9 Kayla Itsines full body stretches that will give you LIFE

9 Kayla Itsines full body stretches that will give you LIFE

9 Kayla Itsines

Instagram star, personal trainer and Women's Health's January cover star - Kayla Itsines has given us an AAA look at her ultimate stretch warm down.

Working hard is all well and good, but without proper recovery your muscles won't be able to achieve their full potential in their next session and your healthy lifestyle will start to make you feel worse.

Kayla explains: "Aim to hold each stretch for approximately 30 seconds each, ensuring you are stretching both sides of your body for the same amount of time. Make sure you breathe through each stretch and try not to bounce whilst holding stretch position."

- LOWER BODY -

1. CALVES AND HAMSTRING

1. While seated on a yoga mat, extend both legs out in front of you.

2. Lift up and turn out your left leg so that your foot is resting against the inside of your right leg, as shown.

3. Reach for your right foot with your right hand (or the action of), ensuring that you are bending from the hip. If you can reach your toe, gently pull it back towards you.

*Tip* To increase the stretch, attempt to lower your torso to your right leg, once again ensuring that you are bending from the hips.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 on your left side.

2. ABDUCTORS

1. While seated on a yoga mat, extend both legs out in front of you.

2. Move both legs outwards as wide as they can go.

3. Sit up tall before reaching forwards with both hands.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Tip: Try and walk your hands out a little bit further each time you breathe out to gradually increase the stretch.

3. HIP FLEXORS

1. Begin in a kneeling position on a yoga mat.

2. Release your right leg and take one large step forwards so that you are in a lunge position as shown. Ensure that your front knee is not further forward than your toe. If it is, then you will need to take a bigger step forward.

3. Keeping your torso upright, push your hips forwards so that you feel a stretch along the front of your back leg.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

5. Repeat Steps 1-4 with your left leg forward.

4. QUADS

1. Plant both feet on the floor shoulder width apart.

2. Bend your left knee to bring your foot back directly behind you so that you can hold it with both hands. You should feel a stretch in your left quad (front of your leg).

3. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Tip: If you're struggling to balance, focus on a spot directly ahead of you or extend your right arm.

4. Repeat Steps 1-3 with your right leg.

5. GLUTES

1. Plant both feet on the floor shoulder width apart.

2. Release your right leg and turn it out so that your ankle is resting just above your left knee.

3. Bend your left knee so that you are in single leg squat and gently push down on your left knee using your right elbow.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds. Tip: If you are struggling to balance, try to focus on a spot directly in front of you.

5. Repeat Steps 1-4 with your left leg.

- UPPER BODY -

6. ABS

1. Start by lying flat on your stomach on a yoga mat.

2. Bring your arms in and place your hands flat on the floor on either side of your chest. 3. Slowly extend your arms to bring your chest off of the floor. Ensure that your keep your shoulders down.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

7. LATS (SIDES)

1. Plant both feet on the floor slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

2. Stand tall and extend your right arm directly above your head.

3. From this position, reach your hand over to your right side in order to lengthen the left side of the body as shown.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 on your right side.

8. TRICEP

1. Plant both feet on the floor shoulder width apart with arms by your sides.

2. Release your left arm and place your hand between your shoulder blades behind your head.

3. Gently push down your left elbow with your right hand as shown.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

5. Repeat Steps 2-4 with your right arm.

9. CHEST

1. Plant both feet on the floor shoulder width apart with arms by your sides.

2. Reposition your hands behind your body and interlock your fingers.

3. Gently pull your hands away from your body. This should cause your shoulders to retract and open up your chest.

4. Hold this position for 20-30 seconds.

For more, go to Womenshealthmag.co.uk/kayla. Read the full Kayla Itsines interview and get her exclusive 14-day New Year kickstart plan in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of Women's Health – on sale Thursday 10 Dec.

Original article and pictures take www.cosmopolitan.com site

9 Exercises You're Doing Wrong

9 Exercises You're Doing Wrong

You might be such a faithful gym-goer that even the cleaning staff knows you by name; but no matter how many sets and reps you log, if your workout isn't giving you the results you want, poor form could be to blame. "Your body is engineered to move in precise ways," explains exercise physiologist Michele Olson, PhD, creator of the DVD Perfect Legs, Glutes and Abs. "The wrong alignment—or even the wrong exercise altogether—doesn't just stunt sculpting; it can also stress the body, leading to injuries that derail your progress."

Read on for 9 common workout blunders that Olson considers the sweaty equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard—and how to fix 'em.

Overextended overhead presses

The mistake: Arching backward so your ribs pop up and jut out strains the back and puts you at risk for shoulder injury.

The fix: Keep your ribs down and knees slightly bent as you press the dumbbells up toward the ceiling.

More from Prevention: Toned Arms In 10 Minutes!

Wimpy lunges

The mistake: Taking baby steps when you lunge causes too much sheer stress on the front knee, putting you at risk for tendon strains and, over time, arthritis.

The fix: Take a big enough step so that your front heel is about 2 feet in front of your back knee as it bends toward the floor. If, as you lower, you find you haven’t given yourself enough space, scoot the front foot forward.

Obsessive crunching

The mistake: Thinking you can crunch your way to flat abs is flat-out wrong, says Olson, whose research has found that Pilates-style exercises that focus more on using the core muscles to stabilize are more effective at working the abs than spine-bending crunches. Plus, too much crunching can damage the back, she says.

The fix: There's no need to ban crunches altogether, but be sure to mix in core-stabilizing exercises like the Pilates hundred or yoga's boat pose. And when you do crunch, skip the gym class-style foot anchor, which allows your hips (rather than your abs) to take over and can pull your pelvis out of alignment, injuring your back.

600-pound gorilla hamstring stretches

The mistake: Bending over and letting your entire body weight dangle straight down while reaching for your toes in order to stretch your hamstrings (the back of your thighs) puts about 600 pounds of pressure on the spine for a 140-pound woman. That's because when your entire body weight hangs straight down in line with gravity, and the gravitational pull is zeroed in on the back, crushing the shock-absorbing discs in your spine. While you may move in and out of this position in yoga class, holding a stretch like this for 30 to 60 seconds leaves your spinal discs vulnerable to rupture, says Olson.

The fix: Sit down and take a load off while you reach for your toes. The exact same stretch done from a seated position is much safer.

Overzealous side raises

The mistake: Flapping your arms too high as you lift your dumbbells to the side "causes your upper arm bone to bang into the cartilage-filled space in the shoulder," says Olson. Translation: Ouch!

The fix: Here's your chance to cheat without penalty: Lifting just to the bust line is as effective as lifting all the way to shoulder level.

Chin-Up dumbbell rows

The mistake: Sticking your chin out can be a pain in the neck (and upper shoulders) in any exercise, but looking up while doing bent-over dumbbell rows can strain your neck.

The fix: Focus your eyes on a spot about a yard in front of your toes to keep your chin down while doing bent-over dumbbell rows.

Butt-popping planks

The mistake: Inching your hips skyward as you hold a plank position is quite simply cheating the exercise. The result: less-effective ab toning from this uber-effective move.

The fix: Focus on keeping your body in a straight line from your head to your hips to your heels (grabbing a friend to serve as drill sergeant can help keep you honest). Keep in mind that it's better to hold perfect form for 20 seconds than it is to do a full minute with incorrect form.

Giant grip push-ups

The mistake: Positioning your hands wider than your shoulders when you do push-ups puts strain on the front of the shoulders.

The fix: Get into push-up position with your wrists directly below your shoulders for a move that tones both your triceps and your chest without shoulder strain. (Check out this video on the proper way to do a push-up.)

Knee-twisting hurdler's stretches

The mistake: Whether or not you were a hurdler in high school, getting into a stretch position like one on the floor with your knee bent inward and the sole of your foot turned outward compresses the knee, leaving it vulnerable to injury.

The fix: For a safer stretch that compresses the knee less, rotate your bent knee outward instead so your sole presses into the inner thigh of the extended leg like a number 4. Then reach for your toes to feel the stretch.

More from Prevention: Get Long, Lean Muscles With This Yoga Workout

Original article and pictures take www.prevention.com site

8 Yoga Moves to Increase Your Flexibility like Miss America 2017

8 Yoga Moves to Increase Your Flexibility like Miss America 2017

Miss America 2017, Savvy Sheilds shows off some of her flexibility during her talent at Miss America 2017. Photo: Miss America Organization

If you dance for your talent, then flexibility is key to many dance steps you’ll need in your talent to wow the judges like Savvy Sheilds did during her talent at Miss America 2017. But, having flexibility isn’t just for dancers. Everyone can benefit from being more mobile and less stiff in every phase of competition.

When you’re modeling a gown or swimsuit, your body is the most important asset you have. Having stiff muscles and joints could prevent you from moving fluidly across the stage. If you’re a dancer, it’s even more crucial that you continue to work on your flexibility as your train for your next pageant. This routine uses the splits, so you’ll feel right at home! (Read: How Yoga Can Improve Your Pageant Walk)

According to LiveStrong.com, flexibility is a vital element of physical fitness that everyone should work on. It’s something that you can benefit from now as a pageant competitor and later on in life as your body starts to age. Stretching is also a great way for you to wind down after your workout and relax your tired muscles.

If you’re ready to start increasing your flexibility, then add these eight relaxing yoga moves into your post workout routine at least three times a week. You’ll start to notice a huge improvement the more you do these stretches.

8 Yoga Moves to Increase Your Flexibility like Miss America 2017

If you can’t fully sit in the splits, just keep your weight in your hands until you feel comfortable with more weight on your hands.

Winning the crown is going to take a lot more than just going to the gym. You’ll need to commit to a healthy lifestyle and spend lots of time preparing your body. Talk to one of our Personal Trainers about how they can help you reach your goals.

Original article and pictures take ygidei-2v0qo9ojrpb5.cloudmaestro.com site