The 3 Most Important Muscles To Stretch. (That You Probably Don’t.)
Here’s the 3 most important everyday stretches for function—stretches you should do daily for crucial muscles, that when tight, cause significant musculoskeletal issues. Most people aren’t stretching, or aren’t even aware of all three of these.
‘The 3 Essential Exercises EVERYONE Should Do’ …EXCLUSIVE video, only here: https://stefan-becker.mykajabi.com/3-essentials
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0:00 Intro
0:22 Pec Minor
2:24 Rectus Femoris
3:47 BONUS… ITB tightness
4:16 Deep Cervico-Thoracic Spinal Extensors
STRETCHES YOU SHOULD BE DOING EVERY DAY…
PEC MINOR RELEASE & ECCENTRIC STRETCH
If Pectoralis Minor gets tight from gym, or poor posture, it pulls the shoulder blade forward, rounding the shoulders. This heavily predisposes you to shoulder problems because it … (i)reduces space in the shoulder joint, (ii)causes neck issues, and (iii)can even cause Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
To loosen Pec Minor, we don’t want to just statically stretch it. Firstly, we release a common trigger point in the muscle, with a myofascial release technique, so that when you then stretch it, you’re loosening the whole muscle.
RECTUS FEMORIS RELEASE & ACTIVE STRETCH
The second muscle is the Rectus Femoris, which commonly gets tight in running, cycling and weight workouts. When it’s tight, it pulls the front of the pelvis down, increasing the arch is the low back, compressing the facet joints of the lower back. If you get a sore lower back when standing for prolonged periods, or walking around slowly, like when shopping, this is likely the cause.
BONUS TIP:
ITB AND LATERAL THIGH MUSCLE RELEASE
Running, cycling, and gym workouts can also tighten the ITB and lateral thigh musculature. When these are tight, it can pull the kneecap to the outside, causing it to rub and give you kneecap pain. So, one little bonus tip here is that each time you use the legs heavily, always warm down with a 30 second muscle rub on the outer, lower thigh to avoid getting this very common cause of knee pain.
CERVICO-THORACIC SPINAL EXTENSOR MUSCLES… ECCENTRIC STRETCH
When our mid back is flexed, but neck extended for long periods of time (think forward head posture), the deep spinal extensors of the neck & upper back can become shorter, making it really hard to straighten up again. This creates a posture that compresses joints at the base of the neck… causing things like tight, sore shoulders (“cervicothoracic facet joint compression”), Rhomboid pain (“costovertebral joint restriction”), symptoms down your arms (“cervical radiculopathy”).
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