Recovery Session for Beginners
Welcome to the beginner recovery session. You have worked hard and it’s important you give your body what it needs to relax, calm down and decompress especially after a workout or before going to sleep.
We have five exercises to work through which are meant to stretch the whole body and help decompress you a little. Each exercise takes one minute with a 15 second rest.
Feel free to do these several times per week ideally every day.
Format: 5 exercises, 1 min, 15 seconds rest
Breathing Techniques
Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or laying on your back face up, on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or hard surface with a yoga mat. You can have your feet flat with your knees bent and pointed toward the ceiling, or you can put your legs straight out on the ground with your toes pointed up, whichever is more comfortable for you.
Deep Breathing: Place one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your chest. Start to breathe a little deeply but slowly. Try to feel where your breath is moving your body
Rib breathing: Place both hands on the outer edge of your lower rib cage so your thumbs are wrapped towards your back and your elbows are resting on the ground pointed to the sides. Practice breathing into your hands. With your inhale you should feel your hands expand outwards. As you slowly exhale all of your air, you should feel your hands coming back towards each other
Belly breathing: Place a hand on your belly. Practice inhaling to expand the belly a little and exhale, the belly should drop. Don’t over do this one as a really expanded belly is not what we are looking for.
How to do a Double Knee to Chest Low Back Stretch
Quick Description: On your back, bring knees in towards your chest and hold them there with your hands. As you gently pull the knees in towards your chest, also reach your tailbone away from your head and tuck the chin slightly to lengthen the back of the neck. Hold and breathe as you lengthen your spine. Hold for 60 secs. Gently drop one knee down at a time to release
Starting Position: Let’s start supine, or face up, on the floor, on a firm but padded surface such as a carpet or hard flooring with a yoga mat. Flex, or bend the knees, pointing your knees toward the ceiling and place your feet flat on the floor about 6 inches from your buttocks, maintaining about 6 inches between your feet and knees. Rest your arms at your side to begin.
To Perform the Exercise: Lift your feet off the floor as you draw your knees in toward your chest. Next, depending on your flexibility, you can either place your hands on your shins and gently pull your knees in closer, or you can actually wrap your arms around your legs, and use the weight of your arms to draw your legs in further. Once you have pulled your legs in, lengthen the back by pushing your chin down toward your chest, and try to turn your buttocks up as high as you can, effectively rounding out your spine. Your back will remain in contact with the floor the whole time. After 60 seconds, slowly release one leg at a time and return to the starting position.
Muscles Targeted: Erector Spinae (the large long muscles on either side of your spine), Glute Complex (buttocks), and other small muscles in the back and neck.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.
Hip Flexor Stretches
Quick Description: In a kneeling position, bring your right foot onto the floor in front of you which will put you into a half kneeling position. In this position, get tall and tuck your tailbone under your pelvis. This should already put tension on your left hip flexor. Glide your right knee forward slightly for a greater stretch in the left hip flexor area. Glide back to release slightly and continue gliding forwards and backwards. Raise and reach up through the left arm to feel even more of a stretch. Repeat 5-10 glides and then switch sides.
Starting Position: For this stretch, let’s kneel down on the floor on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. In this kneeling position, both knees are bent to 90 degrees. Your front foot is flat on the floor in front of you with your knee up, and your back foot is turned down with the dorsi side, or the top of your foot, on the ground. Your bottom knee is on the floor directly under your hips, and your hips are directly under your head and shoulders with your arms at your sides. If you have decent range of motion already in your hip flexors, you can choose to slide your bottom knee back behind you a few inches to start, which will elongate the muscle a bit more. Be sure to squeeze your belly in tight and not allow your lower back to over arch through this movement, which will be a tendency in this exercise.
To Perform the Exercise: Glide your front knee forward slightly, which will pull your hips forward and force your leg that is down to stretch open the hip flexor at the front upper part of the leg that is down. Go until you feel a good stretch, then return to the starting position. Repeat 5-10 times, and repeat for the other leg.
Muscles Targeted: Psoas (the hip flexor)
Ways to Increase Intensity: To increase the stretch, you can raise the arm on the same side as the leg that is down. Reach your hand to the ceiling, and you can even try to reach the other hand toward the floor at your side. As you lean slightly to the side and push your hips forward, this will really open up the hip.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: Sometimes the kneeling position can be uncomfortable. You can perform this movement while standing up by keeping one foot on the ground and placing the shin of your other leg on a padded and stable chair and pushing your hips forward.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake is over arching your lower back. As you arch your spine, your hips are rotating forward into an anterior pelvic tilt. This will take pressure off your hip flexors and put tension in your lower back. Focus on tightening up your belly and imagine pulling your belly button into your spine, keeping your lower back from over arching.
Another common mistake is not pointing your front foot straight ahead. Watch your foot position as you glide forward, if your toe is pointed in or out, you could put a twisting movement into your knee.
Piriformis Stretch
Quick Description: Laying on your back with both legs outstretched in front. Lift your left leg up towards your chest and grab your left knee and bring the left lower leg or ankle and knee towards your chest. You can also internally rotate the right leg and thigh inwards to feel more of a stretch in the left hip. Hold and breathe for 20 to 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 3 times each leg
Starting Position: Laying supine (on your back face up) on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or hard surface with a yoga mat. Place your legs straight out on the ground with your toes pointed up toward the ceiling.
To Perform the Exercise: Lift one leg up, bend your knee, and draw it in toward your chest with your hands. As you bring your leg in close, externally rotate your leg by grabbing your foot or ankle and pulling the inside of your ankle toward the direction of your chin. This movement will cause you to slightly point your knee out toward the side, but focus on pulling both your knee and the inside of your ankle up toward your upper chest as far as needed to feel the stretch. Hold this position and take deep breaths for about 20 to 30 seconds, and repeat 2-3 times for each side.
Muscles Targeted: Piriformis (a small flat muscle in your buttocks)
Ways to Increase Intensity: If you are looking for a deeper stretch, you can internally rotate the leg you are not stretching. Take that leg that is still straight on the ground, bend the knee and place your foot flat on the floor. Now, let your leg drop inward toward the side of the leg you are stretching, this will shift your hip position and accentuate the stretch.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: To decrease the intensity, limit the amount of external rotation as you pull your leg toward your chest.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.
Pretzel Stretch
Quick Description: Laying on your right side, bend your left knee up towards your chest and place it on the floor in front of you. Support your head with a pillow or your own arm. Bend your right knee and take your left hand and reach behind you to grab your right ankle. Once you have this position, exhale as you twist your left shoulder backwards towards the floor. Hold and breathe for 30 seconds. Release slowly and repeat on the other side.
Starting Position: Let’s start lying on your side on a firm but padded surface, such as a carpeted floor or a hard surface with a yoga mat. You can support your head with your bottom arm, or another object like a pillow. Take your top leg, bend your knee to 90 degrees, and bring it up toward your chest as close as you can reach, resting your leg on the floor so that the inside of your knee, lower leg, and foot are touching the ground. Now take your bottom leg, and bend your knee, bringing your heel up toward your back/buttocks. The outside of your bottom leg is still resting on the ground. Finally, reach back with your top arm, and grab the ankle of your bottom leg that is back behind you.
To Perform the Exercise: Take a deep breath, and exhale as you roll your shoulders back toward the ground, trying to point your chest toward the ceiling and keep your hips and legs in the same position. As your shoulders move toward the floor and your hips stay stationary, you will feel a large stretch through your hips, back and shoulders. Hold for about 30 seconds and then repeat on the opposite side.
Muscles Targeted: This will stretch many of the rotational muscles in the core and hips such as the Internal and External Obliques (lateral belly area).
Ways to Increase Intensity: For a bigger stretch, you can try to straighten your top leg, increasing the stretch in your hamstring as well as your hips, core, and back.
Ways to Decrease Intensity: For a lighter stretch, you can bend your bottom knee, but limit how high you bring your heel, and avoid grabbing that ankle with your top hand. Then when you roll your shoulders back toward the ground, you will not have as much of a stretch.
Common Mistakes: One common mistake with this and other stretches is rushing through the process. It can be uncomfortable, so the natural tendency will be to get it over as quickly as possible. However, if you take your time and go slowly, taking deep breaths, and connecting your mind to the muscles you are working open, you will find a much better return on your effort.