Stretching

I am wondering how others stretch to maximize training benefits. I stretch to keep limber and to minimize pulled muscles or ligaments. My Cuz Reed advised me to use the stairs in the house to prevent calf ligament issues. I have been doing that regularly for months now and it seems to help.

The basic stretches I do these days take about 10 minutes before I run and 10 minutes after. (1) Leg bends where feet touch buttocks. I hold this for about 10 seconds and do it several times on each leg. I do it standing up and on the floor. (2) Calf stretch on stairs. Heels down and hold for 10 seconds several times. The opposite direction also is wise where you stand on your tiptoes for 5 seconds. That stretches the top ligaments. (3) Hip stretch where you put one foot in front and one in back to stretch the ligaments where the leg muscles connect to the hips, like a super long stride stretch. Hold for 2-3 seconds, Do several repetitions for each leg. This enables long strides without pulling muscles of ligaments. At first it can cause some soreness on the inside of the hips.(4) Top leg muscle stretch is putting a foot under your buttocks, stretching the thigh muscle and ligaments to the knee. Press forward to stretch out the muscles and hold for a minute. Do several times for each side. I like to put both legs under me and watch some TV to give this exercise more time to gradually lengthen the muscles in a relaxed position. (5) Touch the ground with knees not bent. If you are like me, this one is tough and it takes time. I learned to do this in Yoga. Go to the point of discomfort and just relax. Gradually seek the ground but not by sudden movement. Just seek the ground gradually. Do this for about 1 minute minute, repeating several times. I now touch the ground and hope to stretch further in coming months.