But do it well.

Alexis here, back with some tips on stretching.  In case you missed my last posts on perfecting your plank you can find them here and here.

Even when we are stretching and recovering, we need to focus on form.

Here are a couple of basic stretches which can be improved and optimized with just a couple of adjustments.

1. Quadriceps stretch: to feel a stretch in the front of the thigh, bring one foot behind you.

• Focus on the position of the pelvis.  You want to maintain what we call a neutral pelvis - neither tilted forward nor back, both hips level.  Tuck the tailbone, draw the abdominals in, and think about not allowing the low back to arch.  Think about pressing the hip of the stretching leg forward and down toward the floor.
• There is a natural inclination to allow the head to go down, which further encourages the pelvis to tilt backward.  Focus on something eye level, and keep the chin off the chest.

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2. Hamstring stretch: to feel a stretch in the back of the thigh, elevate one leg, resting the heel on a surface such as a box or a chair.

• Keep the leg straight and flex the foot to crate maximum length in the back of the leg.  With a flat back, hinge forward at the hip to find a little more length.
• Keep the hips square, and level.  Imagine that you have headlights on your hip bones and you want those lights to shine forward.
• It's tempting to try to see how high you can reach the leg, but don't do this at the expense of your form (rounding the back, offsetting the hips).  Less is more.

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I hope these tips help!

xo Alexis