TRAINING
Complete Upper Body Stretching Routine With Marino Katsouris
If you, like me, get hit by stretching videos every time you open TikTok, you’ll know how important it is by now. If you’ve not yet added some sort of mobility exercises to your workouts, what’ve you been doing?
Improve Gym Performance By Utilising Different Stretching Methods
PSA: do not skip your stretches.
06/16/2022 By Scott Whitney
Marino Katsouris knows about the benefits of stretching. He always completes an extensive upper-body warm-up to maximise his workout performance. Be like Marino — don’t neglect stretching!
The routine
Do this whole circuit 1-2 times before 2-3 warm-up sets of your first exercise, and you’ll be primed and ready to go!
Banded shoulder rotations
- Grab either end of a large resistance band in each hand, with the band sitting behind you
- Pull the band so it’s taut
- Starting with your hands by your sides, bring them up and round until they’re above your head, with the band still taut
- Then bring your arms back down to your sides with the band in front of your body
Scapular push-ups
- Place your hands shoulder-width apart on a mat with your legs out behind you, with your body straight
- Allow your shoulders to drop
- Push them back up and continue to push up until your back is arched
Cobra stretch
- Begin the movement in a push-up position, with your hands flat on the mat, roughly shoulder-width apart, and your legs out behind you
- Drop your hips until they’re as flat as possible against the mat, while keeping your arms straight
- Then push your hips back up until your bum is in the air and your arms are straight
Elbow supported rotator cuff
- Sit on the mat with one leg bent at the knee
- Rest your elbow on this knee and put your other hand on the floor to support you
- Arm bent at the elbow and at a right angle
- With a small weight in this hand, rotate your arm so your palm faces the floor, keeping your elbow on your knee
Reverse snow angel
- Lie on a mat with your chest facing the floor
- Begin the movement with your arms straight in front of you and your palms facing the floor
- Use your chest to push your upper body off the mat slightly while bringing your arms round your body until they reach your bum (keep your arms straight as you do this)
Shoulder rounds
- Stand up straight with one arm by your side and the other arm firmly planted on your stomach, reminding you to engage your core
- Rotate the arm that’s by your side in a full circle, keeping it straight the entire time
Scapular pull-ups
- Hang from a suspended bar with your palms facing away from you
- Hang so your upper-body muscles are loose
- Squeeze your upper-back muscles while lifting your chest slightly
- Loosen your muscles again and repeat
Take home message
And there we have it. Be like Marino and make sure you prioritise stretching. It's not as much a chore as you think. Loosen up, get warm, and you’ll soon feel the benefits.
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Emily Wilcock Content Executive
