Drills and stretching

Here is my list for Drills.  I will make notes under the photo 

for drills 1 to 8
the idea of these drills is to not use your arms and to have only your hips moving.  Most people do these with their arms wobbling and flexing all over the show.  The idea is to also keep your arms still..... eg in #1 no moving the elbows back and forth..... try to keep your arms still.  In # 5 (the sleep walker)  again arms still and straight.   When walking through the drills make sure you cross over the feet eg.... if using a painted line on the track or tennis court.  Place your foot over and past the white line....over stretch that front step...but making sure that your hip is also pointing forward allowing that foot to cross over.  you really want to feel your waist twist as your hip pushes forward.

For drills 9 & 10.  The arm not swinging......try to hold your short leg to keep that arm still.  The arm swinging.  Try to get the circle nice and big and right back ... most of us do half circles as we cant get our arms back over the shoulder any more.

Doing these before races is FANTASTIC for warming up the hips and stretching them out.

Now that you are nice and warm, its time to stretch.

We all know this one.  There are many different variations.  I am lacking in flexibility so this works best for me.  I used the hurdle at the track or the couch arm at home.  This opens the hip and gives the glute and hip a nice stretch.  My goal is to get my foot and knee flat on the surface.

Next is a double calf stretch.  Plant your left foot and push with the ball on the foot and have heel touching floor.   Put your right foot across to the left as in the first photo - this stretchs one side of the calf.....10 secs later and then put the right foot the same distance out to the right as in photo 2.  This stretchs the other side of the calf.

no photo for this one...

Tradionally hammy stretch.... standing put one leg on hurdle or couch and have both knees straight....lean foward to touch toe...or pull toe back towards you on the out stretched foot.

this is a lower lumber stretch for us oldies!

lean forward a little and bend the knees... hold in the core and arch your back a little as in photo one.  You will feel it in your lower back ... then keeping knees bent...lean forward making sure you keep your back flat.  If you can slowly straighten your knees - as you can see...I cant!

The other stretch we did - you need someone to help ...  but sitting on the ground with one leg out in front and the other leg frogged..(so heel against inner thigh) ... you have some one push your foot on the leg that is our front of you... push the foot back towards you.  This helps stretch the shin aswell as the archillies.

I also like to do the frog or butterfly stretch.   Sitting on the floor -  place both heels together and pull them towards your crutch.  Once at a comfortable spot.  Lean forward a little and place elbows on your thighs and push your knees towards the floor.  The goal is to have both knees touch the floor.............mine are years away from that!!!

I hope this helps :)   I know that these help me alot and I must...MUST make myself do them.