synerstretch stretching routines

7/29/2019 Synerstretch stretching routines

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The Rout ines

SYNERSTRETCH A

Synerstretch A is a quick maintenance routine for those already flexible. It was designed for

bodybuilders, martial artists, and other athletes as an end-of-workout cool down. You can alsouse it if you're not particularly loose, don't want to put in the effort to get particularly loose,

but don't want to get tighter as a result of bodybuilding, power lifting, wrestling, or whateveryour athletic pursuit m ay be. ''Maintenance'' is the key word here.

lf you are new to flexibility work, you should expect some mild discomfort in the muscle group

being stretched during the exercises. This is natural. There is a definite difference, however,between the sharp, persistent pain of injury and the dull burning of a muscle being urged to

greater lengths. The first is a setback; the second, a necessity.As you do the program described on the following pages, consciously try to relax the muscles

you're stretching. It helps to think of them as limp rubber bands or elastic thread. Try to ''feel''the muscle lengthening- use your breathing as an aid. Each time you exhale, the muscle

should seem to get longer and looser. Stretching can be a form of meditation. The rhythmicbreathing, the un-kinking of tension-knotted muscle, and the steady concentration involved act

together to pacify the mind. Enjoy the exercise for its own sake; flexibility will follow.

Low er Body

Exercise Duration

One-person Seated Groin Stretch

Step 1 ......................... 20 secondsStep 2 ......................... 20 seconds

Step 3 ......................... 20 secondsOne-person Lying Buttock/

Lower Back Stretch . . . . 20 secondsOne-person Seated Calf/

Hamstring Stretch (Right Leg)Step 1 ......................... 20 seconds

Step 2 ......................... 20 seconds


One-person Seated Calf/Hamstring Stretch (Left Leg)


Step 3 ......................... 20 seconds

Step 4 ......................... 20 secondsOne-person Lying

Groin Stretch ………………… 20 seconds

Upper Body

Exercise Duration

One-person Side/

Rear Shoulder Stretch (left) .......10 seconds(right).................................... 10 seconds

One- or Two-personBicep/Front Shoulder Stretch .....10 seconds

O ne-person Standing or Two-personKneeling Triceps Stretch (left) ... 10 seconds

(right)..................................... 10 secondsOne- or Two-person Chest/

Front Shoulder Stretch …........... 10 seconds



The Rout ines

SYNERSTRETCH B

Synerstretch B is intended to help you develop flexibility. Anyone can use it. Dancers and

Martial artists should find it particularly useful for cutting down on lengthy stretch workouts.

All but one of the exercises in SynerStretch B use the Isometric Stretch Technique. For thelarge leg muscles, each stretch should be composed of three reps at 30 seconds each. For the

smaller upper body muscles, two reps at 10 seconds each is sufficient.

Low er Body

Exercise Duration

One-person Seated Groin Stretch3 sets @ 30 sec

One-person Lying Buttock/

Lower Back Stretch . . . . 3 sets @ 30 sec

Either:

One-person Seated Calf/Hamstring Stretch (Right Leg)

Step 1 ......................... 3 sets @ 30 sec

Step 2 ......................... 3 sets @ 30 secOr:

Two-Person Lying Hamstring Stretch3 sets @ 30 sec

Either:

One-person Seated Calf/

Hamstring Stretch (Left Leg)Step 1 ......................... 3 sets @ 30 sec

Step 2 ......................... 3 sets @ 30 secOr:

Two-Person Lying Hamstring Stretch3 sets @ 30 sec

Two Person SeatedGroin Stretch ………………… 3 sets @ 30 sec

Upper Body

Exercise Duration

One-person Side/Rear Shoulder Stretch

(left)………………………………..2 Sets @10 seconds

(right).......................... 2 Sets @10 seconds

One- or Two-personBicep/Front Shoulder Stretch .....10 seconds

One-person Standing or Two-person

Kneeling Triceps Stretch

(left)………………………………..2 Sets @10 seconds(right).......................... 2 Sets @10 seconds

Two-person Chest/Front Shoulder Stretch

2 Sets @10 seconds



One Person Ly ing Gro in St r e tchgroin, tendon ru nning down inside leg to knee Lie on your back with your legs pointing straight up in the air. Slowly spread your

legs to the sides (Fig E-1). Your lower body should be at a right angle to your torso.

Synerstretch A

Reach up, grab your shins and gently pulldown to increase the stretch. Make sureyou keep your knees locked straight. Gowith your breathing for about a minute,then slowly release the pressure.

Synerstretch B

This exercise in not suitable as anisometric stretch. Isometrically contractingthe groin muscles while holding theposition by grabbing calves or ankleswould put potentially damaging stress onyour knee ligaments.



Tw o Person Seated Gro in S t re t chGroin

Syners t r e t ch A

The passive stretch version of the exercise is

more intense than necessary for amaintenance routine, so we don’t recommend

it.

Syners t r e t ch B

Sit on the ground in front of your partner with

your legs spread just to the point at which youbegin to feel the stretch in your groin (and

probably in the tendons running along theinside of your leg near your knee). Have your

partner slip his feet under your legs next to

your knees, on the groin side (Fig F-1). As analternative, you can have your partner sit in

front of you and place his feet against yourlegs just below your knees. (Fig F-2). If you

choose the alternative position, don’t let yourpartner apply pressure at your calves or

ankles; an isometric stretch in this positionputs too much pressure on your knee

ligaments.

Tense your groin muscles by pushing in on

your partners legs. The push should be intense,but not painful. Maintain pressure for 30

seconds, then slowly relax.

Have your partner grab the balls of your feet

and bring your legs together (Fig F-3).

Repeat the entire procedure three times. Eachtime you spread your legs, you should find

they go a bit further than during the previousrep.



Tw o Pers on Ly i ng Ham s t r i ng S t re t c hhamstrings

Synerstretch A

This exercise is not suitable for the passivestretch technique.

Synerstretch B

Lie on your back with your legs extendedout in front of you. Have your partner raiseyour right leg. He or she should stopraising it when you begin to feel the stretchin your hamstrings(Fig. D-1). Do Not BendYour Leg (Fig. D-2).

Tense your right hamstrings, pushingagainst your partner’s hip. Your partnershould be braced well enough so that no

motion occurs . Your push should be

intense but not painful.

Maintain the isometric contraction for about30 seconds, then relax.

Let your partner bend your leg at the knee(Fig D-3), lower it to the ground, straightenit out (Fig D-4), and then bring it back intoposition in preparation for the nextrepetition. Even after just this one rep, youshould be able to bring your leg up higherbefore you begin to feel the stretch.

Repeat for a total of three reps with theright leg, followed by three reps with theleft.



Tw o Person Knee l ing T r i cep St r e tchTriceps

Kneel and reach straight up with your right arm so your right elbow is in line with and slightlyabove your right ear. Your hand should be open, palm facing forward. Bend at the elbow and

lower your forearm straight back while keeping your upper arm locked against your ear. (FigM-1)

Your partner should grab your right hand in his left hand and stand as illustrated in Fig M-2.

Once in position, your right wrist should be bent all the way back and your upper arm should

still be locked against your ear.

Syners t r e t ch A

Have your partner gently push straight backon your upper arm while keeping your elbow

bent as far as it will go. (Fig M-2) He shouldalso be pulling up against your arm. Hold for

about 5 seconds, then release slowly. Repeatfor a total of two repetitions for each arm.

Lean forward slightly throughout the stretch toprevent you back from arching.

Syners t r e t ch B

Have your partner gently push straight back onyour upper arm while keeping your elbow bent

as far as it will go (Fig M-2). He should stoppushing and lock your arm in place when the

stretch is noticeable but not painful.

Now, tense your triceps by trying to straighten

out your arm; the push should be intense, butnot painful. Make sure your partner prevents

any motion from occurring. Maintain theisometric contraction for 10 seconds, then

slowly relax. Gently straighten out your arm.

After a second or two, repeat the entire

procedure with the same arm. Do a total of three reps with each arm.



Tw o Person Ches t / Fron t Shou lder St r e tchUpper pectorals, anterior deltoid head

Stand up straight with your elbows bent and your hands resting on top of one another, palmsout, on your buttocks (Fig K-1). Your partner should stand behind you in the position

illustrated in Fig K-2.

Syners t r e tch A

Have your partner slowly move your elbowsback and toward one another in an arc. Hold

for five seconds, then return to startingposition. Repeat.

If you don’t have good upper pectoraldevelopment, don’t expect your elbows to

touch the first time you do this exercise.

When this gets too easy, intensify the stretchby starting with your hands on your lower

back instead of your buttocks.

Syners t r e tch B

Have your partner slowly move your elbowsback and together in an arc until you feel the

stretch. The stretch should not be painful.Tense your shoulders and chest, pushing

outward on your partner’s hands. Your partner

should match your push so no motion occurs.Maintain the isometric contraction for 10

seconds, then slowly relax.

Shake your arms. Repeat the entire proceduretwo more times for a total of three reps.



Tw o Pers on Bi cep / Fron t Shou lde r S t re t c hBicep, anterior deltoid head

Syners t r e t ch A

This one is identical to the One Person

Bicep/Front Shoulder Stretch except that yourpartner takes the place of the exercise bar or

refrigerator.

Stand in front of your partner, facing away.

Bend forward and bend your knees. Extendyour arms out behind you, palms facing in.

Have your partner reach underneath yourarms, palms forward and take your wrists into

the V’s formed by his thumbs and indexfingers (Fig I-1).

Now,slowly

straighten up both at your knees

and waist. At the same time, have your

partner slowly push up on your wrists (Fig I-2). Hold at peak stretch for 10 seconds, then

release.

Syners t r e t ch B

Your biceps don’t require the high power of

isometric stretching to limber up. You shoulduse the passive SynerStretch A exercise for

those muscles.



One Person S tand ing T r i cep St r e tchtriceps

Grab a pole in your right hand and lower it behind you as if you wanted to scratch your back.Your right arm should end up against your ear. Reach around behind with your left arm and

grab the pole with your left hand, palm facing away from you (Fig L-1).

Syners t r e t ch A

Pull down on the pole with your left hand.Push back gently with your head. Keep your

right arm as relaxed as possible. You shouldfeel the stretch in your right triceps. Hold your

maximum stretch for about 10 seconds, then

relax.

Repeat, holding the pole in your left hand.

Syners t r e t ch B

Pull down on the pole with your left hand.Keep your right arm as relaxed as possible. As

soon as you feel the stretch in your righttriceps, gently begin to pull up with your right

hand. The pull should be intense, but not

painful. Keep pulling down hard enough withyour left hand so no motion occurs. Maintain

pressure for 10 seconds, then relax. Straightenout your right arm for a second or two.

Repeat for a total of three reps with the pole in

your right hand, followed by three reps with

the pole in your left hand



One Person Side / Rear Shou lder St r e tchPosterior and lateral deltoid heads

Stand up straight. Bend your right elbow, place the back of your right wrist against your ribsand rotate the elbow forward (Fig G-1)

Syners t r e t ch A

Hold your upper arms with your free hand and

gently pull across and down (Fig G-2, G-3).When you reach maximum stretch, maintain

pressure for about five seconds and thenslowly release. Keep your shoulder down

throughout the exercise.

Repeat with your other arm.

Syners t r e t ch B

Hold your upper arm with your free hand and

gently pull across and down (Fig G-2, G-3).Stop when you feel the stretch. Lock your arms

in this position. Tense your shoulder so you arepushing out against your hand. The push

should be intense but not painful. Be careful

during this one. You have substantial leverageagainst your shoulder muscles and could injure

yourself if you push too hard. Keep pushing for10 seconds, then relax.

Straighten your arm out for a second or so,

then repeat the entire procedure. Do a total of

three reps with one arm, followed by threereps with the other.

Keep your shoulder down throughout the

exercise.



One-person Seated Gro in S t re t chgroin, spinal erectors

Sit with your heels pulled in as closely as possible to your groin and the soles of your feet flatagainst one another (see figure A-1). Then:

Syners t r e t ch A

Hold your insteps with both hands, place yourelbows in the “crooks” of your knees and, for

about a minute, gently try to push your kneesto the floor (Fig. A-2). Try to relax as you

push. Go with your breathing - each time youexhale, try to feel your groin muscles getting

longer and more relaxed.

After a minute or so, slowly release the

pressure. Don't get discouraged if your kneesare high off the floor to begin with. This

stretch is difficult.

Keeping your back straight, hold your feet

with both hands and gently pull your upperbody forward and down (Fig. A-3). Don't look

at the floor while you stretch - it's too easy tolessen the effect of the exercise by letting your

back curve. Once again, go with yourbreathing. After a minute or so, release the

pressure slowly.

Combine the previous steps by pushing your

knees down to a maximum stretch and then

trying to lean forward. You should eventuallybe able to touch your chest to the floor. Afterabout 30 seconds, release the pressure.

Syners t r e t ch B

Hold your insteps with both hands and placeyour elbows in the “crooks” of your knees (Fig

A-2). Keep your back straight. Push downgently with your elbows to put your groin

muscles on a stretch. The stretch should not beintense enough to be painful. Lock your arms

to hold this stretched position.

Now for the isometric stretch: tense your

''groin'' muscles so you are pushing up withyour legs against your elbows. Keep pushing

down with your elbows to resist the upward

thrust of your legs. No motion should occur.The upward push should be intense. but not

painful. Hold for thirty seconds, maintainingthe intensity of the isometric contraction. Then

slowly relax.

Keeping your legs relaxed, grab your thighsand slowly bring your knees together. This will

totally relieve the stretch on the groin muscles.

Rest no longer than a second or two, then

lower your legs back into the position

illustrated in figure A-1. Once again, gentlypush down with your elbows. Even after justthis one repetition, you should find that it takes

less pressure to do a gentle stretch, and thatyour knees go down more easily, and go down

further than before.

Repeat the entire isometric stretch procedure

two more times for a total of three repetitions.



One Person Sea ted Ca l f / Hamst r ing St r e tchCalves, hamstr ings

Sit on a table with your right leg extended along the edge and your left leg acting as a balancesupport. The table should be tall enough to allow almost full extension of your support leg.

Syners t r e tch A

1. Grab the ball of your foot with both hands, bendyour knee slightly, even if you don’t have too. Makesure your foot is supinated – rolled inward (Fig C-1).Pull back on the ball of your foot while simultaneouslytrying to straighten your leg. You should feel thestretch primarily in your calf but also to some extentin your hamstrings. Hold for thirty seconds, thenrelease. Do not let your foot rotate outward (a la flatfeet) during the stretch. This encourages excessiveankle pronation and can lead to a variety of posturaldifficulties.

2. Reach forward as far as possible and grab the

bench (if you are using one, or your right heel, if not)with both hands. Gently pull yourself down towardyour leg. Keep your head up, your back and legstraight, and try to touch your chest to your knee (FigC-2). Hold for 30 seconds then release.

3. This is similar to step one but, in this case, thefocus is your hamstrings rather than your calves.Bring your right hand around the inside of your rightankle and grab the ball of your foot; bend your leg, if necessary. Make sure your foot is supinated- rolledinward- slightly. Now pull the ball of your foot towardyou (Fig. C-3). You should feel the stretch behindyour knees, along the outside of your calf, at the junction of your leg and buttock, and possibly in yourlower back. Hold tor thirty seconds then release.

4. Repeat step 3 but this time grab your right footwith your left hand. Rotate your instep inward asbefore (Fig. C-4). This increases the intensity of thestretch overall and also involves your gluteus(buttock) muscles. Hold for thirty seconds thenrelease.

Repeat all four steps with your other leg.

Syners t r e tch B

1. Grab the ball of your foot with both hands, bendyour knee slightly, even if you don’t have too. Makesure your foot is supinated – rolled inward (Fig C-1).Pull back on the ball of your foot while simultaneouslytrying to straighten your leg. Lock yourself in positionwhen you begin to feel the stretch in your calf. Youwill also feel it to some extent in your hamstrings.

Try to point your toe by tensing your calf. You shouldpush hard but not so hard that the contraction ispainful. Pull back hard enough with your arms to keepany motion from occurring. Maintain the contractionfor thirty seconds, then slowly relax. Release the ball

of your foot and gently point your toe.

After a second or two, repeat the entire procedure fora total of three reps, with one leg, followed by threereps with the other.

Do not let your foot rotate outward (a la flat feet)during the stretch. This encourages excessive anklepronation and can lead to a variety of posturaldifficulties.

2. Reach forward as far as possible and grab thebench (if you are using one, or your right heel, if not)with both hands. Gently pull yourself down toward

your leg. Stop and lock yourself into position when youbegin to feel the stretch. Keep your head up, yourback and leg straight (Fig. C-2). Now, tense yourhamstrings as if you were trying to push your legdown through the bench: The push should be intense,but not painful. Hold for thirty seconds, then relax.Bend your leg for a second or so to relieve thestiffness from the exercise.

Repeat the entire procedure for a total of three repswith one leg, followed by three reps with the other.



One-pe rs on Ly i ng Bu t t ock / Low er Back St r e t c hdirectly: spinal erectors, gluteus indirectly: hamstrings

Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together directly above your groin.

Stick your arms through the ''hole'' created by your body and legs. Then wrap yourarms up and around your ankles (Fig. B-1).

Synerstretch A

Slowly push down with your elbows on

the insides of your thighs right behind

your knees. You should feel the stretchwhere the backs of your legs join your

buttocks, and to some extent in yourlower back. As always, go with your

breathing.

Hold for a minute, then release

Synerstretch B Push down gently with your elbows on

the inside of your thighs right behindYour knees. The stretch should not be

intense enough to be painful. You shouldfeel it where the backs of your legs join

your buttocks and to some extent in your

lower back. Lock your arms to hold this

stretched position.

Now, contract your buttocks and

hamstrings so you are pushing upagainst your elbows with the undersides

of your legs. Keep pushing down withyour arms so no mot ion occurs . Increase

the strength of the push until it is intense

but not painful. Maintain the pressure forthirty seconds, then slowly relax.

Remove your arms from between your

legs and bring your knees together to

take all the pressure off. Rest no morethan a second.

Repeat the entire procedure two more

times for a total of three reps.



One Person Chest Front Shou lder St r e tchPectorals, anterior deltoid head

Syners t r e tch A

Stand up straight and grip a 6’ pole close tothe ends with your palms facing out (Fig J-1).

Keeping your arms locked straight, bring thepole up over your head and down behind you.

Stop just below the range within which youfeel the stretch (Fig J-2).

Reverse the motion: keeping your arms lockedstraight, bring the pole up until it is just above

the range during which you feel the stretch(Fig J-3). Repeat for 10 reps.

You only need to maintain your grip on the

pole with your thumb and first fingers; it isn’t

necessary to make fists. Try narrowing yourgrip slightly between each rep to increase the

intensity of the stretch.

Syners t r e tch B

This exercise is not suitable for the isometricstretch technique.



One Pers on B i cep / Fron t Shou lde r St r e t c hBicep, anterior deltoid head

Syners t r e t ch A

Find something you can grab onto that runs

horizontally above the floor at about shoulderheight. This could be the top of a piece of

exercise equipment in the gym, or the top of your refrigerator at home.

Extend your arms out behind you. Grab ontothe bar (or lean your wrists against the top of

the refrigerator) (Fig H-1). Keeping your backas upright as possible, sink down, feeling for

the stretch in your biceps and front shoulder.If you are using a refrigerator, keep your

buttocks against it. You should relax yourarms throughout the exercise. Hold the stretch

for 10 seconds. Release.

Syners t r e t ch B

Your biceps don’t require the high power of

isometric stretching to limber up. You shoulduse the passive Synerstretch A exercise for

those muscles.

synerstretch stretching routines

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