Jason Kozma quoted in Cosmopolitan magazine
BY NICOLE BELAND
Bonus perk: Doing this will make you a limber bedmate.
GRATIFYING GROIN STRETCH
A move so satisfying, you’ll want to do it every day.
There aren’t many stretches that are so sexy, you can’t do them in public. but this is one So close the door and follow these directions from Jason Kozma, a certified personal trainer in Santa Monica, California, and you’ll feel a fabulous release of tension between your legs—almost as good as that release.
“Stand with your feet as wide apart as possible while remaining well-balanced. Keep your back straight. chest out, and shoulders back. Bend down as if you’re about to sit on a bench positioned between your legs. When your thighs are parallel to the floor or as close as you can get to that, place your hands on the insides of your knees and gently push your legs apart until you feel a stretch in your groin”
Push slowly to savor the stretch and to avoid pulling a muscle.
Cosmopolitan Magazine November 2002
Cosmopolitan Cover
Why Stretching Helps with Weight Loss and More Effective Workouts
You run on the treadmill, you lift weights; you even do stairs from time to time. You are proud that you made it through another workout, but did you consider stretching those muscles you worked so hard during your workout? I recently noticed that stretching has gone by wayside with most trainers and popular fitness programs. I’m a big fan of stretching; it is as important as your workouts and should be a regular part of any exercise program.
Cardio and strength training actually cause your muscles to contract so we need stretching to lengthen our muscles, increase the flexibility and improve our performance. Balance is also quite important especially with age and proper stretching will keep your joints in good shape and help prevent injuries. A good stretch will increase the blood flow to our muscles and speed up the recovery after strenuous strength workouts, plus decrease muscle soreness. An added bonus: stretching is good for our state of mind as it relieves stress and relaxes the muscles.
- Warm Up. Never stretch cold muscles. Warm ups are essential because cold muscles pose the risk of injury. Walk slowly, move your arms and legs before beginning to stretch.
- Stretch before and after your workout. I recommend light stretching before exercising and a more rigorous one afterwards.
- Hold Stretches for 30 seconds. But if a muscle is tight, you might want to hold for up to a minute because it takes time to lengthen tissues safely.
- Hold a pain-free stretch. Don’t force a stretch beyond mild tension. If it hurts, you might have gone too far.
- Breathe slowly. Don’t hold your breath.
- Stretch both sides. This assures equal range of motion on both sides of your body.
Make stretching a part of your routine and you will also notice how much better your posture will get. Pliable muscles help to avoid injuries, stiffness and pain. Better posture will help you to look younger.
And now, here are the stretches I recommend. I’m a fan if seated floor stretches like side lunging stretch, quadriceps stretch and pigeon stretch. Sitting on the floor, place your legs straight out in front and reach for toes. Then, legs out to the side (I call this Van Damme stretch) go to middle, left and right. Continue with one leg straight behind you, the other folded underneath you with the shin close to a 90 degree angle to the upper body. Do leg stretches daily for 1-2 sets of 60 + seconds each.
Upper body stretches should include Chest, Lats, Shoulders: across body, over head, Biceps, Triceps and Forearms.
Remember, consistency is the most important thing; the more consistent you are, the easier it is to get in and stay in shape.
Jason Kozma
