Return to flexibility exercises
Advanced exercises emphasize additional increases in flexibility, muscle control (coordination) and balance. Not everyone will be able to progress to the advanced exercise routine. Advanced exercises are for persons with the appropriate abilities. The progression to the advanced exercise routine is not viewed as a pass/fail system for persons doing the beginning level exercises. Persons starting the advanced level of exercises will begin with five repetitions of most exercises and increase the repetitions by one per day until ten repetitions are reached. The exceptions are the repetitions followed by a prolonged stretch exercise, i.e., repetitions followed by a 30 second hold. This means that those exercises will be performed twice; once for the designated number of repetitions on each side during, moving in and out of a stretch position, then a second time held for 30 seconds on each side. This method of stretching provides both beneficial mobilization to the nervous system, as well as a sustained stretch designed to improve muscle length. Be sure to breathe during the sustained stretch exercises. Holding the breath does not allow for a complete stretch of the muscle or fascia (after all, this is the reason for doing stretching exercises!). Be sure to stretch a little further as the initial stretch sensation decreases during the 30 second – stretch period.
ADVANCED EXERCISES
1. Breathing Exercise (3 Times; 15 Seconds Each)
2. Facial Exercises
3. Chin to Shoulder
4. Chicken
5. Alternating Shoulder Rolls
6. Stand on One Foot (20-30 seconds TWICE each leg)
7. Large Arm Circles (Circle Forward Then Backward)
POLE/TOWEL EXERCISES
8. Pole Swing
9. Over Head and Behind Neck
10. Up Down/Back Down
11. Lean Back
STANDING STRETCHES
12. Calf Stretch (TWICE for each leg: first do reps, then 30 second
hold)
FLOOR EXERCISES
13. Hamstring Stretch (TWICE for each leg: first do reps, then 30 sec hold) .
14. Front Thigh Stretch (TWICE each leg: first do reps, then 30 sec hold)
15. Side Leg Lift
16. Groin Stretch (Do TWICE: first do reps, then 30 second hold)
17. Thigh Dives and Head Rolling
18. One Leg Fanny Lift
19. Pull the Knee Across
20. Toe Pointer
21. RoIling Angel
22. Side Pivot
23. The Seal
24. Press Up and Hold (Stretch for 5 seconds each time)
1. BREATHING EXERCISE: Place one hand on your abdomen and the other hand on your chest. To do correct abdominal breathing, your stomach should expand as you inhale. You may assist your exhalation by pushing your abdomen ¡n as you exhale. The hand on your chest is to help you to be aware of how much your abdomen moves relative you your chest. Inhale for five seconds and exhale for ten seconds. Don’t hold your breath at any point during this exercise. Repeat 3 times.
2. FACIAL EXERCISES: Open your mouth wide and shut your eyes tight. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
3. CHIN TO SHOULDER: Turn your head and neck to the right and try to touch your chin to the right shoulder. Turn your head and neck to the left and try to touch your chin to the left shoulder. Turning the head and neck is more important than simply trying to touch the chin to the shoulder. Turning the head to the right and to the left count is one repetition. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
4. CHICKEN: Move your head forward by moving your chin forward. Now move your chin back by tucking it in toward your neck, the head movement should be parallel to the floor. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
5. ALTERNATING SHOULDER ROLLS: While standing with your arms at your sides roll the right shoulder backward in a circular motion then do the same for the left shoulder. Repeat. Next roll one shoulder at a time in the circular motion in the forward direction. Rolling the right shoulder then the left shoulder count is one repetition. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
6. STAND ON ONE FOOT: Balance on one foot for 20-30 seconds without touching the wall or furniture. Do the same on the other leg. Balance twice on each leg.
7. LARGE ARM CIRCLES: While standing move both arms in large circles in the forward direction making sure that your elbows come as close to your ears as possible. Repeat the proper number of repetitions. Complete the large circles in the reverse direction. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
8. POLE SWING: Standing with the exercise pole in front of the thighs and the hands toward he ends of the pole, swing the pole up and back to the right while twisting from the waist. Be sure to look with your whole head and neck to the right while you do this. Swing your pole down to the front of the thighs and then up and back to the left, looking to the left while twisting from the waist. This should be one sweeping motion without stopping in the middle. Also be sure to turn your head to the left as you twist to the left. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
9. OVER HEAD AND BEHIND NECK: Hold the pole down and in front of your thighs with both hands toward the ends of the pole. KEEP YOUR ARMS STRAIGHT (but not stiff) as you raise the pole over your head. Bend your arms and rest the pole behind your neck. Straighten your arms again and raise the pole over your head and return to the starting position. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
10. UP DOWN BACK DOWN: Hold the pole at each end behind your thighs with your palms facing forward. 1) Bend your elbows and slide the pole up your back, 2) Slide the pole down your back, 3) Raise the pole backward and away from your back and legs as high as you can, 5) Then return to the starting position. Steps l—4 count as ONE REPETITION. Be sure to relax your shoulders each time the pole goes down. Repeat the proper number of repetitions
11. LEAN BACK: Stand with the pole behind your hips. Secure the pole by placing the pole behind your back in the bend of your with your hands on your hips. Push down on your hips to decrease the pressure on your low back. Keep your knees straight as you lean backward from the waist. It helps a great deal to tilt your head back as you lean back. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
STANDING STRETCHES
+ NOTE: ALL PROLONGED STRETCHES SHOULD BE DONE WHILE YOU ARE BREATHING. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH!!!! MOVE INTO MORE OF A STRETCH ONCE THE INITIAL STRETCH SENSATION LESSENS.
12. CALF STRETCH: Stand facing a wall. Place the toes of the left foot against the wall with the right foot and leg behind you. The right calf behind you will be the one stretched. Place the right foot so that the right foot is perpendicular (90 degrees) to the wall you are facing. Keep the heel of the right foot down and the right knee straight as you lean against the wall in front of you. (Some people find resting the left knee on the wall helpful.) If you do not feel a stretch in the right calf, move the heel of the right foot back an inch at a time and attempt the stretch again. The further back the right heel is, the more of a stretch is required of the right calf muscles. Begin repetitions by bending the right knee and then straightening the right knee. Then hold the stretch for 30 seconds with the right knee straight. Then do the stretch for the left calf, beginning with repetitions and ending with a 30 second hold.
FLOOR EXERCISES
13. HAMSTRING STRETCH: Lay on the mat on your back. Grab the back of your right knee with both hands. If you cannot reach around your knee, wrap a towel behind your knee with each end in each hand. Try to keep your left leg flat on the mat or floor. While holding on to your right knee, straighten your right knee so that the right foot moves upward toward the ceiling. Perform the correct number of repetitions, straightening and bending the right knee. Then hold the stretch with right leg straight for 30 seconds. Repeat the correct number of repetitions and then the sustained stretch while holding on to the left knee.
14. FRONT THIGH STRETCH: Lie on your right side and grab your left ankle with your left hand. Keep your thigh parallel to the floor as you pull your ankle back away from your hip — NOT TOWARD YOUR HIP. You should feel the stretch in the front of your thigh. erform the correct number of repetitions then hold the stretch, ankle pulled away from the hip, for 30 seconds. Roll over onto your other side, change hand positions and stretch the other thigh. Perform the correct number of repetitions followed by a sustained stretch of 30 seconds.
15. SIDE LEG LIFT: Lie square on your right side with your legs straight and the top leg on the floor behind the bottom leg with the toes pointing down and touching the floor. The heel should be pointed up toward the ceiling. Raise your top leg straight up toward the ceiling and back down. Be sure that your foot points down to the floor and not up toward the ceiling or your face. Repeat. Roll over on to the other side and repeat the proper number of repetitions.
16. GROIN STRETCH: Get down on the exercise mat on your hands and your knees. While still on your hands and knees, spread your knees as far apart as possible while keeping your spine straight. Move your knees apart to get more of a stretch as needed. Perform repetitions by gently sitting back into the stretch or moving hips backwards to increase the stretch in the inner thigh. Release the stretch by moving the hips forward slightly. End by holding the stretch for 30 seconds. Be sure to breathe while you are stretching.
17. THIGH DIVES AND HEAD ROLLING: While on your back have your knees bent with the feet flat on the mat. Place the feet as far apart as possible. Try to touch the right knee to the floor between your feet as you turn your head to the right. Then try to touch the left knee to the floor between your feet as you turn your head to the left. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
18. ONE LEG FANNY LIFT: While on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor, cross the right leg over the left leg. Keeping the legs crossed, lift your fanny up off the ground. Be sure to keep your hips level while you raise them up. Repeat the appropriate number of times. Cross the left leg over the right and lift the fanny up and down. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
19. PULL THE KNEE ACROSS: While on your back grab the left knee with the right hand and pull the left knee up toward the right shoulder and stretch. Now do the same for the other side by using your left hand to grab the right knee and pull it up toward the left shoulder. Repeat the proper number of repetitions. You may also add a sustained stretch of 30 seconds at the end of repetitions on each leg.
20. TOE POINTER: Bring your right knee to your chest; straighten your leg and point the heel toward the ceiling (your knee must be straight). Now point your toes toward your face, hold your toes in this position as you lower your leg to the floor, keeping your knee straight. Finish by bending your knee so that the foot is flat on the floor. Then do the same on the left side. Repeat the proper number of repetitions by alternating legs.
21. ROLLING ANGEL: Lie on your back with your arms on the floor away from your sides at shoulder height. Your legs should be flat on the floor and the feet should be much wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your feet apart during the exercise. Bring your right arm across your body and touch the floor beneath (or past) your left hand. (Your right shoulder should come up off the floor, as should your right hip.) Return to the starting position and repeat with the left (only one arm should be moving at one time). Try to move so that you are not stiff in the trunk and midsection. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
22. SIDE PIVOT: Lie on your side so that your legs and trunk are in a straight line. Cross your arms over your chest and lift your shoulders and both legs off the mat 2 —3 inches using the elbow on the mat for balance. Stay on your side. Do not roll onto your back. Repeat. Roll over and repeat the proper number of repetitions on the other side.
23. THE SEAL: Lie on your stomach and place your arms down at your sides. 1) Bring your shoulder blades together behind you, 2) Raise your head, shoulder and chest off of the floor while keeping your shoulder blades together, 3) Relax and let your chest, arms and shoulders back down to the floor. Be sure to relax all of your muscles before lifting up for the next repetition. Repeat the proper number of repetitions.
24. PRESS UP AND HOLD: Starting face down, place your hands under your shoulders. Straighten your arms and push your shoulders and chest up off the floor. BE SURE THAT YOUR HIPS STAY ON THE FLOOR AND THAT YOU LET YOUR TUMMY SAG. THE MUSCLES IN THE HIPS AND BACK SHOULD BE RELAXED! Hold the stretch for 5 seconds and repeat.
• If you are not able to do this exercise and keep your hips on the floor, move your hands more forward and/or out to the side on the floor before straightening your arms.
25. CHILD’S POSE: Kneel on your hands and knees with the knees separated about as wide as your hips to allow room for your torso. Bring your hips back attempting to sit back onto the heels of your feet. Allow your head to bend down toward the floor while allowing the chest spine and lower back spine curve in the same manner. Breathe and relax into this position for 20-30 seconds once.
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