I walk a lot as part of my role as a fitness writer, racking up 7,000 steps every day while testing the best walking shoes. I also struggle with tight hip flexors and tend to get stiff calves after a long walk on hard surfaces, no matter how bouncy and well-cushioned my shoes are. So when I spotted the below stretch from walking expert Joanna Hall, who also designed our walking for weight loss plan, I decided to give it a go.
I did this stretch for a minute before and after my walk. I was surprised that something so simple could make such a difference to my post-walk aches and pains.
Hall calls it the triangle box stretch and says in her caption that it opens the posterior chain (the muscles running from your upper back down to your calves), encourages mobility and strength in the feet, and improves hip mobility.
How to do the stretch
My results
My calves felt more flexible
My calves often feel fatigued during hill walks, and while I still felt the burn during my morning walk, doing the stretch beforehand eased this sensation. I also found that my calves didn’t feel cramped and stiff when I came downstairs the next morning. Win.
It loosened my hip flexors, making me hill-ready
Similar to my calves, my hips tend to twinge and ache on hill walks. But doing this stretch helped open my hips, especially down the sides, which is where I tend to feel the ache. Stretching after my walk meant I didn’t feel the effects of my walk the next day and maintained a good range of motion without the usual post-hike stiffness.
My feet were ready for action
For someone who walks as much as I do, I should definitely pay more attention to stretching my feet. After doing Hall's move, I felt tension release across the top of my foot and under my arches. Doing it again after the walk, when my feet were tired and sore, helped them to feel more comfortable and decompressed.
It stretched my lower back
My lower back is a problem area but always feels better after I stretch, so I really leaned into the second part of Hall’s move, which loosened up that area. You don’t think of your lower back as a "walking muscle" but as your erector muscles live there and are responsible for holding your body upright, it definitely makes sense to give this area some attention. I certainly felt less stiff here after doing the stretch.
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