So when it comes to physical fitness you’ll probably hear a little bit about flexibility exercises especially with workouts for beginners.
This is probably because it has been taught for some time that there are three pillars of physical fitness.
They are cardiovascular training, resistance training and flexibility.
You’ll probably also discover that as physical fitness becomes more of a daily habit for you, that all these things will start to work together.
In my humble opinion, with a well balanced resistance training regimen that incorporates some high intensity and compound movements, you’re probably getting the benefits of all three ingredients.
That being said, it can’t hurt to incorporate some healthy flexibility exercises into your routine when doing workouts for beginners.
This will help with areas that are a little tight and also to assist in preventing injury.
Usually when it comes to flexibility exercises we’re talking about stretching.
When it comes to stretching, there is one piece of key advice that I’ve picked up over the years that is invaluable. It should be a part of all workouts for beginners.
Remember when you were a kid in gym class and your teacher had you doing stretches before you started an activity?
Well as it turns out, that isn’t the greatest time to be doing the stretching. You should probably do your stretching after you’ve warmed up a little.
Now you’re thinking, hold on. If I’m warming up, isn’t that a kind of exercising that I’m doing without stretching?
That’s right. But it’s low impact. And according to the Mayo Clinic it will improve flexibility and range of motion of the joints.
You don’t want to be stretching your muscles and joints when they’re cold. That will increase the likelihood of pain and possible injury.
Related Article: Bodyweight Strength Training For Beginners
So before I get into the actual stretching exercises to improve flexibility, I’ll touch on a few great warm up exercises that can be included in workouts for beginners, that you can do to prepare your body for any stretches.
Go For A Walk
As a beginner or anybody else for that matter, never underestimate the benefits of a brisk walk.
This is a great warm up exercise and easy for most people to do.
Just a grab a decent pair of running shoes and head out for a walk. Try and get your heart rate up a bit and your muscles warmed up.
It really shouldn’t take too long. About 5 – 10 minutes of brisk walking should be a nice warm up to get the blood pumping and the muscles limbering up.
Grab A Jump Rope (One of the best workouts for beginners)
This is probably one of my favorites. Jumping rope will get you warmed up in a hurry.
You don’t have to be an expert or do any fancy footwork.
Just get to jumping.
Try and do it for one minute intervals for about three rounds. That should definitely get your heart rate up and you should be feeling relatively warmed up.
If you don’t have a jump rope you can try phantom rope jumping.
It’s not as scary as it sounds.
Just make like you have the rope and get your body moving. By mimicking the movement and maintaining good body position you can still get a good warm up going.
Make sure you’re jumping off the ground. That’s the whole point of the phantom “jump” rope.
Try Some High Knees
This is also an easy movement and a great part of any warm up. I use it as part of my warm up all the time.
It’s such a great exercise and you hardly need any space to do it. A great addition to workouts for beginners.
To complete high knees effectively, you are basically jogging on the spot.
From a standing position, lift one knee up so that your thigh is a little more than parallel to the floor. Return to the starting position and repeat with the other knee.
Now just keep doing it so that you are jogging on the spot while lifting your knees up high.
Hence the name.
Make sure you’re doing it at a decent pace so that you’re getting your heart going and you can feel yourself warming up.
Try and do a few intervals of a minute so that you feel good and warm.
By the way, if you’re an absolute beginner, these three movements together are not a bad introductory cardio workout.
There’s a couple beginner resistance training workouts here you can add in for a great full body workout. I’ve included the links to them in this post.
So now that you’re nicely warmed up you’ll be wanting to do a little stretching.
These stretches are great for incorporating into workouts for beginners. They can all be done after warming up or you can mix them in throughout the routine.
I like to mix them in and keep doing them in between exercises. I find them especially helpful since I’ve never been the most flexible person.
It also seems to help with reducing soreness and stiffness after working out.
There are tons of flexibility stretches out there but these are great when you’re just getting started.
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Trunk Rotations
When I started getting back into exercising regularly, one of the things I wanted to get rid of was my lower back stiffness.
I found that by doing some basic trunk rotations my lower back really started to loosen up and it made completing other exercises much easier.
These are pretty straight forward and easy to do.
Start by standing straight up with your legs just slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
Place your hands on your hips.
Now bend forward from the waist keeping your legs relatively straight. A slight bend in your knees is OK. The trunk of your body should be almost parallel with the floor.
From that position, rotate your trunk to the left side but stop before going behind your hip. Then stand straight up.
Then, starting at your left hip, rotate towards your right side and stop again before going behind your right hip. Stand up straight.
Repeat the rotation 10 times in each direction. You should feel a good stretch in your lower back and hips.
Don’t go behind your hips so you’re bending backwards. Always from the side, to the front, to the other side.
If you have limited flexibility in your back, do as much as you can without it being painful.
You’ll get more flexible in time the more you do it.
Cobra Pose
If you are at all familiar with yoga, you probably know all about the cobra pose.
If you happen to be an absolute beginner to exercising you’re probably wondering what in the world am I talking about.
This is another great stretch for the lower back and also easy to add to any workouts for beginners.
Related Article: Great Exercises For A Beginner’s At Home Workout
I like to do this stretch throughout my workouts. It feels great and is really good for keeping your lower back limber.
Start by lying flat on the floor, face down, legs together and your hands palms down next to your shoulders as if you were going to do a push up.
Then push up through your palms, allowing your upper body to rise up but keeping your waist down.
Keep lifting your head up so that you feel a good stretch through your lower back.
Like all good workouts for beginners, It should not be painful.
Hold the position for about 20 seconds then relax back down to the starting position and repeat.
Do this stretch about 6 – 8 times and you’ll be good to go. Trust me, this one is amazing. Also great to repeat throughout the workout. Especially when you’re training your upper body.
Triceps Stretch
You’ll never guess what part of the body this stretch is great for.
Aww you guessed it.
It’s another easy one and great for any day you’re working on your upper arms.
Simply place your arm behind your head so your elbow starts to point up towards the ceiling.
If you have limited flexibility in your shoulder do the best you can.
You want to then reach over with your other hand and pull your elbow towards your head.
That should allow for a good stretch in your triceps. Hold it for about 10 seconds and then do the other arm.
Again, just feel the stretch. It shouldn’t hurt at all.
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Cross Chest Shoulder Stretch
This is another straight forward and easy to complete stretch that is great for your shoulders.
A good stretch for those days you will be completing upper body workouts.
Simply stretch your right arm straight out in front of you.
Then with your left hand, reach under and grab your right elbow.
While keeping your right arm straight, pull it into your chest.
You should be felling a good stretch through your shoulder.
Hold it for about ten seconds and repeat it with the other arm.
Standing Quadriceps
Well you can’t just stretch your upper body. You’ve got a whole other half to take care of.
So here is a simple and effective stretch for the quadriceps. Those are the large muscles on the front of your thighs.
Start in a standing position.
Bend your right knee so your foot comes up behind you. Grab a hold of your foot and gently pull up and towards your buttocks or butt if you prefer.
You should feel a long stretch through the front of your leg. Hold for about ten seconds and then repeat with the other leg.
Related Article: Best Bodyweight Exercises To Build A Strong Physique
Sitting Hamstring Stretch
For the hamstring, that’s the large muscle on the back side of your thigh, there’s another simple and effective stretch.
Sit down on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you but spread out to make a “V” shape on the ground.
Allow one of your legs to bend so that you can pull the sole of your foot towards you and press it against the thigh of your other leg.
Then while still sitting up straight, simply bend forward at the waist. You should feel a good stretch in the hamstring of the leg you’re keeping straight.
Try and hold it for about 10 to 15 seconds and then do it with the other leg.
This stretch probably require a little flexibility to begin with so do the best you can. It will get easier the more you practice it.
It should help with flexibility in your lower back as well.
All Good Workouts For Beginners Should Include The Calf Stretch
To round out the leg, here is a great stretch to loosen your calf muscles.
Start by standing a couple feet in front of a wall.
Lean forward so you can brace yourself against the wall with your palms, arms outstretched.
Step forward with one foot so that it is flat on the ground. Your knee can be bent.
Your back foot should be far enough back so that it is up on the toe.
In this position, press the heel of your back foot down so that you can feel the stretch in your calf muscle.
You should be positioned so that you can complete the stretch by pressing your heel all the way down without discomfort to your foot or ankle.
If you can’t get your heel down, pull your back foot forward a bit so that it is comfortable but not too far so that you don’t feel the stretch.
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Sitting Glute Stretch
A great way to round out the stretches you’ll be doing as a beginner is with this final one for your glutes.
It’s also easy to do. Don’t let the picture intimidate you. You can keep your leg on the floor straight and you don’t have to twist your hips that far.
Sit down on the ground with your legs straight out in front of you.
Then bend your right knee up until your right foot is flat on the ground. Lift your right foot up and put it on the other side of your left leg which should remain straight and flat on the ground throughout the stretch.
Twist at your hips so you can get your left elbow on the right side of your right knee which should still be bent and pointing straight up.
With your left elbow, gently press against your right knee so that you can feel the stretch in your glute and hips.
Hold it for about 10 – 15 seconds and then repeat for the other side.
You may find this one a little awkward at first and also requiring a little flexibility but keep working at it. It also gets easier with practice.
The Wrap Up
So there you have some great stretches that can be easily incorporated into any workouts for beginners.
As I noted earlier, there are lots of others but start with these.
You can always start including more as your flexibility improves and your workout routines grow.
These movements should have you on your way to limbering up for your physical fitness journey and improving your overall flexibility.
