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Stretches, Exercises, Tips and More!

Here are some stretches to strengthen and warm up your muscles...

Feet and ankles

bar RISES

- lightly hold onto a barre(a kitchen counter will work as well...)

1. stand with heels together, toes out

2. push up onto the ball of your feet and hold (see picture on the right,

courtesy of http://greatdayamerica.com/style/fitness/ballet.shtml

3. go up and down until your muscles start to feel very warm (probably about 25 times or so)

4. go onto the balls of your feet again then try and push up onto the very tips of the toes....hold for short periods of time....(repeat 10 times)

bar

ANKLE CIRCLES

foot

1. Lift your leg off the ground

2. Slowly circle your toes around clockwise for about 30 times

3. Reverse directions and circle foot counter-clockwise

4. Repeat with other foot

Legs

bar BACK OF THE LEG STRETCHES (#1)...

1. Sit straight up, with your legs together in front of you. Bend your upper body forward, grabbing hold of your feet (see picture on right).

2. Hold for 30 seconds, relax, then repeat...

bar BACK OF THE LEG STRETCHES (#2)...

leg
1. Place leg on a surface higher than your waist

2. Reach your head down to your knee, grabbing hold of your foot

3. Hold for 30 sec. to a minute

4. Relax, then repeat

5. Do the same on the opposite leg

bar SPLITS

splits
1. Place one of your legs out in front of you, and one directly behind

2. Gradually increase the distance between the front and the back foot, lowering yourself to the ground

3. When you reach to point when your muscles are being stretched but not pulled, hold for 1-5 minutes

4. Repeat with the opposite leg in front

bar A STRETCH TO IMPROVE QUIVERS AND HOP-TO-THE-KNEES

pull in
1. Lie Flat on your back

2. Keep one leg straight and pull the other one into your chest bending your knee

3. Hold, relax, repeat, then do the same to the other leg

bar STRENGHTEN YOUR QUADS (LEG LIFTS)

quad stretch
- This can be done either standing up or sitting down....(If you do it sitting down you will only have to raise your leg about a foot or two. If you are doing it standing up, you will obviously have to lift it much higher in relation to the ground)

1. Standing up (or sitting down) Slowly raise your leg so that it is above your waist

2. Making sure that your knee is straight, your leg turned out, and your foot is pointed, hold for 30+ seconds

3. Relax, repeat a number of times, then do the same to the opposite leg

bar INNER LEG STRETCH

leg2
1. Stand with feet a shoulder width or so apart, toes pointed forwards

2. Stretch to one side, and hold

3. Alternate with the other side, holding one, then the other

Legs

animation on the right courtesty of www.betterbodz.com

CRUNCHES AND SIT-UPS

Click HERE to go to a site that explains many excellent abdominal exercises.

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly bent and your feet on the floor

2. Place your hands behind your head with fingers interlaced together.

3. Perform the following movements simultaneously:
a. Pull your hips from the floor using your lower abdominal muscles.
b. Raise your shoulders and back from the floor using your upper abdominal muscles
c. Force your shoulders in moving them toward your hips
d. exhale hard

4. Hold the contracted position for a slow count of 1-3 seconds.

5. Repeat until tired

bar

ON THE BACK LEG LIFTS

1. Lie flat on your back

2. Lift your legs(together) off the ground about 6 inches

3. Hold for 30+ seconds

4. Relax, then repeat