Pretzel and Plank Before Your Cardio
Are you looking for a great stretch and core activation for a short and sweet warm up or to improve your running game?
This warm up is designed to address accumulated tension in muscles and tissues that tend to accumulate tension or substitute for the core and to get your core up and running and your body ready for action!
Here’s a step by step video on how to get into the pretzel stretch.
Lay on your side. Using your top hand grab the bottom foot (or a belt around the ankle) and pull to provide a stretch to the front of the thigh and hip. Do NOT arch your back or let your shin pop up off the ground.
Use your bottom hand and grab your top knee and pull towards chest, feeling a stretch along glute/buttock area.
Actively tuck your tailbone under and press through the front of the bottom hip.
Draw your ribs down and in as you breath out to activate your deep abdominals.
Exhale and GENTLY relax your top shoulder to the ground, hold at a moderate stretch, NEVER pain.
Hold this position cinching your lower ribs down and in with each exhale, inching your top shoulder to the ground and actively tucking your tailbone, pressing through the front of your left hip for up to one minute.
Repeat on the other side.
Lay on your stomach and prop yourself up on your elbows
Push through your forearms, lift through your chest, tuck your chin and pull your head back
Shift your weight back onto your knees. Tuck your tailbone so that your spine in in a table top position. Keep your shoulders and elbows stacked, chin tucked, chest lifted, head pulled back
Tuck your toes under and press your knees back, heels back.
Actively press your knees to the ceiling and heels back, tailbone tucked, shoulders and elbows stacked, chin tucked, chest lifted, head pulled back as you hold here for up to a minute and a half.
As always, if it hurts or feels too hard scale back a few steps and work with that first then work up to the full version. If it still hurts then stop!
