15 Best Stretching Exercises For Zoom Meetings

Stretching Exercises For Zoom Meetings

I think you will agree with me when I say:

We sit for too much nowadays. Participating in zoom meetings (conference calls or any other virtual meetings) also leads to a sedentary lifestyle that will make your body rigid over time.

However, there is something you can do to prevent that and reverse that process.

In this post, I’m going to show you the best stretching exercises for zoom meetings that will help you stay active and mobile during long virtual meetings.

Besides that, you will improve your flexibility and save your time as well. You don’t even need stretching equipment to do these stretches.

Let’s start first with stretching exercises that you can perform during your virtual meetings (on zoom or any other meeting platform).

10 Stretching Exercises For Zoom Meetings

1. Knee Extension

• Gently extend one leg until you reach full extension in your knee.
• Pull your toes toward your body to increase the stretching effect on your hamstrings and calf muscles.
• Hold for 10s and repeat for ten times.

2. Hamstring Stretch

• Sit on the edge of the chair.
• Extend one leg while your heal is on the ground.
• Pull your toes towards your body.
• Lean with your body forward to increase the stretching of hamstrings.
• Hold for 30s.
• Repeat three times for each leg.

3. Ankle Dorsiflexion

• Lift your toes toward your shins.
• Keep your heels on the ground.
• Repeat for ten times. Three rounds.

4. External Hip Rotation

• Cross your legs like on the picture above.
• Put your hand on your knee.
• Press the knee down to increase stretching intensity in glute region.
• Your other hand stabilize leg during the exercise.
• Hold for 30s.
• Repeat for three times.

5. Standing Quadriceps Stretch

• Start from standing position.
• Pull your leg up.
• Bend your knee until you feel the stretch in front of your tight.
• Use your other hand to stabilize body.
• Hold for 30s.
• Repeat for three times.

6. Elbow Pull

• Sit comfortably with relaxed shoulders.
• Pull your elbows slowly backward.
• Stabilize your shoulder blades by pulling them towards spine (retraction).
• Repeat for ten times with three rounds.

7. Chest Muscles Stretching

• Place your arms behind your back.
• Hold your shoulders relaxed.
• Lift your arms slowly until you reach the end range
• Focus on breathing with stomach.
• Hold for 30s. Three rounds.

8. Scapula Activation

• Sit with relaxed shoulders.
• Pull your arms backward.
• Hold your elbows extended and don’t lift shoulders.
• Press your shoulder blades towards each other.
• Repeat for ten times.
• Three rounds.

9. Scapula Rotation

• Place one arm behind your body.
• Bend elbow for 90 degrees.
• Push your elbow backward.
• Hold for 10s.
• Repeat for ten times. Three rounds.

10. Neck Retraction

• Sit with relaxed shoulders.
• Protract your head slowly and controlled.
• Hold for 5s.
• Repeat for ten times. Three rounds.

5 Stretching Exercises You Should Do Between Zoom Meetings

Let’s say you have five minutes pause from your conference call or from zoom meeting.

Here is how to use that pause in most efficient way.

Reduce muscle tension and improve range of motion in your neck, back and shoulders with my mini training plan.

Here is the list of all exercises.

1. Neck Lateral Flexion

• Sit with relaxed shoulders.
• Place one hand on your head and pull slowly towards your shoulder.
• Keep the other shoulder relaxed.
• Find the pleasant stretching intensity.
• Hold for 30s.
• Repeat three times.

2. Neck Flexion With Arms

• Place your arms in front of your body.
• Bend your head and neck forward while lifting your arms up.
• Keep your elbows in contact during exercise.
• Repeat for ten times. Three rounds.

3. One Arm Lift

• Raise one arm up while other arm is behind your back.
• Squeeze shoulder blades and press backward with your arms.
• Hold for 5s.
• Repeat ten times. Three rounds.

4. Upper Body Rotation

• Raise your both arms up until you reach shoulder level.
• Bend your elbows.
• Rotate your body to one side.
• Repeat ten times. Three rounds.

5. Shoulder Rotation and Retraction

• Raise your both arms up until you reach shoulder level.
• Rotate your arms externally.
• Squeeze shoulder blades and push your elbows backward.
• Repeat ten times. Three rounds.

Why Should I Do Stretching Exercises During a Zoom Call?

Zoom calls, as well as any other online conference, can last for a couple of hours.

That can be a stressful and energy-draining activity. Additionally, your posture after sitting for a few hours can suffer a lot.

Even without you noticing it.

So stretching exercises during zoom meetings will keep your energy level up and will make you pay attention to your body posture.

Besides stretching exercises, I recommend you drink enough water and to have always a snack during long zoom calls.

Let’s move on to the next reason why stretching exercises for zoom meetings are helpful for you.

Creating a good habit.

Having a stretching routine is a long-term investment for your health. Starting with a few simple stretches during zoom calls leads to you being more and more physically active.

Keep up the good work!

Let’s move on to time management and some health benefits that stretching exercises for zoom meetings provide.

If you are tight on a schedule and spending a lot of time sitting, these exercises will help you a lot.

To save your time and activate the right muscles. Muscles that overtime suffer from inactivity and cause pain.

Most common muscles causing upper back pain:

1. Trapezius lower part

2. Rhomboideus

3. Levator scapulae

Keep those muscles active with my simple stretching routine easily.

Do daily stretches as I described them. I think that is a good starting point for everyone.

Later on, you can adjust the exercises in the way you want.

Also, by saving your time you become more productive. Performing exercises during online meetings will leave you with more free time afterward.

Use that time to learn some new skills or to spend your time with your family or friends.

Now it’s your turn to do stretching exercises during your zoom call. Tell me how it went for you and were these exercises helpful for you?

Keep me updated in a comment section below.

Want to improve your stretching routine even more? Take a look at home stretching machine you can use to enhance your stretching results.