Spending long hours in front of your PC or the console often puts a lot of pressure on your body. Some of the body parts that get affected include the back of your neck, spine, fingers, wrists, shoulders, and sometimes the whole body may end up sore. To avoid this, take time, often, off and stretch to loosen your body muscle. Getting up often in the middle of practice or while playing to stretch is vital for your body. Don’t wait until your fingers and wrists cramp up to take action. Here are some simple stretches you can do often to avoid cramping.
Arm Stretches
The following stretches will help with your arms and the entire body.
Cross body Stretch
Fold your arm across the chest and put a little more pressure with the other hand until you can feel a little pressure on your shoulder. Repeat on the other side.
Chest To Arm
Extend your arm to the side and bend your elbow 90 degrees, fingers pointing upwards. Place your forearm on a flat surface with the chest parallel gently pushed forward. Hold the position for one minute. For a more intense stretch, extend your arm to the back against a wall. Square your shoulders to face you. Ideally, the stretch helps your chest and arms, but you can turn your head in the opposite direction to either of your arms to stretch your neck.
Triceps
Place both of your bent elbows on the edge of your desk. Then, lower your head and torso on the space left between the desk and the chair. To do it right, make sure the upper body and the arms are straight and firm on the table. If you do it right, your shoulder and the back will thank you.
External Bicep
For this, place your elbow on your desk with your fingers pointed upwards and the shoulders down. Using the other hand, push the forearm towards the back and slightly rotate your arm. Gently apply pressure to ensure your biceps, shoulder, and elbows pull slightly.
Back Stretches
Long gaming and training sessions put a strain on your back. Relieve the strain using the steps below.
Backward Arm Stretch
This involves pulling your arms out behind and interlocking your fingers and palms pointed up. Try to raise your arm as high as you can and hold them in position longer but a minimum of 30 seconds.
Internal Arm Rotation Behind Your Back
Fold one of your arms over your shoulder for your palms to touch the back. Then, fold the other arm under its shoulder, palm facing outward and resting against your body, and then try to interlock the hands. No worries if your palms don’t touch. The attempt is enough to pull all the right muscles. Repeat on the other side.
Spine Rotation
Cross one of your legs over the other and slowly turn your body to one side. Push the leg against the desk for more rotation and turn until the desired muscle completely stretches. However, be extra careful with this stretch, as it may cause harm if not properly done.
Neck Stretches
They are crucial, especially for the back part of the gamers’ neck that often gets stiff. Below are a few stretches for the neck:
Front to Back
Tuck in your chin and align it with the spin. Slowly bend your head forward, then all the way backwards. The stretch helps to loosen any stiff neck muscles.
Lateral Stretch
Repeat the stretch pose from the above and then turn your head from one side to the other as if to touch your head to the shoulders. For a more intense stretch, try leaning in, placing your arm on the opposite side of your head, and pulling it closer. Do this on both sides.
Rotation Stretch
Here, you move your head in a circular motion and in any direction you can. Do it slowly to avoid injuring yourself. You will also need to focus more on each muscle movement for the muscles to stretch even better.
Hand Stretches
Hands are the most commonly used body parts in games. They help to control the consoles throughout the game. Stretching them ensures they are always in good shape for that highly anticipated tournament. Below are some beneficial hand stretches.
Supine Flexors and Pronated Extensors
You should do these stretches simultaneously, but the muscles stretch differently. Put one arm straight in front and the palms facing upwards. Stretch out your other hand slightly and pull your palm backward towards the ground. Then pull from your fingers and extend your palm and the forearm muscles.
For the second one, ensure you feel the pressure further up your palm to work as it should. The stretch aims at your wrist and arm muscles. Repeat the exercise with the hands exchanging roles
Thumb Extensor Stretch
Fold your thumb towards your palm and wrap the rest of your fingers to make a fist. Then, bend the entire wrist downwards towards the pinkie finger and hold it in that position for 30 seconds to one minute. You can do the exercise simultaneously for both hands or do it on the one hand at least five times before switching to your other hand.
Thumb Adductor Stretch
This stretch requires you to pull your arms in front of you. Ensure your palms point towards the front, and the fingers point upward as if you are making a stops gesture. Then, gently pull down one of your thumbs using your other hand. The exercise helps with tension on the thumb muscles and helps with griping and making it flexible. Do at least five repetitions of five seconds for each hand.
Prayer and Reverse Prayer Stretches
To do this, put your palms together as if you are praying. Ensure your fingers are pointed upwards and the elbows point outwards. Gently push your palms down. The aim is to have a straight line from one elbow to the other which helps stretch your wrists.
For the reverse position, put the back of your hands together instead of the palms. Then stretch your finger to point to the floor, and push your hands upwards. The stretch is mostly for the back of your wrists.
Clocking out…
Gamers have, for a long time, been viewed as lazy, inactive bums. That the discipline has now become a real sport with pro opportunities is awesome. All such claims are now quelled. That said, it is important to stay healthy as a gamer. This enhances both your performance and longevity in the sport.
You do not require heavy workouts to be fit for e-sports. These simple stretches will keep your body in great shape without distracting you significantly. Also, remember to disengage and do other activities to refresh your mind too!
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