8 Stretches You Should be Doing Every Day

Ask anyone, even athletes, and especially male athletes, what their least favorite fitness routine is, and they’ll all likely give you the same answer—stretching. After all, the main concerns are gains in endurance and strength, right?

Actually, strength and flexibility are best friends, and they don’t like to go anywhere without one another. The problem is that stretching takes time, and the results, unlike the exertion of exercise, aren’t immediately noticeable. Why take the time to uncomfortably stand around for ten minutes when you could be joyously running or swimming or hiking?

Although there is renewed debate on the details in the medical community, stretching is currently thought to improve not only our range of motion, but also decreases the risk of injury during exercise when paired with a good warm-up routine.

Contrary to popular opinion, stretching doesn’t so much make muscles longer as much as it tricks your nervous system into giving you a wider range of motion. Many of us sit all day—we live in a sedentary culture, after all. Our bodies adapt to this range of motion, and so our nervous system sets off alarms at the slightest hint of stretching. We can overcome this oversensitivity over time by exposing our muscles to different stretching techniques. Overriding the stretching pain response can give us back our normal range of motion, even after being deskbound and inflexible for years.

So in the interest of a better range of motion, decreased chances of injury, and simply a general sense of wellbeing, let’s look at 8 great stretches that you should be doing every day. We’ve included plenty of hip and leg stretches in order to loosen up those muscles that are tightened by sitting.

Get stretching!

Standing Hip Circles

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This stretch affects the hip abductors and adductors—the muscles on the inner thighs and the outside of your hips. Because these muscles are rare stretched or exercised, this is a great place to start your stretching routine, and also doubles as an excellent warm-up. This very overlooked set of muscles can be very prone to injury—especially the inner thighs, so make sure to perform this stretch.

As with most stretches, be sure to move slowly, and never jerk or bounce as you stretch. Take your time; you'll gain a greater range of motion slowly over the next few weeks.

To Perform Standing Hip Circles.

1. Stand on one leg.

2. Raise the unsupported knee to the front, as close to a 90 degree angle as you can get.

3. Make a large circle with your knee, moving it toward the outside of your body, and then back to its original position. Perform 5-10 repetitions.

4. Repeat with the opposite leg.

To get more information, detailed pictures, and to view a video of this stretch in action, visit Bodybuilding.com's page on the standing hip circles stretch.

Front Leg Raises

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This stretch targets your “desk muscles”. When you sit for long periods of time, your hamstrings—the muscles on the bottoms of your thighs—are constantly in a relaxed state. This quickly leads to a feeling of inflexibility in the legs that great affects everything from running to walking to dancing—even simply lying flat can become uncomfortable. Shake out your hamstrings and get loose with this very simple stretch.

To Perform the Front Leg Raise

1. Stand next to something that you can support yourself with, such as a chair.

2. Swing one of your legs forward, keeping it as straight as possible, and then bring it backward as far as you can. Do not swing your leg with excessive force, and, as always, stop if pain occurs. Repeat this 5-10 times, and then switch.

To view more information and an instructional video for this stretch, visit Bodybuilding.com's on the front leg raise stretch.

Groin and Back Stretch

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This is an easy stretch that you can do right in the office, although you may look like you’re having a panic attack to others. The groin and back stretch targets the adductors, which are the muscles of the inner thigh, and the most of the major muscles in the back. Again, the adductors do not receive the attention they deserve—they’re rarely used in everyday movements, but are essential for stability.

Your back needs to be stretched as well, and this exercise is a safe way to do so.

To Perform the Groin and Back Stretch.

1. Sit on the floor with the soles of your shoes together and your knees bent.

2. Lock your fingers behind your head.

3. Curl downward, bringing your elbows to your thighs. Pause briefly, and then return to your starting position, repeating this 10-20 times.

For further instruction and more details, check out the Bodybuilding.com page for the groin and back stretch, which includes video and pictures.

Upward Stretch

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Next, we move on to the upper body, and to a stretch which should feel quite familiar. It involves a motion that most of us do, in some form, each morning as we rise from our beds.

The upward stretch acts upon the shoulder muscles, and doing this regularly will lead to increased comfort at your desk as you gain a wider range of motion in your upper body.

To Perform the Upward Stretch

1. Extend your arms straight above your head, with your hands touching.

2. Slowly push your hands up and back, holding for 10-20 seconds.

Again, do not jerk or bounce as you stretch; make sure that you use only smooth, slow motions so that you do not injure yourself. Remember—this isn’t a race. Take your time as you stretch.

For video and pictures of this stretch, visit Bodybuilding.com's page on the upward stretch.

Standing Biceps Stretch

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The standing biceps stretch acts on—you guessed it—the biceps. This stretch will leave your arms feeling more movable than ever, which is especially helpful if you’re engaged in any upper-body activities like baseball. Since this is the muscle that is, among men, disproportionately worked out, it often becomes much larger than the triceps muscles on the backs of the arms, and pulls the arms at an odd angle. To remedy this, stretch your biceps, and give your triceps just as much of a workout as the rest of your arms. Your body will thank you.

To Perform the Standing Biceps Stretch.

1. Clasp your hands behind your back with palms facing outward and downward.

2. Raise your arms and hold until you feel your biceps stretch. Hold this for 10-20 seconds.

For more detailed information, as well as pictures and video, please view Bodybuilding.com's instructions on the standing biceps stretch.

Triceps Side Stretch

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This stretch is the opposite of the standing biceps stretch, and acts upon the triceps—the muscles on at the back of your upper arms. It is important to stretch muscles that are antagonists to one another—that work against each other—so that a flexibility imbalance does not develop. This is true for strength training as well, as having a strength imbalance can actually pull your posture out of alignment, causing spinal issues.

To Perform the Triceps Side Stretch

1. Bring your right arm across your body, over your left shoulder, and hold your elbow with your left hand.

2. Pull until you feel a stretch in your tricep. Hold for 10-20 seconds, and repeat with the opposite arm.

As before, visit this page for further details on the triceps side stretch.

Dynamic Chest Stretch

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The dynamic chest stretch affects the pectorals—your chest muscles. Sitting hunched over at your desk all day shortens the effective range of motion of these muscles almost as much as in your legs, so this is an important stretch for overall body mobility.

To Perform the Dynamic Chest Stretch

1. Stand with your arms extended straight in front of you, palms touching.

2. Keeping your arms as straight as possible, quickly move your arms back as far as you can, and back in, as if you’re clapping. Repeat this 5-10 times.

This stretch is meant to be done more quickly than many others in order to get a good stretch in, but take care that you do not injure yourself—listen to your body. If you feel pain, stop.

For video of this stretch, visit Bodybuilding.com's page on the dynamic chest stretch.

Foam Roll Iliotibial Band

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This is another stretch that focuses on that abductors—the muscles on the outsides of your hips that are often very tight as a result of constant sitting and little motion throughout the day. This stretch is a little more difficult, but is well worth the effort—it is one of the best isolation hip stretches.

To perform the Foam Roll Iliotibial Band

1. Lay on your side, with your bottom leg placed onto a foam roller, with the roller halfway up your thigh. The opposite leg can be crossed in front of you.

2. Place as much weight as possible on your bottom leg, relaxing the muscles of the leg you are stretching.

3. Roll your leg over the foam from your hip to your knee, pausing for 10-30 seconds when you feel the stretch. Repeat with the opposite leg.

Click here to watch the video of the foam roll iliotibial band stretch before attempting it, as it can be confusing at first. Get the hang of it, though, and you’ll feel more limber than ever before!