Using Wooden Stall Bars for the Ultimate Stretch: Pro Tips

Exercise equipment comes in all shapes and sizes, and whoever looked at a ladder and decided that is all you need to get a firm, agile, and fit body is a genius. Wooden stall bars look like a ladder; they have rungs, but you don’t climb them to clean the gutters. Instead, using wooden stall bars for the ultimate stretch can make you feel like a million bucks.

Working the Hamstrings

Many stretches focus on your hamstrings. After all, pulled hamstrings can cause the most gifted athletes to pull up lame. You can improve your hamstring flexibility by doing single-leg stretches at varying bar heights. However, you can stretch up a notch with a rubber exercise band.

Place the band near your groin and move forward enough to extend your knee and stretch your hamstrings. You can hold the position and feel the burn or attempt a flossing motion. You can do a pigeon pose with the same band and work on your hips and legs.

Stretching the Arms and Shoulders

Stiff shoulders can throw your body off kilter. You can roll them all you want to alleviate the pain and loosen them up, but nothing compares to a kneeling shoulder stretch while using wooden stall bars.

Start on your knees and have your rear end level with your shoulders. Try reaching the stall bars by extending your arms as far as possible while dipping your back into a puppy pose. There should be tension in your shoulders if done correctly. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat 3 times. Once completed, you should have an improved range of motion in your shoulders.

After limbering up the shoulders, you can shift your focus to the arms. While kneeling, move closer and grip the bar, pushing your forearm forward. This exercise will benefit your upper traps and triceps, but the next stretch does wonders for those two muscles.

Lats and Traps

You can home in on your lats and traps by getting on your feet, gripping the bars, and trying to push yourself away. Face the ladder and grip the bars with both hands, keeping your arms parallel to the floor, while planting a foot on the bottom to get a firm standing.

Bend your elbows until your chest reaches the bars, then push yourself away while keeping your foot planted on the bottom bar. You can focus on numerous muscles with some variation of this stretch depending on the angle of your body and your hand placement.

Pike Stretch

If you want to test your Spider-Man skills on wooden stall bars, try to attempt a pike stretch. This stretch will have you hovering above the ground with your hands and feet on the bars. Facing the bars, stand on the lowest rung while your hands are holding a rung at approximately hip level. Keeping legs and arms straight, slowly push your hips away from the bars while lowering into a triangle or sideways V-shape. Slowly straighten up and repeat 3-5 times.

You can change the difficulty level using stall bars more effectively than any other item since you use your feet to ascend the rungs. The fact that you can easily push through your legs to increase the intensity of the stretch push past your existing flexibility limits is another benefit.

Hopefully, you can use these pro tips for using wooden stall bars for the ultimate stretch to your benefit, making you feel nimble and refreshed for your next workout. Beyond Balance’s wooden stall bars can be a great asset to include in your home gym. This versatile piece of equipment can improve your flexibility and strength without taking up much room, so get yours today!