Video Transcription
(00:01) Hi, I'm Dr. Gianna Bigliani, physical therapist and owner at Fluid Physio. Today I want to show you four very easy stretches to do after rowing practice, after a race, after you get off the water. So that you can remain flexible and mobile and make sure that you're not stiff afterwards.
(00:23) The first stretch is going to be a back extension and we're going to stretch your calf, lats, obliques, and lower-back muscles.
(00:35) Put one foot behind, you should feel the stretch in the back of your calf. The opposite side you're going to put your hand in your lower back and arch your lumbar spine backwards. You're going to reach with the opposite arm and stretch backwards. You can rotate slightly to get a little bit of a different stretch and you're going to hold for 15 to 20 seconds, doing two to three times on each side.
(01:21) The second stretch is going to be kneeling.
(01:27) Tuck your bottom in so you feel a stretch in the front of your thigh. Once you do that, bring your arm of the same side across and try to rotate towards the opposite side. You should get a nice stretch in the back of your shoulder and through your thoracic spine. Repeat to the other side. Tuck your butt in first, feel the stretch in the front, cross, and rotate. 15 to 20 seconds; two to three times on each side.
(02:05) The third stretch is for your hamstrings or the back of the thigh.
(02:09) You can just bring one leg forward, sit your hips back, and feel the stretch in the back of the thigh. Toes up, down, whichever one is comfortable. And then important, that once you sit your back is straight. Each side, 15 to 20 seconds.
(02:33) The last one is going to be for the piriformis in the back of the thigh. So you're going to cross your ankle over the opposite leg and you're going to sit back until you feel a stretch. Feel free to hold on to something so you don't fall. Feel the stretch in the back of your thigh. If you look at it sideways, you're going to keep your back straight as you sit and you will feel the stretch in the back.
(03:03) Okay, that's it. Four easy stretches to do after practice to make sure that you're not too siff later on and that you remain flexible throughout the day, through the next day, and overall improve your performance on and off the water.
(03:23) This is Gianna Bigliani from Fluid Physio, and you shouldn't feel any pain with any of these. So if you do back off, don't go as long, don't go as intense.
(03:36) But, if you still have pain, you should come and see me or see your neighborhood-friendly physical therapist. Bye.