Rest your body and shoulders on the floor or mat. After 30 seconds, return back to your initial position. Slowly raise your chest off the floor while stretching your hand and legs away from your body. 3 Basic Yoga Ab Exercises By Larry Payne, Georg Feuerstein These yogic postures for the abdominal muscles incorporate a team approach that values slow, conscious movement, proper breathing mechanics, and the use of sound. A strong core means a stronger body overall. This stretch will elongate and lengthen the tight tissues surrounding your abdominals, says Plascencia. Lay down your hands on both sides of your torso and place one cheek on the mat, returning to the initial position. Arch your lower back till your hands are perpendicular to ground. Use your hands for extra support. Do it: Lie on your back with your legs straight out and your arms above your head. To begin with, the abdominal stretches should be held for 5 seconds and repeated 10 times at a mild to moderate stretch pain free. Gently start lifting your head above the ground while you bring the palms of your hands forward. Just as your other muscles, your abs too need stretching regularly. However, by improving flexibility in the abdomen, you can ease back pain, improve your posture and stabilize your spine as well. Attempt to make your body as long as possible, by stretching from your toes to your fingertips. We ask a lot of our core. WHY IT WORKS: This familiar two-part yoga move improves flexibility to the lumbar and cervical spine while strengthening the abs, and provides a reminder of how you should breathe during abdominal movement. Place a yoga block on your thighs, and hold it in place with your forearms. Lean back and arch your spine to open your abs and chest. It opens up your waist and obliques, while promoting mobility in your rib cage. A six-pack might look nice, but a well developed core will serve you all day, every day. Brace your abs in tight and press through your heels to bridge your hips off the floor. Your workouts will thank you. Slowly bring your head forward and start lowering your chest on the ground. Slowly arch your back and lean back slightly. This supine stretch is also known as the lying abdominal stretch, and it is a simple but effective way to stretch your abs after working out. You will feel your abs stretched and your shoulders and chest opening up. Keep your feet at hip-width apart and your hands straight on both sides of your body. These ab stretches will help stretch and rebalance the abdominal muscles. Do you have any tips? Begin to round your lower back, middle back, and shoulders like a rolling wave, moving forward until your shoulders are above your hands. Then, rolling over onto your right shoulder, reach your left arm back and over your head. It lengthens the core, strengthens the lower back, and is a great foil to being hunched over a computer all day. There are plenty of ways to take your outdoor jogs to the next level. If you want to read similar articles to How to Stretch your Abs after a Workout, we recommend you visit our Fitness category. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and keep breathing while you are in this position. On an inhale, arch your back from your tailbone to your neck. The cobra pose can be executed in the following steps: To get all the benefits from yoga and introduce them to your workout routine, take a look at our article on yoga poses for non-flexible people. I would like to receive weekly fitness articles and inspiration from Aaptiv Magazine. It’s expected to protect our vital organs, provide balance and stability, and connect movement between our upper and lower bodies. [It] counteracts all the short, tight tissues near our hip flexors and abdominals.”. How to: Lie on your back, and bring your legs into a table-top position. The seated side-straddle stretch allows you to lengthen the abdominal muscles, hips, and thigh muscles while improving flexibility in the spine. The supine stretch can be executed in the following steps: The standing stretch is quite similar to supine stretch - the only difference is that it is done while standing up. Each myofascial release has the potential to improve mobility efficiently and safely, so you can experience more ease throughout your yoga practice—and off the mat. Do a standing ab stretch. Then start stretching your hands as high as possible. Stand tall with your feet hip width apart. To do just that, here are six great ab stretches, from Plascencia and Aaptiv Trainer Jessica Muenster, to incorporate into your own exercise regimen. 1. Bhujangasana or the cobra pose is a simple yoga exercise that is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stretch your abs after a workout. “A combination of expansion and compression exercises are super important for the health and function of our vital organs, including the liver, kidneys, diaphragm, and stomach,” says Cristian Plascencia, the senior durability coach at Onnit Academy in Austin, TX. You will feel your abdominal muscles being elongated. To prevent that from happening, regular stretching is very important. By stretching your abs you will improve your posture and keep the spine straight. All of life’s problems can be answered with some simple core exercises.Okay maybe not all, but having core awareness and a solid understanding of the core’s anatomy is a very important part of your yoga practice.This article will help you gain body awareness, establish a mind-body connection, and learn how to properly strengthen, control, and activate the abdominal muscles. Then on an exhale, drop your head and round your back (think of an angry cat), and concentrate on pulling your navel up toward your spine. Slowly reach your hands above your head and join both palms. In this oneHOWTO article we will tell you how to stretch your abs after a workout. Upward Facing Dog is a great pose for stretching the front body muscles while engaging the back muscles and glutes. Finish your workout off with this pose, which stretches your legs and arms out just as much as your abs. How to Get Admission in National Cricket Academy, How to Gain 5 Pounds with a Fast Metabolism in a Week, How To Tell if You Have a Fast Metabolism. Do it: Start on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips. Stand up straight. Sometimes the aim of ab workouts isn’t about a well defined six-pack. Aaptiv delivers the highest quality fitness and health information from personal trainers and industry experts. This pose—one of the most common in yoga—is an excellent morning stretch. Related: The Short and Sweet Yoga Sequence You Can Do Every Morning This stretch works the neck and shoulder muscles. Sit upright on the floor with your legs apart. Bhujangasana or the cobra pose is a simple yoga exercise that is one of the easiest and most effective ways to stretch your abs after a workout. “It’s a great stretch to elongate the tissues that normally get tight and compressed in a sitting desk job,” says Plascencia. Take five deep breaths in this position. It’s important to maintain core health with ab stretches. Using your hands, lift up your chest and shoulders, while keeping your legs on the ground. Exercises For Strong Legs Without Equipment - Top Tips! Attempt to make your body as long as possible, by stretching from your toes to your fingertips. The best part? Work these ab stretches into your weekly Aaptiv workout routine to build and maintain a strong, flexible core. Since we’ve done a lot of exercises where you’ve engaged your core it is important to also stretch your core muscles as well. This will pull your abdominal muscles in opposite directions and provide a deep stretch. Hold for a few seconds, and repeat. Keeping your right arm on the ground, reach for your right heel. Rotate to the other side, repeat, and hold for 30 more seconds. These 10 yoga for abs exercises will develop your core strength and stability and help you to some finely toned abs. Share them in the comments section! The cobra pose can be executed in the following steps: Lie on your belly one an exercise or yoga mat. Lie straight with your hands under your shoulders and your legs together. Lay flat on your back on the floor or on a yoga or exercise mat. This stretch targets the rectus abdominis, hip flexors, diaphragm, and other surrounding tissues in the front portion of your body. Muenster likes the classic standing side stretch. Note: Begin your practice with a few rounds of surya namaskar to get your body and muscles nicely warmed up before trying the following ab yoga … So, if you’re looking to give your core a workout, look no further. Another Muenster favorite is the cobra, a fundamental yoga pose and a beneficial abdominal stretch. You'll want to do this simple stretch—also known as the wind-relieving pose—to gain relief from bloating and gas pains. By lying on the floor and stretching in both directions, your abs get pulled from the top and bottom. HOW TO DO IT: Start on all fours with hands beneath your shoulders and knees on the ground. Stretching not only relieves stress and tension, but also improves our flexibility and blood circulation; it's a necessary part of any workout routine, and we must never skip it. Share on Pinterest. Remember to keep your belly hugging in throughout both motions. This is a fantastic way to warm up your abdomen as it targets the rectus abdominis and external obliques. This kind of ab stretch elongates the abdominal muscles and releases tension from the core muscles. In this 12 Minute Deep Stretch, you will be stretching with me, Sydney Cummings as we go through 24 stretches for your entire body. Do it: Stand upright, and raise your right arm to the sky. After an intense workout our muscles often feel sore and stiff. Reduce sweat and stink with these trainer-approved steps. Cat / Cow. Slowly drop your head between your shoulder blades. Keep your head straight in neutral position and relax your shoulder muscles. Keep your spine tall. This yoga pose helps relieve cramping while stretching out your back. Your workouts will thank you. This results in a deep, satisfying stretch. “These organs affect the release of certain hormones and biochemicals that ultimately affect metabolism, strength gains, and the recovery processes in our body.”. Ditch the weights and add these full-body exercises to your training regimen. Welcome to the guidebook to your healthiest life. Using your hip muscles, start arching your lower back. So, it’s best to take care of it! Many people do not think of the abdominal muscles when it comes to stretching exercises. Our yoga workouts are sure to impress. Save that sweaty selfie for post-workout. Open the Aaptiv app today and see the newest yoga workouts. Move your hands above your head, extending your body in a straight line. Subscribe now for a weekly dose of inspiration and education. Do it: Lie face down with your palms on the ground underneath your shoulders. Abdominal stretches are stretches that specifically target the abdominal muscles. After 30 seconds, slowly relax your arms and legs and move back to the initial position. Lie on your belly one an exercise or yoga mat. Because this pose requires balance and coordination, keep your fingertips in the prayer position as you lower yourself. Anyone can do it … This abdominal stretch is the easiest of them all, but don’t take it for granted. Work these ab stretches into your weekly Aaptiv workout routine to build and maintain a strong, flexible core. Check out these 12 yoga moves that target your abs and strengthen your core. What Is the Ranji Trophy Selection Process? Hold this position for 30 seconds while taking deep breaths. So, having strong and flexible abdominal muscles is about more than just looking good. Reduce stress and risk of injury while improving your flexibility with the world-class instructors of Yoga52. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat 2 to 4 more times. Ear to Shoulder Stretch with Neck Rolls. Repeat, moving slowly between the two positions. (For an extra challenge, place a yoga block between knees.) Make sure you … Find your center of balance by pushing your fingertips together as hard as possible. Yogis will also recognize the cat/cow. Do a few Cat-Cow Stretches to warm up, arching your back on your inhalations and rounding your spine on your exhalations. Performing the cobra pose opens up the shoulders and chest as it stretches and relaxes your abs. Here are some stretches you can do right after working your abs to help relieve soreness the next day. Do it: Get into the hip bridge position, with your feet on the floor, knees bent, and hips thrust toward the sky. The standing ab stretch can be executed in the following steps: This is how to stretch your abs after a workout. Switch sides and repeat. 1. Promote the fitness of your fascia with the lower-body fascial-release exercises on the next pages for feet, legs, and hips. Try it here! Then pair each exercise with a yoga pose. Poses to try include downward facing dog, plank, extended triangle, warrior, and boat poses. 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