My take on Running stretches

Here's a list of all the muscles used and the stretches I do after each run to keep my muscles both flexible/powerful and injury free.

Running muscles:


Primary movers:

• Quads (groups of four muscles): Top of thigh
• Hamstrings (group of three muscles): Back of thigh
• Gluteus maximus: Bum muscle
• Calf muscle (group of two muscles): Back of lower leg
• Hip flexors (iliopsoas muscle): Internal muscle in your hip

Secondary (assisting muscles) movers:

• Abs (group of three muscles): six pack area, helps posture
• Biceps: bends the arm (keeps that 90degree arm angle)
• Back muscles (many muscles stabilise your back): helps posture
• Hip Adductor muscles: Groin area (not really a running muscle, but good to prevent injury none the less)

How I stretch all of these:

Quads: 

Lie on the floor on your side (I have a yoga mat for floor stretches), bend one leg 90degrees in front, and pull back on the other leg towards your bum:

Hamstrings:

Many ways to do this. prop your leg on a table, I have a waist height table, keep you back straight and lean forward towards your propped up foot keeping legs straight.

Bum:

lie on the floor on your back, bend one leg up 90degrees and then place your other leg across with your ankle resting on the top of the bent leg's knee. then lift the 90 leg up towards your chest (trust me you won't reach your chest :P) place your hands on the shin of the bent leg and pull. 

Calf muscles:

stand facing a wall, rest your hands shoulder height with your arms outstretched on the wall, place one leg infront in a high lunge position with the stretched out straight behind, push with your hips and feel the stretch on the back of your legs. 

Hip flexors:

kneel on the floor, place your front foot as far out as possible (then slightly backwards), relax the leg behind. keeping back straight and upright push forward from the hips

Abs:

Lie flat on the floor on your belly place hands just next your shoulders and push up whilst pressing down on the hips and tilt head back, should feel this on the abs, if you feel this on the back, your doing it wrong. this is not and important stretch, I usually hold it for 30 seconds no longer.

Biceps:

stand up with arms outstretched to the sides, make a thumbs up with both hands with your thumbs pointing to the ceiling, slowly rotate your hands towards the palms so that the thumbs now point downwards, if you can, try and point the thumbs behind (I've never reached that far). Alternatively you can place you arm straight against a wall and twist your body away pivoting at the shoulder. 

Back Muscles:

I don't actually stretch these muscles yet, haven't had any problems with my back to date, still that isn't an excuse.

Groin:

Sit on the floor, back straight, place your feet together so that the soles are together. push down on the knees or you can hold your feet and open the feet apart like a book to enhance the stretch.

As mentioned in a previous post, there is no benefit from doing a stretch for less than 30 seconds. I hold them for at least 45 seconds each.

The most important stretches for injury prevention and speed are the primary mover muscle stretches. 

(the hip stretch has been proven to increase running speed, don't leave that one out!)