Running routine stretches

Follow these simple stretches to help improve your performance the next time you work out

Stretching is the best way to get your body ready to hit the pavement and can provide some important benefits for when you exercise. These include increasing your range of motion, lowering the risk of injury and helping boost overall performance.

Pre workout
Knee bends
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your hands stretched out. Lower yourself no more than 10cm by bending your knees. Come up and repeat 10 times.

Push ups
A classic exercise which works your upper body, core, and glutes. For those who want to make it less challenging, you can do push ups on your knees. Once you’ve warmed up, you can increase the difficulty by pausing in the lower position for a few seconds.

Hamstring Stretches
Sit on the floor and extend the leg you want to stretch as far as you can. This should leave your leg as close to the floor as possible. Move the foot on your other leg inwards so it is touching the thigh of your extended leg. Then lean forward as if you are trying to touch the foot of your extended leg and hold the pose for 30 seconds before repeating the same stretch with the other leg.

Post workout
Thigh stretch
Grab the top of your left foot behind you and gently pull your heel towards your left buttock to stretch the front of the thigh, keeping the knees touching.  Avoid leaning forwards or to the side. Repeat with the other leg.

Inchworm
Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and arms at your sides. Bend at your waist and place your hands on the floor, bending your knees. Walk your hands forward to come into a high-plank position with your hands flat on the floor, wrists stacked under your shoulders, and your core, quads, and bum engaged. Then, walk your hands back to your feet and stand to return to starting position.

Standing bicep stretch
Stand up straight and place your hands behind your back, then interlace your hands at the base of your spine. Straighten out your arms and turn your hands so your palms are facing down and then raise your arms until you can feel a stretch in your biceps and shoulders. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat three times.