Stretching, stretching, stretching. It's almost all we talk about these days. And for good reason. Stretching is the perfect way to get your blood flowing, warm your muscles up, and focus on the mind-muscle connection.
It’s also incredibly rewarding to improve your flexibility and mobility, especially in your lower body. In the immortal words of Ryan Terry, who wouldn’t want to squat “ass to grass”?
Another Myprotein ambassador who takes his stretching routine seriously is Marino Katsouris. He’s already shared his upper-body routine, and now he’s given us the downlow on his lower-body warm-up.
The routine
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Perform the routine either once or twice to really get your blood flowing.
Side lunges
Begin with your feet facing forward in a wide stance
Lunge forward putting all your body weight on your leading leg, using your back heel to maintain balance
Release the lunge and go back to the starting position
Repeat on the other leg
Perform five deep reps with a five-second hold on each leg
Kick through
Start with one arm by your side and the other holding something for stability
Swing one of your legs as far up as you can
Complete the movement by swinging your leg as far backwards as you can in one movement
Complete on the other leg
Perform 10 reps on each side
Squat reaches
Start in the standing position
Bend your legs and lower your bum down as low as it will go to the floor
Make sure your feet remain flat on the ground
Touch the floor with one hand while straightening the other hand upwards
Repeat with your other arm
Perform 10 reps on each side
Hip rotations
Perform a backwards lunge to get into position
Lean forwards so one of your knees is under the shoulder and the other one should be straight back
Make sure all your weight is on your front foot and use your back foot for stability
While resting on your front foot, rotate your hips in a circle in both directions
Repeat on the other leg
Perform 5 circles in each direction on each leg
Hamstring flow
Start by kneeling on one leg, with your other leg straight out in front of you
You should feel a stretch through your hamstring
Then move forward on your front leg until you’re in a kneeling lunge position
Reverse the movement to move back to the starting position
Repeat on the other leg
Perform 5 reps back and forth on each leg
Inch worms
With straight legs, bend down and touch the floor with flat hands
Walk your hands forwards until they’re under your shoulders
Then drop your hips to the mat and use your hands to push your chest and shoulders up
Then walk your hands backwards up the mat
Perform 5 reps up and down
Heels to hands
Lie on a mat with your chest facing down and your hands stretched out at 180 degrees
Lift one leg up at a time and bring your foot as close to the opposite hand as possible
Alternate between legs
Perform 10 reps in total
Squat complex
Make sure your feet are flat and firmly planted on the floor
Bend your knees until your bum is as low to the ground as it can go
Bring one knee inwards until it touches the floor while keeping your bum low and your other foot firmly planted
Repeat for the other leg
Then stretch your arms out above your head
Perform 10 knee taps and 10 overhead presses in total
Take home message
Having a solid warm-up routine is an absolute must if you want to smash your leg workout. Spend five minutes loosening up before every session, and you’ll begin to feel the benefits in the long run.
