Stretch It: Squatting Hamstring Stretch

If warmer weather has inspired you to exercise outdoors more, I bet your muscles are feeling it. This stretch is for all you runners, hikers, and bikers out there whose hamstrings could use a really deep stretch. And for an added bonus, it’ll also stretch out the soles of your feet. For details on how to do this move without hurting your knees, read more. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Squat down and straighten your left leg out in front of you. Keep your torso up or fold forward to deepen the stretch. I like to place both hands on the floor to help me feel stable. Point your right knee forward or out to the right side, whichever feels more comfortable. If either position hurts your knee, place it on the floor and point through your toes so you’re sitting on your heel. If this still bothers your knee, place the sole of your right root against your left inner thigh, and sit on your bum. Still hurting? Just straighten your right leg. Wherever you are, hold for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

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Stretch It: Squatting Hamstring Stretch

Stretch It: Squatting Hamstring Stretch

If warmer weather has inspired you to exercise outdoors more, I bet your muscles are feeling it. This stretch is for all you runners, hikers, and bikers out there whose hamstrings could use a really deep stretch. And for an added bonus, it’ll also stretch out the soles of your feet. For details on how to do this move without hurting your knees, read more. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Squat down and straighten your left leg out in front of you. Keep your torso up or fold forward to deepen the stretch. I like to place both hands on the floor to help me feel stable. Point your right knee forward or out to the right side, whichever feels more comfortable. If either position hurts your knee, place it on the floor and point through your toes so you’re sitting on your heel. If this still bothers your knee, place the sole of your right root against your left inner thigh, and sit on your bum. Still hurting? Just straighten your right leg. Wherever you are, hold for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

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Stretch It: Squatting Hamstring Stretch

Swimmer Dara Torres Gets a New Lease on Her Knee

Last Summer, swimmer Dara Torres came home from the Olympics with three silver medals. An astounding feat for any athlete, but especially impressive since Torres was 41 when she competed in Beijing, making her the oldest woman to ever swim in the history of the games, and she was competing in pain. Days after her return from China, Dara had shoulder surgery to help alleviate shoulder pain caused from degenerative arthritis. Unfortunately her pain and surgeries did not end there - knee pain due to missing cartilage made simple acts like going up and down stairs impossible. Although she would like to compete in the 2012 games, Dara said she would also like to chase her young daughter without pain. These are the reasons she underwent a radical and cutting edge (pun intended) knee surgery . For details on her experimental surgery, read more. Prior to the surgery, Dara’s knee was mined for cartilage cells - 10,000 cells, which all together were about the size of three Tic-Tacs. Over several weeks, the cartilage cells multiplied in a lab to 50 million cells. In surgery, a patch was sewn over the gap in her knee where the cartilage was missing and the new cells were injected into the patch. An MRI done six weeks post-op reveals that cartilage is growing. Dara is back in the pool, although not kicking, and she will be holding off on weight training for months. Already feeling the benefits of “fixing” her knee, Torres says, “The competition, the swimming - that’s so not even an issue compared to trying to be there for your daughter.” Leading a very physical life takes a toll on the body, but I think it’s cool to hear about new surgical procedures to help heal age-old problems. Do you think she will compete in the 2012 Olympics?

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Swimmer Dara Torres Gets a New Lease on Her Knee

Maximize Your Quad Stretch

David Beckham can make a common quad stretch look sexy. The Pilates instructor in me, however, take issue with his form. His stretching form, that is. To see how Becks can improve his technique, simply read more. Let me start with a positive comment.I think it is great that these teammates are supporting each other for balancing assistance so they can focus on their stretching. However, David should have the insides of his knees touching. Doing so increases the stretch on the outside of the thigh, the lateral quad muscle which tend to be much tighter than the inner quad. When the knee cap on the leg you’re stretching is not pointed directly at the ground you can stress the inner portion of the knee joint. If I were stretching with Beckham, I would tell him to increase the stretch by squeezing his glute max (the large muscles in the behind) rather than pulling heel closer to his bum. Next time you stretch your quad, think of Becks but remember these pointers too.

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Maximize Your Quad Stretch

No Equipment Necessary: Lying T Dancer

You can increase the flexibility of your spine, abs, shoulders, and hip flexors, all in one move. I picked up this move, the lying T dancer, from American distance runner and Olympic bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan . Start slowly moving from side to side to really feel the stretch, then quicken your pace in order to get your heart rate up. If you’re curious to know how to do this move read more. Lie on your belly and extend your arms out in T position, so they are perpendicular with your body. Press the top of your left foot into the floor and lift your right leg up, bending your knee and reaching your toes toward your left hand. This takes a lot of flexibility in your spine and hip flexors, so don’t worry if your foot doesn’t come close to your hand. Then bring your right foot back to the starting position. Lift your left foot off the floor, bending your knee, and reaching your left toes to your right hand. Come back to the starting position. This completes one rep. Do three sets of 10 to 15 reps.

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No Equipment Necessary: Lying T Dancer

[E Get Fit ] Can Curves Help With Building Muscle Strength?

From Diet Blog Share: I have let myself go as far as my physical condition is concerned. Plenty of excuses or reasons, such as going through a divorce, going through menopause, raising twins with special needs (preteens who now are 18), struggling to work and be a mom, etc. But, now I am obese and disintegrating! I have had a bad knee since I tore it to pieces when I was 22 years old. The reconstruction worked for a couple of decades, but now my knee is weak, my leg muscles are atrophying, and I am becoming less and less energetic. I used to run and play tennis and kept my weight reasonable. Now, if I walk in the woods with my dog for 30 minutes my knee throbs, and my hips and ankle hurts. How can I do a cardiovascular workout when my body won’t cooperate? I am thinking of trying Curves because it sounds like it is self paced. Has anyone had any experience with Curves who was really just trying to build up muscle strength?

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[E Get Fit ] Can Curves Help With Building Muscle Strength?