Ab Stretches - Ask Doctor Jo

These ab stretches will help stretch and rebalance the abdominal muscles. Your abdominal muscles can become tight and sore for many reasons including working out too hard and bad posture. When they become tight and sore, they promote more bad posture. See Doctor Jo’s blog post about this at: http://www.askdoctorjo.com/content/ab-stretches

For the first stretch, you will lie down on your stomach in the prone position. Prop up on your elbows, and hold it for 30 seconds, doing it three times. If that is not enough of a stretch, you can come up into a pushup position with your arms, but keep your hips on the ground. If this is still not quite enough of a stretch, you can go up to your knees, and then drop your stomach down towards the ground getting a big abdominal stretch.

The next stretch will be with a Swiss or therapy ball. You want to lie on your back with your feet on the ground in a table top or half bridge position. Roll enough over it to let your head drop off. If this is not enough of a stretch, you can reach your arms up and back and let them hang down. Hold this for 30 seconds, and do it three times.

Now you will get into a tall kneeling position. You can also do this one standing up, but you might get a better stretch on your knees. Reach your arm up and over to the opposite side. That will get your outer abs. If you want more of a central stretch, reach over and back. Hold this for 30 seconds, and do it three times on each side. You can alternate back and forth or do them all on one side at a time.

The last stretch will still be in tall kneeling. This one is a little tougher, and a stronger stretch, so you might not want to do it the first time until you loosen up your abs some. Lean back while in tall kneeling, and reach for your heels. Grab onto your heels, and arch your back pushing your chest upward towards the ceiling. Hold this for 30 seconds, and do it three times.

Related Videos:

Swiss Ball Core & Back Strengthening Exercises (Basic):
https://youtu.be/HsWYPWmzt5s?list=PLPS8D21t0eO-RMUZw1CSzzYRotJNy2MaM

Exercise Ball Core and Back Strengthening Exercises (Moderate):
https://youtu.be/_ar1HKn_stc?list=PLPS8D21t0eO-RMUZw1CSzzYRotJNy2MaM

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Doctor Jo is a licensed Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy.
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Ab Stretches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1tzvP8dGR4

DISCLAIMER: This video and any related comments are not medical advice. Doctor Jo is a licensed Physical Therapist and Doctor of Physical Therapy; however, she is not YOUR Physical Therapist and can't possibly diagnose you through the Internet. So don't use this information to avoid going to your own healthcare professional or to replace the advice they have given you. This information should not be used to self-diagnose or self-treat any medical condition. If you are not properly diagnosed, this information won't help, and it could make things worse. If you experience any pain, stop immediately and see your healthcare professional.