Man, this bug is kicking my ass!!! I'm finally starting to feel among the living again, but I have had the runny nose and sneezing and constant watery eyes which are bad enough, but to top it off the body aches have been unreal, I can't think of a time I have had worse sore muscles than from this thing. Stretching seems to help, so I have been stretching a lot, I guess that is probably a good thing, I think I have a show next month and I am working up to being able to do the splits and get my leg up over my head. I'm an old lady (ha ha) so this is proving to be a challenge. So far one leg is much more limber than the other for whatever reason, so I can get my left leg up over my dance partners shoulder while standing crotch to crotch and bend backwards, but my right leg just isn't having any of it, despite my working both of them equally. Whatever, so I guess the left leg up it will be for my show. It just is strange how resistant the one leg is to this whole plan I have.
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Stretching
Always stretch after classes and performances. It also is good to stretch during class between exercises. Here are three leg stretches that I find are good to do between exercises (especially after a lot of releve):
Calf Stretch
purpose: To stretch the Achilles Tendon, calf muscle, and back of the leg (hamstring) and to prevent strain.
position: Stand at arm's length from the barre with the body inclined forward. Extend the leg to be stretched backward with the foot flat on the floor, toes pointing straight ahead. The front leg should be bent and the back leg straight.
execution: 1) Allow the body to fall forward slowly, keeping the foot flat at all times. To stretch the soleus muscle, slide back foot in slightly, bend both knees and allow the body to fall forward. 2) Hold for a few seconds and repeat on each leg.
Hamstring Stretch
purpose: To stretch the hamstring muscle group and the upper attachment ot of the calf muscle.
position: 1) Assume the long sitting position (sitting with legs extended out in front of you), bend forward from the waist and reach as far forward as possible with your hands. 2) First, stretch with your toes pointed (plantar flexion), placing emphasis on the hamstring muscle group. Then, with the foot pulled back as far as possible (dorsiflexion), emphasize stretching the upper attatchment of the calf muscle. Remember to stretch only to the point of mild discomfort. This should not hurt. 3) Hold for about thirty seconds, then repeat two or three times.
variation: Stretch as above but progressively widen the distance between your legs.
Stork Stretch
purpose: To stretch the quadriceps muscle group, specifically the rectus femoris muscle, which, besides helping to extend the lower leg, acts as a hip flexor, and the iliopsoas muscle, a primary hip flexor; also assists in remediation of lumbar lordosis.
position: Standing in good postural alignment, bend your lower leg and grasp your ankle with the hand on the same side, the other hand resting on the barre.
execution: Keeping your thigh in the same alignment as your supporting leg, pull the heel of your foot toward the buttocks and then pull your upper leg backward as far as (comfortably) possible without overly arching your lower back.
CAUTION: To avoid placing stress on the lower back, the body must always be maintained in good alignment without arching the lower back.
Some things to remember:
* Never stretch a cold muscle--make sure you are properly warmed up before trying to stretch.
* Don't put weight on the leg you are stretching.
* Don't stretch those knee ligaments. Don't stretch those knee tendons. Stretch the thigh muscles only.
* Deadly position for your knees: Sitting with your rump flat on the floor, legs bent at the knees and inverted (the thighs are rotated inward 90 degrees to that the inside of the thigh, knee and ankle are resting on the ground). Don't sit like this! It is terrible for your knees, even if it is comfortable. It stretches knee ligaments and tendons, which is exactly what you don't want to do.
* Remember that form is crucial when stretching. You can go from flexibility to injury simply by arching your back. Stay focused while stretching.
NOTE: There's a great site that will tell you everything you need to know about stretching and more. Check it out
!http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/stretching_toc.html