So, it’s the morning after LEG DAY and you wake up unable to move from the waist down. You think getting up from bed is a struggle but the moment you enter the bathroom you come face to face with your worst enemy–the toilet. Yup. I feel ‘ya!
More often, when we experience Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), the tendency is to wait it out and rest OR work out again, causing further tightness and stiffness. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for moving to relieve DOMS because it really helps make the soreness go away quicker but I also believe in long, passive stretches to maintain the elasticity not just in the muscles, but also in the connective tissues of the joints. The hamstrings and glutes tend to become really tight after a workout that focuses a lot on leg work. It’s important to keep these muscles supple to keep yourself from developing lower back injuries in the future.
Here’s an amazing pose to stretch those hamstrings or the muscles behind the thighs. Learned this from my teacher, Jo Phee.
CHARGING BULL
What you’ll need: A wall
1. Facing the wall, stand about 2 and a half feet away from it with your feet about hip-width distance apart.
2. Keeping your legs straight, fold forward, hinging through the hips. Allow the upper body to be heavy and just dangle. If you can’t straighten the legs, allow a slight bend and round the back. Keep stretching and you’ll eventually be able to straighten them.
3. Walk towards the wall until your back rest against it, bringing most of your weight forward.
4. Now relax and just allow the body to be heavy as you rest against the wall. Hold for at least 2 minutes and work your way up to five minutes.
I hang out in the gym, after workout, talking to friends while in this pose. It actually helps keep you from hurrying out of it. LOL. Go try it out and let me know what you think. 🙂
