Warm Up First

Muscle stretching shouldn't be your starting warmup. Warm up first with a few minutes of walking, cycling, etc., then stretch. You can also do stretching exercises at the end of your cardio workout. Stretching cold muscles can cause injuries. There is also some research indicating that a lot of stretching can cause a short-term dip in muscle strength, so for weight training, save your serious stretching for after the workout.

Corner Stretch for Chest

Forget all your grade school fears--standing in a corner is one of the best stretching exercises. Stand facing a corner with one hand on each wall, about chin level. Lean forward until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders. Repeat this muscle stretching technique for flexibility.

Cat Stretch

Cats never get sore backs. Here´s a good back muscle stretching exercise from our favorite felines. Get on the floor on all fours. Arch your back like a cat, then relax and let it sag toward the floor. Don´t move your arms or legs while stretching, just your back.

Good Posture

Your mother was right: Work to achieve good posture. You can stretch to improve your posture. From the side, your ear should line up with the tip of your shoulder, your hip joint, the back of your knee (don´t lock out your knees when standing), and the front of the protruding bone on your ankle. Stretching exercises in front of a mirror will help.

Hamstring Stretch

For a good hamstring stretch, lie on your back on the floor. Leave one leg extended on the floor and raise the other, knee straight, until you feel the stretch in your hamstring. Loop a towel around your leg and hold the ends in your hands to make it easier.

Again, remember to always warm up well before stretching!

Stretch to Where You Feel It

Don't take pains with your muscle stretching. Stretch to where you feel the stretch in the target muscle, and hold it. Don´t stretch to pain. Don´t bounce. Certain athletes need to do fast, ballistic stretching exercises for their sport, but this is high risk and is not appropriate for most exercisers.

Stretch Out a Cramp

Got a cramp? Loosen up and relax. Try stretching out a muscle cramp. For instance, for the calf cramp, or "charley horse," pull your toes up toward your shin in an opposing stretch. The calf muscle pulls the foot down, so you want to do muscle stretching and stretching exercises in the opposite direction to offset a cramp.

Calf Stretch

Give those calves the muscle stretching of their life! You should stretch your calves two ways with two different stretching exercises.

First is the usual way where you lean against a wall, step back with the leg to be stretched, knee straight, then keep your heel down and push your hips forward until you feel the stretching in your calf.

Second, keep the same position but bend your knee, which will give a better stretch to the soleus muscle and the achilles´ tendon.

Neck Stretch

Got a pain in the neck? Muscle stretching can help. Maintain your ability to look behind you by keeping your neck flexible through neck stretching exercises. Turn your head as far as you can so your chin is over your shoulder, or close, then hold for 20 seconds. Repeat the stretch on the other side. Don't hold your breath.

Flexibility Goals

Sometimes less really is more and you can over-stretch yourself.

More flexibility and more stretching are not always better. Work to attain and maintain normal flexibility, unless you need more for your sport or activity. You do not need the flexibility of a gymnast, diver, or ice skater if you are a runner, cyclist, or fitness exerciser.

Also, no matter how much you stretch, flexibility is partially genetic. You probably know if you have the potential to excel in a sport that requires great flexibility. Yes, you can probably improve the range of your karate kicks with some stretching exercises, but stretching through pain can lead to joint laxity and possible injury. So don´t overdo it.

Quad Stretch

For lean sexy legs, do the standing quadriceps stretch. Pull your foot up, with the knee bent and the thigh straight up and down, next to the supporting leg. During this muscle stretching, don´t pull the leg back and to the side, which stresses the knee, and don´t lean forward, which reduces range of motion and decreases stretching effectiveness.

Iliotibial Band

Stretch the band, the iliotibial band, that is. The iliotibial band runs on the outside of the thigh from the hip to the knee. When it is irritated, pain is usually felt at the knee. Runners, cyclists, skiers, and aerobic exercisers should stretch it to prevent injury. To get a good stretch of the IT band of the right leg, cross the leg behind your left leg while standing and lean sideways to the left for thorough IT muscle stretching.

PNF Hamstring Stretch

PNF (Proprioceptive Neural Facilitation) has a number of therapeutic applications, but you can incorporate it into your own stretching program and stretching exercises. Do your stretch, tense or contract the target muscle, then finally relax and extend your stretch.

For example, to stretch your hamstrings from the common inside hurdler´s stretch, sit on the floor with your right leg extended and the sole of your left foot against your right inner thigh. Keeping your back straight, reach toward your right foot until you feel the stretching. Pause and contract your right hamstring as though you were pushing your heel into the floor, relax your leg completely and reach a little further toward your foot. You´ll find you can get another inch or so out of muscle stretching with this technique.

Aerobic and Strength Training

Weight training and stretching exercises go hand in hand. It is not true that weight training makes you inflexible, as long as you use full range of motion and do muscle stretching.

In contrast, aerobic training, like running, can make your muscles tight, so aerobic athletes need to stretch even more than other athletes.

Yoga for Flexibility

You don't have to do just stretching exercises if you want to be limber and flexible. Yoga is a great way to increase flexibility as well as total-body strength and balance. You have a choice of various yoga styles. You can do classical hatha yoga, or try modern variations like power yoga or yoga booty ballet.

Ankle Flexibility

A, B, C, D, E, F, G...To keep your ankles flexible with muscle stretching, try the alphabet stretch. Trace the alphabet in the air with your toes, one foot at a time.

Side Bend Stretch

Work your abs with this great stretching exercise. Do the standing side bend as an abdominal oblique stretch. Hold a light weight in one hand and lean to that side slowly until you feel the muscle stretching.

Muscle Balance

You have a balanced diet, and now balanced stretching. Stretch the muscles on both sides of the body so your body doesn´t have to compensate.

For instance, stretch both the quads and hamstrings (front and back of the thigh) so they will be equally flexible. If your hamstrings are already flexible, and you can put your nose on your knee, but your quads are a bit tight, you don´t need to spend much time on the hams. But you do need to work on your quads with stretching exercises.

Athletic Stretching

Don't stay still during stretching exercises, get up and move! Static stretching is effective for general flexibility but may not be sufficient for athletes, because it is not sports-specific. Dynamic muscle stretching is more effective but requires a partner and some base knowledge.