I recently supported my partner through a 5K-every-day-for-a-month charity running challenge.
While it’s a great way to raise money for a good cause, it’s a lot to take on. Even when I was training for a marathon, I’d take rest days every week.
So I put on my certified personal trainer hat to help. One thing I insisted on was a post-run stretch. In my eyes, it's non-negotiable because of its importance for recovery and injury prevention.
It relieves tension from muscles and improves blood flow, which carries nutrients essential for muscle repair. This helps to reduce muscle soreness, stiffness and other symptoms associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness (commonly known as DOMS).
Combined with slow, controlled deep breathing, stretching also helps shift the body from an activated (sympathetic) state to a resting (parasympathetic) state.
The most important reason to stretch though, especially if you’re running every day, is to help prevent injuries.
Regular running puts your hamstrings and hip flexors in a shortened, contracted position. Tight, inflexible muscles reduce how well you can stride, lowers your capacity to absorb impact and increases your risk of injury. Stretching helps to increase their range of motion and flexibility.
But I know stretching is easily skipped, so after some trial and error, I stripped back my suggested stretches and focused on the two areas most impacted by running: the hamstrings and hip flexors.
If you also find it hard to devote the time to a comprehensive stretching routine, try these two moves instead. It’s one of the best things you can do for your body, and it takes just a few minutes.
Do them straight after a run when your muscles are still warm. Warmer muscles will enable you to stretch further and hold positions for longer.
1. Good morning hamstring stretch
Reps: 10
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent.
- Place your hands on your hips or by your ears.
- Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down.
- Hinge forward from your hips and push your buttocks back.
- Lower your torso until it’s close to parallel with the floor or until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings.
- Keep a slight bend in your knees, your shoulders pinned back and a neutral spine throughout.
- Drive your hips forward to stand upright.
Trainer tip: If you don’t feel the stretch in the back of your thighs, make sure you haven’t lost the slight bend in your knees. Performing the movement with straight legs will result in you feeling the stretch in your calves.
2. Low lunge hip flexor stretch
Hold: 20-30sec each side
- From standing, take one large step back with your right foot.
- Bend both knees to lower until your right knee rests on the floor, placing the top of your right foot on the floor too.
- Make sure your left knee is directly above your left foot.
- Push your hips forward, tuck your pelvis under and squeeze your glutes.
- You should feel a stretch at the top of your right thigh.
- Release and repeat on the other side.
Trainer tip: Avoid collapsing your chest and hips over your front knee. Keep your chest and hips facing forward throughout to get the most out of the stretch.
