Stretching, stretching, stretching. It's almost all we talk about these days. And for good reason. Stretching is the perfect way to get your blood flowing, warm your muscles up, and focus on the mind-muscle connection.
It’s also incredibly rewarding to improve your flexibility and mobility, especially in your lower body. In the immortal words of Ryan Terry, who wouldn’t want to squat “ass to grass”?
Another Myprotein ambassador who takes his stretching routine seriously is Marino Katsouris. He’s already shared his upper-body routine, and now he’s given us the downlow on his lower-body warm-up.
The routine
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Perform the routine either once or twice to really get your blood flowing.
Side lunges
- Begin with your feet facing forward in a wide stance
- Lunge forward putting all your body weight on your leading leg, using your back heel to maintain balance
- Release the lunge and go back to the starting position
- Repeat on the other leg
Perform five deep reps with a five-second hold on each leg
Kick through
- Start with one arm by your side and the other holding something for stability
- Swing one of your legs as far up as you can
- Complete the movement by swinging your leg as far backwards as you can in one movement
- Complete on the other leg
Perform 10 reps on each side
Squat reaches
- Start in the standing position
- Bend your legs and lower your bum down as low as it will go to the floor
- Make sure your feet remain flat on the ground
- Touch the floor with one hand while straightening the other hand upwards
- Repeat with your other arm
Perform 10 reps on each side
Hip rotations
- Perform a backwards lunge to get into position
- Lean forwards so one of your knees is under the shoulder and the other one should be straight back
- Make sure all your weight is on your front foot and use your back foot for stability
- While resting on your front foot, rotate your hips in a circle in both directions
- Repeat on the other leg
Perform 5 circles in each direction on each leg
Hamstring flow
- Start by kneeling on one leg, with your other leg straight out in front of you
- You should feel a stretch through your hamstring
- Then move forward on your front leg until you’re in a kneeling lunge position
- Reverse the movement to move back to the starting position
- Repeat on the other leg
Perform 5 reps back and forth on each leg
Inch worms
- With straight legs, bend down and touch the floor with flat hands
- Walk your hands forwards until they’re under your shoulders
- Then drop your hips to the mat and use your hands to push your chest and shoulders up
- Then walk your hands backwards up the mat
Perform 5 reps up and down
Heels to hands
- Lie on a mat with your chest facing down and your hands stretched out at 180 degrees
- Lift one leg up at a time and bring your foot as close to the opposite hand as possible
- Alternate between legs
Perform 10 reps in total
Squat complex
- Make sure your feet are flat and firmly planted on the floor
- Bend your knees until your bum is as low to the ground as it can go
- Bring one knee inwards until it touches the floor while keeping your bum low and your other foot firmly planted
- Repeat for the other leg
- Then stretch your arms out above your head
Perform 10 knee taps and 10 overhead presses in total
Take home message
Having a solid warm-up routine is an absolute must if you want to smash your leg workout. Spend five minutes loosening up before every session, and you’ll begin to feel the benefits in the long run.
