have depression…”
Jeff: “stretch and you’ll feel amazing every day you moron.”
@Rosko yeah, a lof things that arent as severe as MDD or BPD will almost certainly get better with light daily exercise
@Hey Ho exactly
Doesn’t make him a moron. Maybe excerise might help your depression
For a few weeks now I’ve been wondering what kinds of stretches would be good first thing upon waking up since I normally lay on my back on the floor to help decompress my spine. Today in particular I was thinking about it heavily, and here Jeff comes with another timely video. This is exactly what I needed at the time I needed to see it. Is Jeff using a private contracting IT agency to data -mine our thoughts?
Dude right. How does he consistently do this
He’s got 11+ MILLION subs. Even If he uploads a fart video, few guys will pop on here saying they were just thinking about it!
This is the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon.
Plus, if enough people watch Jeff’s videos, the statistical possibility that there will be a viewer that was having the exact problem that Jeff addresses each time is quite high.
I was also thinking how he’s always publishing stuff when I need it. I’ve decided I simply need EVERYTHING!
01:20 – Bridge and reach over
02:24 – QL Slide
03:34 – Side Pretezel
04:58 – NSFW
Hero
King
Bretzel* 😉
Thanks have a great day
Due to increased backpain i started nearly daily stretching and yoga and i recognize all 4 of his exercises in that. It really is a nice thing that week by week makes my backpain less of a problem.
Conversely, overstretching can do damage too. I’m old and pretty inflexible and still quite strong. Took weekly stretch class (real easy, didn’t attempt a lot of stuff early) On wk 3 decided to give this fantastic knee stretch a shot and ripped my ac. Knee blew up only marginally functional two months later.
So be careful. My knees are so bad that last stretch is a nono for me, I’d be carried out. Maybe with 2 inches pf padding could manage it. Man’s goota know his limitations
@D C that’s a thing i’m luckyly aware of bcs minor injuries from earlier, which all healed up by now. But yes, the key is to always accept current limitations of the body and do it all carefull and clean without too much pushing, ripping and pulling.
Remember to stretch your hips and hip flexors. Using a roller also helped me a lot (spinal fusion)
@D C I understand and experience the danger of over stretching. It can also happen at a younger age (late 20’s), I was over stretching for years. It was until a gym trainer saw me and told me I was over stretching. I ignore her because I’ve always done the same stretch for years. Sure enough in a few weeks I tore my ACL. Now I stretch more carefully.
Hey, I have some back pain as well, if you don’t mind when you get a minute could you maybe reply to my comment with a good link of a yoga video you do that helps your back out. Thank you
I have low back pain from injuries and I cannot stress enough: daily stretching even just for a few minutes makes the day a million times better.
I’ve noticed this in regards to my hamstrings and hips. If I start the day with 5-10 minutes of stretching, the remainder of the day is easier (especially on martial arts days).
One of my yoga routines is predicated to a large extent on two movements: Child Pose (Front, Right and Left) and Cat Pose. I alternate between Child and Cat in a sequence. Takes about 20 minutes. Incredible results.
Its absolutely amazing how EVERYTHING on my body starts hurting and shutting down when I stop working out
I definitely started noticing. Before I never took more than a week consecutively without lifting. Even when I had bad sprains/strains, stitches on my hands, or a pinched sciatic nerve. I used to limp to the gym like an idiot. Now I’ve taken over a month during each lockdown and even then I’ve slacked off at my ghetto home gym. I’ve never felt more tired or had my lower back hurt more.
@mihajlo525 my dude. You want a secret for lower back pain… do whatever you can to stretch the hams and hip flexors.. but 10-30 second stretches won’t work… try holding the stretches 3-5 minutes
@mihajlo525 exactly same is my case. For last 1 month or so i have been on and off from gym.
And now my lower back has started hurting.
Although now iam doing home workout I guess it would start alleviating.
Preach.
@Anthony Veloni don’t give out medical advice unless you know what you’re talking about
0:19 I can’t believe Jeff just internally rotated his shoulder when writing the number 4
If everyone would just do their damn face pulls we wouldn’t have to wear our masks smh
Then why are many of the cities with mandatory mask mandates the same ones with the most cases/deaths?
I was in a bad spot emotionally, financially and physically, but then I started doing facepulls
Dude! Same!
Well they sure save my (v bad) posture!
I’m married to facepulls
And now I am a billionaire
Facepulls can help us achieve world peace.
“They might even cure the coronavirus, oh no wait that’s face pulls” – this guy is pure legend! Haha
Brilliant! 😀
Classic Jeff strikes again (and provides me my first daily chuckle)