Bought Wasted today.
January 2012
What stretches/ exercises for flexibility do you do?
It depends on what I’m working on. I’m planning on putting together a printable thing, with photos, of my stretches, but for now, here’s a text explanation. Since I’m currently working on my splits, that’s what these stretches will be focused on.
- A warm-up: typically about a minute or two of jumping jacks and a couple minutes just dancing around to music
- A standing, wide-foot hamstring stretch: stand with feet wider than hip-width, stretch to touch the ground, hold for 30 seconds
- Close-foot hamstring stretch: same as above, but with feet together, hold for 30 seconds
- Standing one leg stretch: like the wide-foot hamstring stretch, but turning at the hips to stretch both arms to one ankle, hold each side for 30 seconds
- Butterfly stretch: sit, put soles of feet together, bring feet in towards body, push knees down gently, stretch torso forward, hold for 40 seconds
- Straddle stretch: spread legs apart as far as possible without too much effort, twist and reach to each ankle, then bend sideways over the leg, as if you’re laying your side on top of your thigh, hold each for 30 seconds
- Deep lunges: a lunge position with the feet very far apart, back knee on the ground, alternating between torso upright and leaning forward to rest forearms on floor, holding each for 30-45 seconds
- Pigeon pose: one leg straight out behind you, other leg bent in front of you (the closer the foot is bent in towards you, the easier the stretch), lean forward over the bent leg, hold each side for 40 seconds
- Pike stretch: sit with both legs straight in front of you, bend forward over them, focusing more on getting the chest forward than down, hold for 35-45 seconds
- Triangle stretch: standing, with feet staggered, one in front and one in back, with both legs straight, stretching forward over leg, hold each side for 30 seconds
- Front leg straight stretch: one leg behind you, with knee bent and on the floor, other leg straight in front of you, stretching over front leg, holding each side for 40 seconds (this is like a “baby” splits position as you get flexible enough to spread the feet farther apart)
And that’s my general routine for splits training! In my ballet classes, we also do stretches with our leg on the barre, which you can do on a counter. Just put one leg up and off to the side, and bend sideways over it. You can also have one leg on the counter and bend the other to stretch the inner thighs. There’s also foot-in-hand stretches, where you grab your arch and stretch your leg out in front of you or to the side. Similarly, you can grab just below the knee on a bent leg and pull the leg up and behind you.
And that’s just for leg/thigh flexibility! For your arms, tricep stretches and placing your hands palms together behind your back is great. For the back, try alternating between cat and cow stretches or holding a cobra pose.
I hope that helps! Feel free to ask any follow-up questions you may have! :)
I saw your post with the images that have the different number of reps for Flexibility/Arms/Abs/Legs/Back and just HAD to do them. I printed them out and stuck them on my door as a reminder of what I need to do to get fit. Thanks for such inspiration! =D
I’m glad I could help! :)
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Howdy! I was wondering what small meals you eat during the day or what proteins you put in your meals. I'm a vegetarian and I usually stick to tofu and beans. I was also wondering what workouts you would suggest for a person who wants to lose weight on their thighs without gaining muscle, burning the muscle off on my thighs wouldn't be so bad either. Thanks in advance! Love your blog!!!!
I’m on campus for a number of hours every weekday, so my options are narrowed. I tend to have soymilk and a croissant or donut for a quick breakfast, a granola bar between classes, maybe some cereal, an apple, etc. It really depends on what I’m craving and what I can get on or near campus. And I don’t get nearly enough protein, so I try to supplement it with protein bars, as most of my protein comes from eggs and soymilk. (I’m a vegetarian, too!)
As far as thighs go, I’m not much help besides recommending more cardio. Most exercises will add muscle to your thighs. I’d suggest doing something that’s low impact, like swimming or using an elliptical.
Thanks for the love!
Hey! So I have a weightloss blog and I reblogged one of your posts "the Daily Workout Plan". Do you happen to know how many calories it burns?
I don’t! Sorry! However, sites like LiveStrong and MyFitnessPal tell you how many calories you’ve burned when you enter exercises, so I’d suggest checking them out, as they’d also tailor the numbers to be more accurate for your age, height, and weight.
hey, how many calories do you think your one-room cardio challenge burns? (154 pounds)
I honestly don’t know, but if you figure out approx. how long it takes you to do it, you should be able to punch those numbers into a calorie calculator for cardio.
Hi, I have a couple of questions.. I'm looking at your level one workout, what are incline push-ups? i've googled/ youtubed them, but some have the feet higher and some have the hands higher, which do you mean? Also, slightly random, but when you're working out at home what do you wear on your feet? do you put proper running shoes on or do it barefoot? Thanks! x
Weird. I’ve always been taught that incline push-ups are when the hands are higher than the floor (on a block, some books, a counter, etc.) and a decline push-up is when the feet are higher. That’s how I use the words.
And I workout barefoot at home. But I have strong feet and ankles and, after years of dance, I know how to properly land jumps and exercises so I don’t put strain on my knees and other joints. To me, it feels really weird working out in shoes (except things like treadmills, ellipticals, weight machines, etc.) and sometimes I’m tempted to slide my shoes off while stretching at the gym.
