Stretching doesn't help with sore muscles, nor does it improve performance. However, it does promote mobility and helps balance asymmetries, which can prevent injuries. If you want to stretch after exercise, you should first soften your muscles a bit with a foam roller (Blackroll). It has been found that the fascia (muscle skin) only begins to move and give way after about 30 seconds. To achieve optimal results, a stretching exercise should therefore be performed for between 60 seconds and 2 minutes.
To help you stay flexible, mountain bike pro Rebekka Estermann has put together the following exercises, which are easy to follow.
inside leg
Bring the soles of your feet together in front of you and use your elbows to push your legs toward the floor. For extra traction, move your upper body toward your feet.
Lateral upper body and back of legs
One leg straight, one bent. Place your hands on the side (!) of the foot of the straight leg and open your upper body. Point your toes for extra traction on the side of your upper body. Switch sides.
back of the leg
One leg straight, one bent. Lower your hands and upper body forward toward your foot or straight leg. For more traction, place the bent leg on top of the straight leg above the knee. Switch sides.
Outer leg, lower back mobility
The bent leg (here, left) is positioned on the other side of the outstretched leg (here, right) at knee height. Support yourself with one arm (here, left), while the other arm (here, right) grasps the shin of the outstretched leg (here, right). Press against the knee with the elbow (here, right arm) while rotating the upper body to the other side (counter-rotation). Switch sides.
hip flexors
Kneel on one leg and place the other leg forward at approximately a 90° angle. Then push your hips forward and down to stretch your hip flexors. Caution: Don't arch your back, but tilt your pelvis forward in a clockwise direction! For more traction, you can raise the lower leg of the kneeling leg. However, the risk of arching your back is even greater here. Switch sides.
outer leg, hip flexors
From the previous position, place the raised leg to the side. Note: Do not arch your back; tilt your pelvis forward. For more or a different pull, you can lower your upper body toward your knee or foot on the floor. Switch sides.
inside leg
Kneel on one leg and stretch the other leg out to the side. Push down with your hips until you feel a pull on the inside of your leg. Switch sides.
back of the leg
Kneel on one leg, extend the other leg forward. Reach your hands onto the foot of the extended leg. Switch sides.
Split: