Touching your toes is a great stretch to do before a cardio-related workout, and can also be a good indicator of overall flexibility. To be able to touch your toes in a short time, you can do other stretches that will lead you to gain these abilities and of course regular practice.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Stretching Relevant Muscles
Step 1. Stretch after exercising or warming up
After doing a proper warm-up, blood flow will be smoother to the surrounding tissues so that injuries while stretching can be prevented. Research has also shown decreased performance after stretching. So, what is recommended now is the opposite of before. Stretch only after exercising and if you don't plan on doing strenuous exercise, be sure to warm up before stretching.
Step 2. Do your lower back stretch
Many people tend to overlook the muscle groups found in the lower back when considering flexibility, but you can stretch these muscles to avoid the muscle injuries that are common with some exercises. The cat - camel (cat-camel) stretch can be an excellent option for stretching the lower back muscles. All you have to do is get into a crawling position and alternate between arching your back toward the ceiling and pushing your stomach toward the floor while lifting your buttocks. Hold each position for 15-30 seconds at an angle that allows you to feel a comfortable stretch without causing pain. This concave and convex posture will help stretch some of the muscles in your lower back.
For some other lower back stretches, you can read this article on How to Safely Stretch your Lower Back
Step 3. Stretch your hips
The hip flexor exercise consists of bending one knee as if you were going to propose to your boyfriend in a traditional fashion, then leaning forward to place your weight on the front leg to stretch the muscles in your lower leg. You need to maintain this position for about 30 seconds before switching to the other leg and completing the same movement.
If you want total flexibility, you can find good hip stretches in this article on How to Do the Hip Flexor Stretch
Step 4. Stretch your hamstrings
While stretching several muscle groups can help, you can be sure that you will feel a tug on your hamstrings when you stretch by touching your toes. You can easily flex your hamstrings by lying on the floor near the corner of a wall or doorway and placing one heel against the wall before slowly straightening your knee until you feel a comfortable stretch without causing pain. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds before switching to the other leg and repeating it.
Stretching the hamstrings is an integral part of the toe-touching exercise, so you should take a look at some of the other exercises described in this article on How to Train Your Hamstrings Flexibility
Step 5. Stretch your calves
Aside from your hamstrings, your calves are the second largest muscle group to stretch when you touch your toes. You can stretch your calves in the same way you stretch your hip flexors, but this time you stay standing and keep your heels firmly on the floor as you lean forward on the opposite leg. You also need to hold this stretch for 30 seconds before switching to the other leg.
- Make sure you don't twist your legs at all, and to help, you can put your hands on the wall in front of you.
- To learn about these and other ways to flex your calf muscles, read another wikiHow article on stretching.
Step 6. Perform your plantar fascia stretch
The calf stretch exercise above is also good for the plantar fascia, but in addition to this exercise, you can also stretch the same muscles by placing a hard ball such as a tennis or baseball on the floor under the arch of the foot and rolling it from side to side and forward. back with feet for about 2 minutes. You may need to put some of your weight on the leg you are stretching to feel the muscles stretch but not to the point of discomfort.
Step 7. Touch Your Toes
Once you've warmed up and stretched all the components of the muscle group necessary for you to touch your toes, it will be easier to do so, or at least your reach will be closer than before.
Method 2 of 3: Touching Toes While Sitting
Step 1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight and your toes pointing at the ceiling
Now that you've done the necessary stretches, you can start doing real toe touching exercises. Start by sitting on the floor with your toes pointing up.
Step 2. Raise your arms straight above your head
This motion will make you feel like you're about to touch the ceiling, but some people find it easier to lower yourself down to stretch while extending your arms than to jerk your arms from above suddenly toward your feet.
Step 3. Complete the sit ups
Stretch your body further forward as you did the top of the sit up but without lying back down on the floor.
Step 4. Touch your toes
Now that you've reached the full range of your stretch, you should be able to touch your toes. However, if you can't do it, don't push yourself. You'll need to do these stretches for a few weeks or more before you can actually touch your toes.
Step 5. Hold for 15-30 seconds
Hold this position for as long as possible without straining the muscles for about 30 seconds. You can also choose to repeat touching your toes several times as part of your exercise routine.
It's best to do the exercise in a steady and controlled manner, without jerking your hands suddenly toward your feet as this will only cause muscle injury
Method 3 of 3: Touching Toes while Standing
Step 1. Squat down towards the floor
Now that you've touched your toes while sitting, try to do it while standing. This exercise is more difficult for many people. Start by crouching. This position will look like a frog squat with your knees bent and your back arched.
Step 2. Place your fingers on your toes
Since this method has to start with your fingers resting on your toes, and work your way up to straightening your legs, you'll need to place your fingers on top of your toes while crouching.
Some people find it easier to put their fingers under their toes so they can grip them instead of just touching them
Step 3. Lift your buttocks and straighten your knees
Stand up slowly with your fingers still on/under the toes. When you straighten your body, you will feel a stretch especially in the buttocks and hamstring muscles. Try to reach a position where both your legs and back are straight.
Step 4. Hold this position for 15-20 seconds
Hold this position but don't strain the muscles. Also, if you can't reach a position that keeps your legs straight, hold on to a position where you feel a comfortable stretch without causing pain. You will be able to reach full range gradually with constant effort.
Once you can easily touch your toes, the next step in this stretching exercise is to develop it until you can do it with your palms flat on the floor in front of your feet instead of just touching your toes
Step 5. Repeat several times
Just as you touch your toes while sitting, you can choose to do this stretch several times during your workout session.
Tips
- Warm up each leg separately by stretching one leg first, then both.
- Not everyone has the same arm-to-leg length ratio. Keep in mind that your physiology may make this stretch more difficult, so you should try to be patient.
- Everyone has their own limits, so don't push yourself too far and too fast. The key is to feel the stretch without discomfort and observe how the stretch point increases over time.
- Stretch your body before you try to touch your toes. You can also try crunches to strengthen your abdominal muscles.
