Author: paulruggeasey

Purposeful Posture Stretches

Posture Stretch Session with Liz

Minimal equipment needed - A doorway, hand towel, a chair, a mat and optional something to hang from your arms.

Original instructional 👇

Stretching and PNF

This is a quick note to say, always warm up before a stretch session, even just 5 minutes will give the body the right environment for safe and effective results. There should never be any “pain”, that said it will feel a little “uncomfortable” as you start to elongate parts that have been stuck or shortened for sometime, without efficient blood flow due to the held restrictions in the tissues.

PNF, is the abbreviation of Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, its a mouthful! But if I tell you that simply put, it is a form of stretching that involves a contraction of the muscle that needs to be stretched, which then causes the muscle to relax even further, thus allowing for an improved stretch to take place. PNF is used widely in sport, because it strengthens as well as stretches, however in sports the contraction will be up to 90% of what the athlete can create (maximal contraction / maximal relaxation).

We will only use 20% of our muscular strength to contract and this is much more in line with rehabilitation and will not cause pain. It is a brilliant technique and used regularly, it will give amazing results. The contraction is held for 7 seconds (static position) and then you breathe in to relax the body and release the contraction, now go into the stretch with the out breath, hold that for 10 seconds.

Simple version 🙂

Contract 20% for 7 seconds, release contraction breathe in and as you breathe out stretch for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

Purposeful Posture Workout -
LOWER Body

Minimal equipment for both: a mat, a ball or fat cushion.

This first video here is an instructional version for the lower body workout- taking you through the movements and form (a practice if you like)

Lower body focus workout 👇(less than 5 mins!)