Free The Fat Burn Revolution by Julia Buckley Page B

touching as if you were hugging a thick tree trunk! Feel the stretch across your upper back.
    2 Bring your arms apart again and now press them back to transfer the stretch into your chest. Palms should be facing upwards at shoulder height.
Press your chest forward and shoulders back.
    3 Slowly repeat the movement, pausing and holding the stretch for a couple of seconds at either extreme. Continue for at least 10 repetitions.
     
    TIPS
    Breathe in as you open your arms, exhale as you hug
     

    Only open your arms to a point where you feel a comfortable stretch
     

    Avoid throwing your arms open or using momentum when swinging them back around you
     

    Remember, the movement should be slow and controlled

    shoulder rolls

    target area
shoulders & upper back               
    A favourite with swimmers, shoulder rolls loosen and warm up the shoulder and upper back muscles. As well as being a good warm up move, this stretch can
    be helpful any time your neck and shoulders feel tight.
    1 Stand tall, feet hip-width apart and let your arms dangle loosely at your sides. Relax the shoulders and neck.
    2 With your back straight, head facing forward, lift both of your shoulders up towards your ears and then slowly lower them in a forward circular
    motion. Repeat this movement 10 times.
    3 Return to the starting position and then perform the same movement, but this time rotating the shoulders backwards. Perform this movement 10
    times.
     
    TIPS
    Breathe deeply and keep the shoulders and neck relaxed
     

    All movements should be done in a slow and controlled manner
     

    Keep your back straight and your chin up, the head and neck should not move
     

    Really concentrate on feeling the stretch throughout each slow rotation

    neck rotation
    Approach your workouts with a positive attitude. Remember, you don’t HAVE to exercise you GET to exercise.
    target area
neck & upper back               
    The neck is often forgotten when it comes to warming up the body, which is unfortunate because even though it isn’t actively involved in exercise, a lot of
tension can build up in this area making the neck prone to strains and stiffness. You can use this exercise anywhere, anytime you feel your tightness in your shoulders and neck.
    1 Stand with your feet hip-width apart and let your arms hang loosely at your sides, shoulders relaxed. Tilt your head to the left, pressing the
chin towards your shoulder until you feel a comfortable stretch in the neck (and no further).
    2 From there, gently lower your chin to your chest and rotate your head upwards tilting over the right shoulder.
    3 Repeat in the opposite direction, alternating for 10 repetitions.
     
    TIPS
    Breathe deeply and keep your body relaxed
     

    Do not allow the shoulders to hunch up
     

    This stretch should be very gentle, so don’t force it and keep the motion very slow
     

    Do not tilt the head backwards

pre-workout dynamic stretches for the lower body

    side leg swings
    Enjoy and appreciate being able to move your body
    target area
thighs               
    Leg swings are a simple dynamic stretch to prepare the muscles of the thighs and lower back for exercise. Being quite a gentle stretch, this is a nice one
to do as your first lower-body stretch of the session.
    1 You’ll probably need to hold onto something for balance for this exercise, so stand behind something sturdy and stable, or in front of a
wall, holding on with one hand. Stand tall, with a straight back, core muscles engaged. Shift your balance onto one leg and raise the other leg out in front of you, a few inches off the floor.
    2 Slowly and gently swing the lifted leg out the side, only rising to a comfortable level where you will feel a light stretch in your inner
thigh.
    3 From there swing your leg back in front of you and across the other leg, again reaching out to the side up to a level where you feel a comfortable
stretch. Repeat the movement at least 10 times