If Your Workouts Are Making You Tense, These Stretch Exercises Have You Covered

• Standing on your right leg, step your left leg forward with your toes flexed.
• Reach your left hand to your toes, keeping your back flat — you should feel a gentle stretch in the back of your thigh. Hold this position for just a moment, then place your left foot next to your right as you return to standing upright.
• Switch sides to stretch your right hamstring. Continue alternating sides for 20 to 30 seconds.

• Sit on the floor and straighten your left leg in front of you. Bend the right knee, placing the sole of your right foot against your left inner thigh.
• Fold over your left leg, keeping your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds, then switch legs.

This basic stretch is perfect for targeting one leg at a time and is great for those with really tight hamstrings.

• Stand with your feet hips-width distance apart. Interlace your hands behind your back. Keeping your legs straight, bend at the hips, tucking your chin and bringing your hands over your head.
• Relax the back of your neck, and if the stretch is too intense, release your hands, placing them on the backs of your thighs, and soften your knees. Hold for 30 seconds and slowly roll up to standing.

This stretch is good for your hamstrings and also loosens tight shoulders.

• Stand with your feet together. Step your right foot back about two feet and bend forward from your hip joint, keeping your back and both legs straight. After holding for 30 seconds, switch sides.

Easy to do anywhere and safe for injured backs, this hamstring stretch is great if you're really tight.

• Prop your left heel up on a surface that is a little lower than your hip, such as a chair or bench. Flex your foot.
• To increase the stretch, bend forward toward your flexed foot by creasing at your hips. Hold for 30 seconds and switch legs.

If the previous stretch isn't deep enough for you, then try this variation. It's perfect for doing on a bench after a run in the park.

• Sit on the floor, extending both legs straight out in front of you, legs together.
• Lean your torso forward over your thighs, creasing at your hips. Hold here for 30 seconds and then sit up.

Keeping the back straight, rather than rounding toward your legs, emphasizes the lengthening in the back of the legs.

• Lie on your back. Raise your left leg as high as you can, keeping your pelvis flat on the ground. Hold your lower thigh and encourage the leg to move toward your head. Flex your foot to stretch your calf too.
• To deepen the stretch, place a yoga strap or towel on the ball of your foot and use your hands to pull the strap toward you. After 30 seconds, switch legs.

Here's a relaxing way to stretch one hamstring at a time.

• Begin seated on your mat with your legs extended straight out in front of you.
• Bend your right knee and place your right heel as close to your left sit bone as you can.
• Reach your right arm behind you and plant your palm or fingertips on the floor. Place your left hand or elbow on your right knee or thigh and gently pull your knee to the left until you feel the stretch in your glutes.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the left side.

This classic glute stretch is a modification of the Seated Twist yoga pose. With less emphasis on twisting the spine, you can really focus on lengthening the glute muscles.

• Lie on your back with both legs in the air. Place your left ankle on your right thigh, just above your knee. See the shape of the number four? It is there, just upside down.
• Clasp your hands around your left thigh and slowly pull your thigh toward your chest. You should feel a stretch on the outside of your left hip. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

This stretch targets the piriformis, which technically isn't part of the muscle group known as the glutes, but it's in the area and it gets tight.

• Lie on your back and draw your knees to your chest to give your low back a gentle stretch.
• Increase the stretch by bringing your forehead toward your knees. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.

If your glutes are super tight and sore, this position will feel like a big stretch. On an average day, though, it might just feel like a gentle release for the lower back and butt.

• Lying on your back, extend your arms out to your sides. Bend your knees and cross your right leg over your left.
• Slowly rotate your knees to the right, allowing them to come to the floor. It's OK if your left shoulder comes off the floor. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. Then slowly bring the knees back to the center.
• Reverse directions and twist to the left. Repeat as needed.

This stretch feels great for the low back, but the configuration of the legs intensifies the stretch for the glutes.

• Kneel on your mat on your knees and lie your torso down onto your thighs and your forehead on the ground. Reach your arms forward. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Walk your hands over to the left to lengthen the right side of your spine. Focus on breathing into your right ribcage. Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, then walk your hands to the right to stretch the left side of your back.

• Begin with your hands and knees on the floor. Make sure your knees are under your hips and your wrists are under your shoulders. Begin in a neutral spine position, with your back flat and your abs engaged. Take a big, deep inhale.
• On the exhale, round your spine up toward the ceiling and imagine you're pulling your belly button up toward your spine, really engaging your abs. Tuck your chin toward your chest and let your neck release. This is your cat-like shape.
• On your inhale, arch your back, let your belly relax, and go loose. Lift your head and tailbone up toward the sky — without putting any unnecessary pressure on your neck. This is the cow portion of the pose.
• Continue flowing back and forth from Cat Pose to Cow Pose, and connect your breath to each movement — inhale for Cow Pose, and exhale on Cat Pose.
• Repeat for at least 10 rounds, or until your spine is warmed up.

• Stand with your feet under your hips and interlace your fingers above your head, with your palms toward the ceiling.
• Lengthen the right side of your torso as you lean to the left. Hold this for five seconds, then switch sides. Repeat two to three times on each side.

• Stand on one leg with your knees touching. If you need to, grab hold of a chair or wall for support.
• Grab your left foot with your left hand and pull toward your butt. Do your best to keep your chest upright, and don't worry about how close your foot is to your butt. Keep your focus on getting a good stretch in your quad.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then stretch the other leg.

• Start off in a high lunge position, with your right foot forward. Then, slowly drop your left knee to the ground.
• Take a few moments to find balance, and once you're stabilized, with your left arm, reach back for your toes on your left foot.
• Hold for 30 seconds. Slowly release your hold on your left foot. Come back to the high lunge position, then switch sides with your left foot forward. Perform this move on your right quad.

For a slightly different effect from the standing and reclined stretches, this kneeling quad stretch loosens the muscles right above your knee especially well.

• Reach your left arm across your body at chest height. Support the left arm with your right elbow.
• Use your right arm to pull the left arm closer to your chest to increase the stretch.
• Hold this stretch for 20 seconds, then switch sides.

• Stand with your feet hip distance apart, arms by your sides.
• Reach both hands behind your backside and hold on to your left wrist with your right hand. Use your right hand to gently straighten your left arm and pull it away from you slightly.
• To increase the stretch in your neck, slowly lower your right ear toward your shoulder.
• Stay here for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

• Kneel down in front of a wall. If this bothers your knees, kneel on a folded blanket or towel. Spread your knees wider than hip distance apart.
• Extend your arms overhead and place your forearms on the wall.
• Allow gravity to pull your torso toward the floor. It's OK if your head rests on the wall as well. If you're not feeling this in your shoulders and neck, inch your knees farther away from the wall.
• Breathe deeply for 30 seconds and then release.

• Begin sitting on the heels as if coming into Reclining Hero pose.
• Lean back and place your palms flat on the floor about eight to 10 inches behind you so your fingertips are pointing away.
• Press your hands firmly into the ground to lift the chest high, arching your back and pushing your hips into your heels. To increase the stretch, lower your head behind you, stretching through your throat and the front of your chest even more.
• Hold for 30 seconds.
• To take this stretch deeper and target one shoulder at a time, lift one arm into the air for 30 seconds and then repeat on the other side.

• Sit on the floor in a cross-legged position or in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
• Extend your right arm next to your right knee or along the right side of the chair. Place your left hand on the top of your head and slowly tilt your head to the left. Apply gentle pressure with your hand to increase the stretch.
• To feel a deeper stretch, you can hold on to your right knee or the seat of the chair. This stabilizes the torso and allows you to isolate the stretch on the side of your neck.
• Hold on this side for 30 seconds, then slowly lift your head up and repeat this stretch on the other side.

You can do this gentle stretch standing too.

• Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor.
• Clasp your hands and bring both palms to the back of your head. Sitting with a tall spine, ground your hips firmly into your seat.
• From here, begin to gently press your hands down toward your thighs, tucking your chin into your chest. As you press down, use the heels of your palms to pull your head away from your shoulders. This will intensify the stretch even more.
• Hold here for at least 30 seconds, then slowly lift your head up and release your hands.

• Start in Child's Pose with your shins and forehead on the floor. Stay here for a few breaths, working on lengthening your spine as you relax your chest to your thighs. When you're ready, interlace your hands behind you in a double fist. If you can, press the heels of your palms together to increase the stretch in your shoulders. Then lift your hands as high as you can.
• Inhale to shift your weight forward and lift your hips off your heels. Come to rest on the top of your head and extend your hands as close to the floor as you can. Stay here for 10 seconds, then lower your hips back to your heels. Stay here for another 10 seconds, then lift your hips up again. Continue this cycle five or more times, then release into Child's Pose with your arms on either side of your legs.

• Bend in half at the waist and hang over, crossing your right foot behind your left and pressing your right big toe into the floor.
• Twist your upper body to the right, reaching your right arm to the ceiling. You should feel a gentle pull on the outside of your right leg. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Uncross your legs and switch legs to stretch the other side.

• From standing, step your right foot forward, coming into a lunge. Place your hands just above your right knee for support.
• Reach through your left heel to lengthen the front of your left hip. Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch sides.

• From your runner's lunge, place your right hand on the outside of your right foot. Reach your left hand to the ceiling, increasing the stretch on the left side of the body. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Then place the left hand at the inside of your right foot. Twist to the right and reach your right arm to the ceiling. Hold this position for 10 to 15 seconds.
• Repeat this sequence on the other side.

Adding the reach and rotation increases the stretch.

• Reach your right arm overhead to lengthen the right side of your body. Maintain the length as you bend your right elbow, bringing your fingers to the middle of your upper back.
• Grab your right elbow with your left hand and gently pull the right elbow toward the left.
• Increase the stretch by lengthening the right side of your torso even more by bending sideways to the left.
• Hold for 15 to 20 seconds, then switch sides.

This is a deep, passive stretch that targets the inner thighs and is great after a long, hard workout.

• Lie on your back as close as you can to the wall; you want your bum against the wall.
• Lengthen your legs upward with your heels resting on the wall. Separate your feet and slide your legs down the wall toward the ground, coming into a straddle position.
• Hold this position for two to three minutes or longer, if needed.
• When you're ready to get out of the stretch, slide your legs together (or push them together if that's easier). Draw your knees into your chest and roll to one side, coming into a fetal position. Hold this position for a few breaths. Then roll onto your knees and come to standing.

• Begin in a plank pose with your hands under your shoulders, then lift your pelvis up, making a "V" with your body. Walk your feet toward your hands if you need to.
• Work on bringing your heels toward the ground to stretch your calves.
• To deepen the stretch, try pedaling lightly by pressing down on one heel while bending the other leg (as shown). Hold a few seconds per leg and then switch.
• Hold or pedal your feet for 30 seconds.