Bend, Don't Snap: The Right (And Wrong) Ways to Do Three Key Stretches
For dancers, stretching is one of those things that fall into the “second-nature” category—at some point each day, you’ll likely be found in a split, a straddle, or with your leg up on the barre. But stretching incorrectly can cause some serious problems. Dance Spirit turned to athletic trainer and acupuncturist Megan Richardson, who’s on staff at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, for advice on how to safely execute three common dancer stretches.
The Toes-to-Head: Stretches abdominals, back muscles
Photo by Cooper Bilington
{“adCodes”: [], “adsOrder”: [3]}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Toes-to-Head: Stretches abdominals, back muscles”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDON’T…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eLie on your stomach and do a cobra pose, which only minimally stretches your muscles and can potentially harm your backu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Force your back past its natural point of flexibilityu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Stretch until you feel a crunch in your backu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Try to touch your head with your feetu003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Toes-to-Head: Stretches abdominals, back muscles”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDO…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eA bridge, which elongates and fully stretches the abdominals and back musclesu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Plant your hands and feet firmly on the groundu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Hold the position until you feel your abdominals begin to release tensionu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Imagine a string pulling you up from your belly buttonu003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Breathe deeply and steadilyu003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
The Lunge: Stretches hip flexors, psoas muscle, rectus femoris muscle
Photo by Cooper Bilington
{“adCodes”: [], “adsOrder”: [3]}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Lunge: Stretches hip flexors, psoas muscle, rectus femoris muscle”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDON’T…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eLean over your supporting foot.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Sink into your hips, which can overstretch and aggravate your hip joints.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eRelease and/or arch your back.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Lunge: Stretches hip flexors, psoas muscle, rectus femoris muscle”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDO…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eTuck your pelvis underneath you, which allows each muscle in your quads and hips to feel and benefit from the stretch.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Slowly lean into the lunge.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Reach the arm on your lunging side up towards the ceiling, which encourages your muscles to fully elongate.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
The Wall Straddle: Stretches inner thigh muscles
Photo by Cooper Bilington
{“adCodes”: [], “adsOrder”: [3]}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Wall Straddle: Stretches inner thigh muscles”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDON’T…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eUse a TheraBand or ankle weights to pull your legs down, which actually tightens the muscles you’re trying to stretch, since they’re actively working against the tension of the band.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Stay in the straddle for more than three minutes.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003eUse this stretch as part of your warm-up.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
{“product_info”: {“caption”: “Buy Now”, “product_price”: 0, “product_vendor”: false, “linkout_url”: false, “product_compare_at_price”: 0}, “headline”: “The Wall Straddle: Stretches inner thigh muscles”, “credit”: “u003cpu003ePhoto by Cooper Bilingtonu003c/pu003e”, “description”: “u003ch5u003eDO…u003c/h5u003eu003cpu003eRest each ankle on a prop, like a yoga block, your dance bag, or a step stool.u003c/pu003eu003cpu003e Relax the inner thigh muscles until you feel them release and sink into the floor.u003c/pu003e”, “caption”: “”}
