The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (2024)

Flexibility

Paige Waehner, CPT

Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer"; and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness."

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Updated on May 02, 2024

Medically reviewed

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Michael Lau, PT, DPT, CSCS

Medically reviewed byMichael Lau, PT, DPT, CSCS

Michael Lau, PT, DPT, CSCS, is a licensed physical therapist, strength and conditioning coach, and co-founder of The Prehab Guys.

Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises can help increase flexibility, promote recovery, and prevent injury. Post-workout stretching—when your muscles are warm—has multiple benefits including greater flexibility, stress relief, recovery, and reduced soreness.

Benefits of Stretching Exercises

Builds greater overall flexibility
Relieves stress
Helps your body get back to its pre-exercise state
Gives your mind and body a chance to reflect on the workout
May reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and stiffness

You don't have to spend a lot of time on stretching exercises to get the benefits. This total body flexibility workout has stretches so simple that you can do them anytime or anywhere—after a workout, at work, or while watching TV.

These stretching exercises promote flexibility and relaxation while targeting all major muscles of the body, including those that are chronically tight like the chest, shoulders, back, arms, hips, and legs. Try to stretch every day, if you can, for better results.

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Watch Now: 8 Total Body Stretching Exercises to Help You Relax

Try these stretching exercises to get rid of any extra tension you may be carrying around.See your doctor if you have any medical conditions, illnesses, or injuries that may affect your ability to stretch.

You will need a chair, exercise ball, or bench to sit on.Warm upwith 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio, or complete these stretching exercises after a workout or a bath when your muscles are warm.

Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat one to three times. Avoid any exercises that cause pain or discomfort and only stretch as deep as you are able. The stretch should feel good and shouldn't hurt. If your muscles are shaking, you need to back off a bit and let your muscles relax .

14 Cool-Down Stretches to Add to Your Workout Routine

Quad Stretch

The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (3)

Stand and hold onto a wall or the back of a chair for balance if needed.
Grab the top of the left foot and bend your knee, bringing the foot toward the glutes, knee pointing straight at the floor. You should feel a stretch down the front of your leg.
Squeeze your hips forward for a deeper stretch.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times per leg.

Standing Hamstring Stretch

The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (4)

Take your left foot forward with your heel on the ground and tip from the hips, keeping your back flat.
Lower down until you feel a stretch in the back of the leg.
Rest your hands on your upper thighs to support your back.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times.

Ifyou feel shaky or your hamstrings are tight, use a resistance band for more leverage.

Chest and Shoulder Stretch

The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (5)

Sit or stand and clasp your hands behind your back, arms straight.
Lift your hands toward the ceiling, going only as high as is comfortable. You should feel a stretch in your shoulders and chest.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeating one to three times.

If your shoulders are tight, try taking your arms behind you and out to the sides like an airplane.

Upper Back Stretch

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Clasp your hands together in front of you and round your back, pressing your arms away from your body to feel a stretch in your upper back.
Contract your abs to get the most out of this stretch.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeating one to three times.

Biceps Stretch

Take your arms out to the sides, slightly behind you, with your thumbs up, like a hitchhiker.
Rotate your thumbs down and back until they are pointing to the back wall to stretch the biceps.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeating one to three times.

Shoulder Stretch

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Take your right arm straight across your chest and curl the left hand above your elbow, gently pulling on the right arm to deepen the stretch in the shoulders.
Try dropping your shoulder down if you're not feeling a stretch.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times on each side.

Seated Side Stretch

The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (8)

Sitting or standing, clasp your hands straight up overhead, palms facing the ceiling.
Stretch up and then over to the right, feeling a stretch down your left side.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times.

Triceps Stretch

The 8 Best Total Body Stretches to Improve Flexibility (9)

Bend your right elbow behind your head and use the right hand to gently pull the left elbow in further until you feel a stretch in your triceps.
Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and switch sides, repeating one to three times.

1 Source

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Apostolopoulos N, Metsios GS, Flouris AD, Koutedaki Y, Wyon MA. The relevance of stretch intensity and position-A systematic review. Front Psychol. 2015;6:1128. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01128

By Paige Waehner, CPT
Paige Waehner is a certified personal trainer, author of the "Guide to Become a Personal Trainer," and co-author of "The Buzz on Exercise & Fitness."

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