An effective training programme should cover all five measurable health and wellbeing components: strength, work capacity (cardio fitness), mobility, body composition and emotional wellbeing. Stretching exercises fall under the banner of mobility, and this is a component you can’t afford to ignore if you want to maximise your fitness potential.
Maintaining the ability to move through a full range of motion will not only reduce your risk of injury, but will also ensure both muscle and strength progressions.
The stretches listed here are designed to stabilise the core and loosen the glutes, hip flexors, adductors, upper back and ankles. These are all areas commonly associated with stiffness. Equally, they’re all areas that will improve strength training performance if you can move them efficiently.
The following movements can be performed one after the other as a standalone, dedicated stretching session – or picked out to form a dynamic warm-up before your strength training.
For a standalone
