As a dancer, I got used to stretching extensively every day. I wish I’d known then what I know now, which is that I was probably doing myself a lot more harm than good, weakening my muscles and worsening my fatigue and soreness. To learn more about that, listen to the Science of Stretching episode of the Liberated Body podcast. Trust me, you need to know this.
Luckily, in my later dancing years I found Active Isolated Stretching and put together a little routine that seemed to re-balance my body after the sometimes very asymmetrical demands of the day, as well as erasing tightness and fatigue like magic. I do it to this day after every run.
Give these post-run stretches a try and leave a comment telling me what they do for you!
Hi Jae,
I tripped while jogging last week and have slight piriformis/glute pain (nothing serious but trying to prevent favoring that side and prevent altering my stride). In thinking of places to go for help with mobility and getting back to normal as soon as possible, I thought of your site. I found these post run stretches and I started doing them a few days ago. As a matter of fact I have done some of them a couple of times throughout the day. Today I did a light easy jog mixed with walking and really noticed my stomach felt opened up even down to the fronts of my hips. I also felt like my body did not want to crunch forward so much and my back was slightly flexed. It was a nice feeling and hoping that it helps my running continue to feel that way and that I can make the time to continue to do these. As a help for others, I was looking for something to use primarily for the hamstring stretch which is the most difficult now and I found a soft winter scarf that worked well and I was also able to use it for the last hip flexor stretch by placing it folded under my knee. Finally, as I get back to running I do try the mirroring trick which may not work completely quite yet but has worked wonders for me in the past. Thank you for what you do!