7 stretching exercises that could lengthen your muscles, your tendons and your life

Admittedly, stretching was nothing more than an afterthought for me for a long time. You’d only ever see me on the mat if my muscles were seriously tense. Unsurprisingly, I’m also inflexible. Yogis would probably look scathingly at my less-than-elegant stretching exercises.

Even so, I’ve known for years how important stretching is to maintain mobility and flexibility. These days, I actually do manage to invest at least a quarter of an hour in my flexibility on days when I’m not running, stand-up paddling or cycling. I always feel looser and more relaxed afterwards.

Now, I’ve got yet another reason to regularly stretch my muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia: being flexible can help you live longer.

A study of 3,139 people between the ages of 46 and 65 showed men and women with a higher flexibility index had a significantly lower mortality risk over the study’s 12.9 years. Reason enough to incorporate even more stretching sessions into my fitness routine in future.

My favourite stretching exercises

Since I’m currently training for long-distance running events, I’ll show you exercises that are particularly suitable for runners. Still, cyclists and people who generally spend a lot of time sitting down will benefit from this stretching routine too.

Lunges

Sitting down for long periods can shorten your hip flexors, so I do a big lunge to stretch mine out. I hold the position for 30 to 60 seconds, feeling an unmistakable pull in my hips and the front of my thigh.

A stretch for the front of your thighs

To increase this stretch even more, I grab my back foot with both hands and pull it towards my bum. I feel a nice pulling sensation in the front of my thigh, slightly stretching my chest and shoulder muscles at the same time.

Lunge with core muscle rotation

Next, I go back into a lunge, stretching the arm on the side of my bent knee up towards the ceiling. This intensifies the stretch in the hip flexor and the front of the thigh. At the same time, the rotation stretches my core muscles.

Calves and back thigh muscles

Time to stretch the calves, back thigh muscles, gluteal muscles and lower back muscles. To do this, I rest on my heel with my front foot and bend down as far as I can. I’m sure I’ll get down even further with a little more practice.

Exercising the posterior muscle chain in a sitting position

You can also give your posterior muscle chain a good stretch while in a sitting position. To do this, I grab my foot and lean forward. If you try it, you should feel a pleasant stretching sensation. However, to avoid getting injured, you shouldn’t push yourself to the point where you feel pain. This is the point where your muscles are in danger of tensing up.

Training your posterior thigh muscles while lying down

If you fancy stretching your calves and the back of your thighs in a different way, you can lie on your back, straighten one leg and pull it towards your upper body. If you can’t grip your leg with your hands, it’s a good idea to use a towel or fitness band to help you.

Stretching exercises for the hips and glutes

To finish off with another hip stretch, bend one leg, bringing the foot towards your groin area. Then, move your upper body towards the floor. You should feel the stretch in your outer hip and gluteal muscles.

Get started with a mat

So, what do you need to get stretching? The simple answer is: not much. Comfortable sportswear and a mat will do the trick. Airex gave me the Trexercise 180 to try out, so I’ve written a mini review on it below.

Yoga mats

Airex TrExercise 180

8 mm

4

Yoga mats

Airex TrExercise 180

8 mm

4

I initially thought that the Airex app provided free training programs so that I’d get instructions and encouragement along with the Trexercise 180. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. You only get a couple of basic things free of charge. To complete a 22-minute training program, for example, you need a subscription costing either 5.50 francs a month or 55 francs a year. I personally think that’s too much to pay in addition to the price of the mat itself, so I’d rather stick with my own stretching routine.

At 180 cm × 60 cm × 0.8 cm, the mat really is large enough for stretching and other fitness exercises. I like the thickness because it feels like there’s enough padding under my joints. Weighing in at 1.5 kilogrammes, the mat’s light enough for me to take it outside for a spontaneous stretching session in the fresh air, or to the swimming pool. The mat’s non-slip, and as yet, I haven’t had any issues with it slackening lengthwise, which can sometimes be a problem with fitness mats.

If you don’t yet have a mat and would like a little more cushioning under your body, the Airex Trexercise 180 might be a good option for you. However, if you’re looking to do regular stretching exercises that’ll really boost your health, you could also go for a less well-padded mat, or alternatively, a thicker and therefore heavier one.