There's a popular warm-up called "The World's Greatest Stretch," and it certainly lives up to its name as one of the best stretches you can do, especially before a workout. Trainers say this bending move is packed with benefits and can prepare your body for running, biking, lifting weights, or any other activity you have planned for the gym.
Personal trainer Michael Hamlin says the world's greatest stretch is a dynamic stretch that combines lunges with torso twists to work multiple muscle groups at once, including hip flexors, legs muscles, glutes, spine and chest. NSCA, CSCS. Most moves stretch zero specific muscles, but this one really targets them all. "There are so many different moves in this warm-up that it looks and feels like a cross between track and yoga," he tells Bustle.
While you can stretch any time you want to loosen tight muscles, stretching before a workout can be especially beneficial because it prepares your body for movement, Hamlin says. Flow movement activates key muscles and gets your blood flowing, which is why it can also help prevent injury, he says.
"Often, when [someone] does this exercise for the first time, they will mention to me that everything feels 'loose,'" Hamlin says. He calls it "an important part of any dynamic warm-up routine." Read on for details on how to perform the world's greatest stretch and all of its benefits.
How to do the world's greatest stretch
Here, Peloton trainer Rebecca Kennedy explains how to perform the world's greatest stretch with good form:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
- Fold forward and touch your toes.
- Bend your knees slightly if necessary.
- Extend your hands into a high plank position.
- Step forward with your right leg into a runner's lunge, placing your feet outside your hands.
- Reach your right arm toward the ceiling and twist your torso to perform a T-spine rotation.
- Return your hands to the ground.
- Lower your legs back onto the board.
- Step forward with your left foot and repeat the runner's lunge and T-spine rotation on the left side.
- Return your hands to their original positions.
- Return your hands to your feet and slowly roll back to standing.
- Repeat four slow repetitions on each side.
Benefits of the World's Greatest Stretch Exercise
The World's Greatest Stretch allows your body to move through a full range of motion, meaning it works every muscle group effectively, leaving you feeling ready to tackle a tough workout.
Personal trainer and physical therapist Lalitha McSorley says sliding forward into a lunge warms your hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, and quads, while trunk twisting and arm extension stimulate your core, mid-back, shoulders , chest and arms. . "It helps activate your muscles and prepare them for the next workout," she tells Bustle.
If you're pressed for time or not sure which stretches to do, World's Greatest Stretch is always a good choice. It's quick, it's easy, and because it warms you up so effectively, you might even come out feeling more flexible and powerful than usual during your workout, Hamlin says.
In addition to being a pre-workout move, this full-body stretch can improve your flexibility, mobility and posture because it lubricates your joints and lengthens tight muscles in one fell swoop, McSorley says . Hamlin points out that because it requires you to maintain balance while twisting, it's also a great way to improve stability. In other words: It's called the world's greatest stretch for a reason.
Research references:
Alfonso, J. (2021). Is it time to ditch forced stretching? We need to distinguish "can I?" from "must I?" Pre-Physiology. doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.714166.
McHugh, MP. To stretch or not to stretch: The role of stretching in injury prevention and performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2010 Apr;20(2):169-81. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01058.x. Epub December 18, 2009. PMID: 20030776.
Page, P. (2012). The latest concept in muscle stretching for sports and rehabilitation. International Journal of Sports Physics. Phone number: 22319684; PMCID: PMC3273886.
source:
Michael Hamlin, NSCA, CSCS, personal trainer
Lalitha McSorley, PT, Personal Trainer, Physical Therapist
Rebecca Kennedy, peloton coach
