Stretching can enhance flexibility and range of motion, boosting exercise performance and helping to prevent injuries. (1) However, specific stretches can be challenging for individuals with limited mobility. Strength coach, physical therapist, and Athlean-X founder Jeff Cavaliere’s top five foundational stretches for beginners to improve flexibility and mobility are:
Jeff Cavaliere’s 5 Stretches for Beginners
- Standing Door Splat
- Kneeling Door Splat
- Hamstring Hinge & Reach
- Thoracic Reach Through
- Child Pose with Arm Sweep
The above exercises don’t require equipment; just a doorway and an open floor.
This quick stretching routine for people who aren’t flexible is a good place to start…[to]…loosen you up [and] feel amazing.
—Jeff Cavaliere
[Related: Jeff Cavaliere’s 8 Most Effective Muscle-Building Exercises]
Standing Door Splat
Target Areas: Hip flexor, thoracic spine, upper arm, shoulder joints
- Stand in a doorway and step one leg halfway through.
- Place both hands on the door frame.
- Gently push your chest through the doorway by sliding forward as far as possible.
- Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat the process.
If you do this right, you’ll feel it in many areas; hip flexor on the outside leg and thoracic spine.
—Jeff Cavaliere
You’ll achieve extension by lengthening the arms against the door frame. Raising the arms allows for a deep stretch in the shoulders, which can be potent for side-sleepers.
Kneeling Door Splat
Target areas: Hip flexor, shoulders
- Start in the doorway and lunge toward the floor.
- Move your second foot through the doorway.
- Rest both arms on the doorframe at chest height and gently lean forward.
- Hold the stretch for 30-60 seconds.
- Switch legs and repeat the process.
“Keep the elbows down, shift through, and feel that good stretch,” Cavaliere stated about the stretch that provides greater hip flexor activation and external shoulder rotation.
Hamstring Hinge & Reach
Target areas: Hamstrings
- Begin with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Place both hands on the inside of your upper thighs.
- Push the hips back until you feel a gentle stretch in the hamstrings.
- Ensure a neutral back throughout.
- Reach one hand down toward the ground to deepen the stretch.
- Advanced position: bring the other hand down as well.
- Hold and breathe.
Don’t bend. Bending to stretch your hamstrings [assumes] posterior pelvic tilt, which takes away all the stretch. Good hamstring stretch [requires] anterior pelvic tilt.”
—Jeff Cavaliere
Thoracic Reach Through
Target areas: Posterior delts, upper back
- Start on the floor, using the forearms and knees for support.
- Slide one forearm under and across your body, threading it behind the opposite elbow.
- Lower gently onto the back of your shoulder; lean into the stretch.
- Hold for 30 seconds, then switch.
You’ll see rotation through the upper back, and feel a good stretch through the posterior shoulder.
—Jeff Cavaliere
This stretch promotes thoracic rotation.
Child Pose Arm Sweep
Target areas: Shoulders, hips, and upper back
- Start on all fours with the knees slightly apart.
- Sit back as comfortably as possible, lowering your hips toward your heels.
- Extend your arms forward until your forehead gently touches the floor.
- Sweep your arms back along your sides.
- Reverse the movement; bring your arms to the starting position.
- Repeat 10 times.
“Thoracic extension through the upper spine feels great,” Cavaliere emphasized.
More Training Content
- “You Look Like Quasimodo” — 3 Steps to Improve Thoracic Mobility & Posture
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- The 7 Worst Gym Machines Your Workout Does NOT Need
Reference
- Guissard, N., & Duchateau, J. (2006). Neural aspects of muscle stretching. Exercise and sport sciences reviews, 34(4), 154–158. https://doi.org/10.1249/01.jes.0000240023.30373.eb
Featured image via Shutterstock/ViDI Studio
