Follow along with this 10-minute FULL BODY STRETCH ROUTINE at home. The perfect way to cool down after a home workout, or add this full body stretching routine to your next active recovery day. Designed to release low back pain, tight hips and tense muscles, these 15 stretching exercises are for beginners and advanced athletes.
Having a daily stretching routine is a great way to increase blood flow and reduce stiffness.
Stretching, cool down, range of motion (ROM), active recovery. Muscle recovery is debatably the most important part of a well-rounded fitness routine, and yet, it seems to be the first thing to get skipped when we’re short on time.
If you regularly do my home workouts, you are an ATHLETE. Which means you need a dynamic stretching routine to recover like an athlete. Rest and recovery are vital to seeing the results you want from your daily workouts.
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Full Body Stretch FAQs
What Are The Benefits Of A Full Body Stretching Routine?
Full body stretching is so important and has several benefits like: increases active range of motion (ROM), better posture, prevents and heals back pain, relieves stress, improves circulation and relaxation, increases flexibility, prevents injury, decreases sore muscles and improves athletic performance. Strengthening and stretching specific muscle groups, promotes proper alignment, reduces musculoskeletal pain and improves your overall athletic performance.
How Often Should I Stretch?
DAILY. With 2-3 longer full body stretching sessions a week. Having a daily stretching routine is a great way to increase blood flow and reduce stiffness. Having a 10-Minute Morning Stretch Routine after a prolonged period of inactivity (like after 8 hours of sleep) is a great way to wake up. Harvard Health says that healthy adults should aim for 2-3 longer stretching sessions a week, so that’s my personal goal when it comes to longer stretching sessions.
What Are The Types Of Stretching?
The two most common types of daily stretching include: dynamic and static stretches. Dynamic Stretches are done BEFORE a workout as it helps get your muscles warmed up. Prepare your body for exercise with a 5-Minute Warm Up and 10-Minute Dynamic Warm Up. Static stretches are stretches that you hold for 15-30 seconds and are done AFTER your workout to help loosen up tight muscles after exercise. Cool down your body after exercise with 8 Best Foam Rolling Exercises and 8 Upper Body Stretches.
10-Minute Full Body Stretch Routine
This daily stretching routine is for anyone looking to:
Gain Flexibility
Increase Range of Motion
Prevent Injury
Join me for this 10-minute full-body stretch routine designed to release tight hips, hamstrings, hip flexors, groin, lower back and chest muscles.
Stretch Routine Equipment:
No equipment, just your bodyweight.
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Plank Walk Out And Low Runner’s Lunge (Hip Flexor Stretch)
Targets: Hamstrings, low back, shoulders, hips, hip flexors, glutes and core.
Note, you can hold the low lunge or hip flexor stretch for as long as 60 seconds per side.
How To Do A Plank Walk Out And Low Runner’s Lunge
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart; arms straight overhead.
Hinge forward, pressing your hips directly back, soles of your feet remain flat on the mat if possible. Reach your fingertips to the mat and slowly walk out to a high plank position with your hands on the floor.
Find a high plank, palms flat on the mat, shoulders stacked over wrists, core engaged, creating a straight line from your head to your heels.
Exhale as you step your right foot outside of your right hand, planting it on the mat.
Grounding through your left hand, open up towards the right, reaching your right elbow and right arm up towards the ceiling. Gaze follows fingertips.
Return your right hand to the mat, then step back to high plank.
Walk your hands back to meet your feet and stand tall.
Then, repeat the plank walk out. This time, after finding a high plank, step your left foot outside your left hand. Open up towards the left, reaching your left elbow and left arm up towards the ceiling.
Cat Cow Stretch
Targets: Spine and low back.
The simple cat cow pose improves blood circulation between the vertebrae of your spine. Great for relieving back pain and stress.
How To Do A Cat Cow Stretch
Start in a table top position (quadruped) on all fours. Shoulders are stacked over wrists and hips are stacked over knees.
Find a neutral spine — think of the spine as a straight line connecting the shoulders to the hips. Keep the neck long by looking down and out.
As you inhale, find an arch pose by curling your toes under and tilting your pelvis back so that your tailbone sticks up. Drop the belly down as you draw your navel in.
Take your gaze gently up toward the ceiling. This is cow pose.
On your exhale, round out for cat pose. Release the tops of your feet to the floor and tuck your tailbone.
Draw your navel toward your spine and drop your head, gazing toward your navel.
Repeat this sequence of arching and rounding out for 30-60 seconds.
Crescent Lunge To Warrior One With Chest Expansion
Targets: Hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, chest, shoulders, torso and erector spinae muscles.
A great stretch for cyclists, runners or those who sit most of the day. Also great for improving balance and core strength.
How To Do A Crescent Lunge To Warrior One With Chest Expansion
Start in a low lunge position, right foot forward, left foot back. Drop your back left knee towards the mat.
Your right knee is directly over your right ankle and your front right thigh is parallel to the ground.
Inhale and bring your arms above your head, keeping the arms and elbows in line with your ears.
To deepen into the lunge for this hip flexor stretch, press firmly into your feet as you allow your hips to shift forward.
Then, turn your back (left) foot out to find Warrior One. Back foot is now parallel (heel to arch alignment). Bring your arms out to a T position.
Option to wrap your hands behind your back for a chest expansion.
Hold for 30 to 60 seconds before switching sides.
Pyramid Pose (Hamstring Stretch)
Targets: Posterior chain (backside of the body) — hamstrings, low back, spine and hips.
How To Do A Pyramid Pose
Start in a staggered stance, right foot forward, left foot back. Hips are square to the front.
Bend forward to hinge at the hips and frame your front foot with your hands. Think less about how far you can reach down and more about how much you can push your hips back.
Press through your front right heel. You should feel a stretch along the back of your right and left leg, specifically stretching your front right leg hamstring. Note, only stretch until there is mild to moderate tension on the back of the leg (hamstrings). Flexibility will improve over time in this hamstring stretch.
Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Switch your staggered stance, alternating to bring your back leg (left leg) forward and and repeat to stretch the left hamstring.
The puppy pose is great for calming the body, relieving stress and anxiety. As well as releasing tension in you upper arms, shoulders, and neck. It’s similar to child’s pose but your hips stay high.
How To Do A Puppy Dog Stretch
Start in a table top position (quadruped) on all fours. Shoulders are stacked over wrists and hips are stacked over knees (knees bent at 90 degrees).
Then, walk your hands away from your body.
Extend your hands as far out in front of your body as possible while keeping your hips high.
Think about creating length from fingertips to tailbone.
Hold this position for 60 seconds, lengthening from fingertips to tailbone with each exhale.
Reverse Table Top
Targets: Chest, shoulders, back, neck, arms, knees and hips.
Reverse table top pose, also called crab pose, opens the chest and stimulates the respiratory and endocrine systems.
How To Do A Reverse Table Top
Begin seated on your mat, legs bent at 90 degrees, feet on the mat. Rest your hands behind you, shoulder-width distance apart; fingertips facing your butt.
Press your heels into the floor, using your hamstrings and glutes to lift your hips off the ground. Your body should form a straight line from torso to knees, shoulders stacked directly over your wrists and knees stacked directly over your ankles.
Hold this position for 30-60 seconds.
Then, slowly lower your hips down to return to the starting position.
Why Is Stretching Important?
Injury Prevention
Range of Motion
We all know that exercise is GOOD for our bodies. But by its nature, exercises and intense workouts put our muscles, connective tissues, joints and ligaments under stress and strain.
Stretching keeps the muscles flexible and healthy, which helps prevent injury.
Without stretching, the muscles can shorten and become tight (due to compression happening during workouts or everyday activities like sitting in an office chair for extended periods of time).
Tight muscles make it difficult to get a full range of motion in your joints, which is necessary to safely and effectively perform many exercises. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage. (Harvard Health)
Plus, a full range of motion can translate to more effective workouts. Take a squat, for example. If you have a greater range of motion in your hips and knees, you can sink deeper into a squat and better engage the glutes as you power up.
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6 comments
Love this stretch routine and have begun to incorporate it into my workouts at least 3 times a week. Have just completed my second 30 day workout plan of yours and find this a great way to love my muscles again after any of your training sessions. Loving the variety and even some of the ‘holy banana’ moments!
Hi Kerry! So glad you enjoyed this full body stretch; 3 times a week, you’re a rockstar! Way to stretch it out! And crushing the 30 day workout plans too! Keep up the great work! – Lindsey
I finally did this routine after seeing you post on Instagram. Thank you! You are so encouraging and energetic in your videos, and I appreciate your expertise as well. I think I now know how to get an effective stretch out of pyramid pose, after having done it for ages!
Nice work Sarah! Glad you gave this stretching routine a try — it feels so good (especially if you’re tight and sore)! Pyramid pose is SO GOOD for the hammies! And thank you for following along, I hope you keep coming back for more. -Lindsey
thank you so much for this post and this stretch routine!
So glad you like this stretching routine Stefanie! A great add-on to any workout or solid stretch routine on its own!
-Lindsey
Full Body Stretch
Full Body Stretch
Love this stretch routine and have begun to incorporate it into my workouts at least 3 times a week. Have just completed my second 30 day workout plan of yours and find this a great way to love my muscles again after any of your training sessions. Loving the variety and even some of the ‘holy banana’ moments!
Hi Kerry! So glad you enjoyed this full body stretch; 3 times a week, you’re a rockstar! Way to stretch it out! And crushing the 30 day workout plans too! Keep up the great work! – Lindsey
I finally did this routine after seeing you post on Instagram. Thank you! You are so encouraging and energetic in your videos, and I appreciate your expertise as well. I think I now know how to get an effective stretch out of pyramid pose, after having done it for ages!
Nice work Sarah! Glad you gave this stretching routine a try — it feels so good (especially if you’re tight and sore)! Pyramid pose is SO GOOD for the hammies! And thank you for following along, I hope you keep coming back for more. -Lindsey
thank you so much for this post and this stretch routine!
So glad you like this stretching routine Stefanie! A great add-on to any workout or solid stretch routine on its own!
-Lindsey