For someone who doesn’t exercise regularly, certain movements and stretches can be challenging. For example, touching your toes without bending your knees can be difficult, whether in a standing or sitting position. This difficulty often comes from tightness in various muscle groups, which can limit flexibility and range of motion. As a result, people may experience discomfort or strain when trying to perform these basic movements.

What is the solution? Well, the key is to first identify the muscle groups that are restricting your movements and then incorporate gradual stretching and strengthening exercises that can help improve flexibility and make these actions more achievable over time. Therefore, listed below are some of the muscle groups you must target to be able to touch your toes effortlessly.

Also Read: From Samantha Ruth Prabhu to Tamannaah Bhatia, Strength Training Exercises That Help South Actors Stay Fit

Hamstrings

Hamstrings are a group of muscles that are at the back of your thigh. These are the muscles that allow you to extend your leg back and to bend the knee. Additionally, tightness in the hamstrings is one of the most common reasons why people are unable to touch their toes. This can happen because tight hamstrings can restrict how far your hips fold forward and how far your knees straighten when you try to touch your toes.

To strengthen your hamstrings, you can regularly stretch the muscle groups and combine it with resistance training like squats and deadlifts. Keep practising standing toe touch as it can directly lengthen the hamstrings.

Lower Back Muscles

Your lower back muscles are an integral part of your body, facilitating movements like standing and lifting objects. It is what holds up the spine and gluteal muscles and thereby ensures strength and stability. This is one of the reasons why weak lower back muscles can impact your ability to touch your toes.

When these muscles lack strength, they may struggle to stabilise the spine during bending movements, leading to strain and a limited range of motion. This is why reaching for your toes may feel difficult and uncomfortable. To strengthen your lower back, you can indulge in targeted exercises such as deadlifts, superman exercises, and bridges, which directly engage the lower back. People can also strengthen their core with planks and side planks, which help provide support to the lower back. Ensure that you also do flexibility training through stretches like child’s pose and hamstring stretches.

Calves

You need your calf muscles for activities like walking, running, jumping, and even standing. However, when it comes to touching your toes, these muscle groups also play a crucial role, as they also ensure overall flexibility and range of motion in the lower body.

Tight calf muscles can limit ankle movement, making it difficult for your toes to move toward your shin when bending forward. This can lead to strain in your hamstrings and lower back during toe touches. Additionally, if your calf muscles are not flexible or weak, you may struggle to reach your toes comfortably. This is why stretching and strengthening your calves regularly can help improve your flexibility. You can do static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling, or partner-assisted stretching.

Also Read: Trying To Build Core Strength? Try These 15 Minute Workout Routines

Hip Flexors

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that help in lower body movements. They are also important for walking, running, climbing stairs, kicking, and rotating your hips.

If your hip flexors are tight, it can make it difficult to touch your toes without bending your knees. This is because these muscles can shut down your glutes and abdominals, which help you bend forward and lower yourself. When this happens, your hamstrings have to work harder to move your body against gravity, leading to strain and more discomfort. To improve mobility and increase flexibility, you can perform hip flexor stretches, glute bridges, squats, lunges, and straight leg lifts.

Core Muscles

A strong core is crucial for various functions. This includes supporting your spine and pelvis, preventing injuries, maintaining proper posture, and protecting your inner organs.

In addition, it also supports basic movements like touching your toes without having to bend your knees. As discussed, the core plays an important role in supporting the spine and maintaining balance. However, when it’s weak, it can make it difficult to bend forward without rounding your back. This can lead to poor technique and increased strain on your lower back and hamstrings, making toe touches uncomfortable or challenging.

Those of you who have a weak core can strengthen the muscle group by doing exercises like planks, crunches, bicycle crunches, and leg raises.