Easy flexibility exercises

Flexibility exercises tend to be extremely crucial for young athletes due to numerous different reasons. Flexibility exercises help athletes to effectively prepare their muscles for intense training and sports along with reducing the risk associated with injuries on the field.

Other benefits of these exercises for young athletes include increased range of motion, better body balance, improved flexibility, strengthened muscles, and overall better athletic performance. This is why a proper ten to fifteen minute stretching routine involving different kinds of flexibility exercises is important for them.

We have curated a list of six easy and effective flexibility exercises that young athletes can include into their regular routine.

Easy and Effective Flexibility Exercises for Young Athletes

1. Triceps Stretch

The triceps stretch is a dynamic and popular flexibility exercise, especially among young athletes. This exercise will help in stretching the muscles of your arms and relieving tightness from your shoulders. Doing the triceps stretch after running practice will effectively work on your upper body.

Here's how you can do it:

Start off by standing in an elongated position with your feet apart at the hip distance, back erect, and gaze forward.
Next, bring your right arm towards your left shoulder and across your body.
Use your left hand to gently push your right elbow towards the shoulder and feel the stretch in your upper arms.
After about twenty seconds, switch to alternate arms and repeat.

2. Quad Stretch

Quadriceps tend to be powerful muscles when it comes to sports or even functional activities, and that is why it is important to effectively stretch your quads for greater mobility and balance.

Here's how you can do it:

Start off by standing in an elongated position with your back upright and feet slightly apart.
Raise one foot off the ground at the back, and clutch the foot with the palm of the same side.
Gently push the heel towards your hip to feel a stretch in your quads before releasing.
Swap sides and repeat.

3. Runner’s Lunge

Runner’s lunge is one of the most popular flexibility exercises that young athletes can incorporate into their daily routine, which will effectively work on their legs and hip muscles.

Here's how you can do it:

Start off by standing in an upright position with your back erect.
Take a wide step forward with one leg and bend it to an angle of ninety degrees while bringing the knee of the rear leg closer to the ground.
You can position your hands on the thighs of the front leg. Swap sides and repeat.

4. Seated Hamstring Stretch

This exercise will help in enhancing the overall flexibility of the body, especially when working on your hamstrings and lower back.

Here's how you can do it:

Assume a seated position on the ground with your legs stretched in front of you.
With your back upright, reach for your toes with both your palms. Repeat.

5. Hip and Back Stretch

Hip and back stretches are also some of the most effective flexibility exercises that young athletes can incorporate into their workout routine. This exercise will work in the mid-region of the body, especially targeting the lower back and hips. Hip and back stretches lower the chances of spinal injury as well as opening up of your pelvic region.

Here's how you can do it:

Start off in the sitting position on the ground with your legs stretched in front and your back upright throughout the movement.
Raise your left leg off the ground and cross it over the right leg while keeping the right one straight on the ground.
With your left leg bent at the knees, pull it towards your chest and rotate your upper torso to look over your left shoulder.
Hold the position for a few seconds before swapping sides and repeating.

6. Butterfly Stretch

Butterfly stretches will help young athletes to deeply stretch their mid-line while specifically targeting the inner thighs and pelvic region.

Here's how you can do it:

Assume a sitting position on the ground with your back erect, soles of the feet together at the center, and knees bent to the sideways.
Next, wrap your palms around your toes before gently pressing your knees to the ground to effectively feel the stretch.
For the added challenge, bring your upper body towards the ground and try to touch your forehead on the floor. Slowly release.

Bottom Line

The aforementioned flexibility exercises will provide several benefits to young athletes both on and off the field. The aforementioned flexibility exercises will work on different muscle groups across the body by completely stretching and strengthening them.

Regularly incorporating these flexibility exercises into the routine of young athletes will provide a plethora of benefits, including lesser risk of injuries, strengthened muscles, improved sports performance, enhanced mobility, better stability, and improved flexibility. All of this will result in better performance in athletics and sports.