Fitness Forum

STRETCHING EXERCISE


















Stretching exercise should be a regular part of your fitness regimen. Stretching exercise helps to keep your muscles lengthened, supple and able to perform with less chance of injury. There are many stretching exercises for every muscle group in your body. There are important aspects to stretching exercise to get the most benefit out of your stretches and to help gain the most flexibility. Stretching exercise is a great way to cool down and relax your body after a workout. It is really important to focus on the large muscles groups used during exercise and the muscles that are most commonly tight as a result of a particular sport or exercise routine.

 

When we exercise and tone up our muscles they can become shortened and tight. When we walk around with poor posture, have a sedentary job or lifestyle, certain muscle get short and tight as a result. It is a good idea to make stretching exercise a part of everyday life to prevent this unhealthy state of the muscular system. Stretching may actually make you taller and help you move more freely and safely during your fitness program.

Stretching exercise can be done in a variety of positions. First it is important to warm up before you stretch. This allows the joints to lubricate and the muscles to increase in temperature. After a proper warm of at least 10 minutes you will safely and effectively be able to stretch the muscle groups that you will be targeting. After you complete your workout and you are still warm you can use this time to do your specific stretching exercise routine. Studies have shown that dynamic stretching and static stretching are the most effective ways to gain flexibility.

 

•  Dynamic Stretching is done through movements that focus on lengthening the body while moving through space such as in Pilates and Yoga.

•  Static Stretching is done by holding a stretch for 30 seconds to the point of tolerable tension and then carefully releasing the stretch.

 

Every form of resistance exercise will have muscles that are worked in repetition and have the potential to become short and tight. You can prevent this with specific stretching exercises for those particular muscles. If you are a runner for instance, the lower body muscles will benefit from static stretch. You will need to stretch the hips, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves. You will find that after a good warm up, maybe running for a mile, stretching these muscles will improve the length and feel of your stride. Take a little more time at the end of your workout to really focus on all these muscle groups and stretch them each for at least 30 seconds. Each sport or fitness routine will have muscles that are getting stronger and toned therefore they have the potential for shortening, tightening and possibly even injury.

 

It is possible to do too much stretching exercise or perform the movements incorrectly . You want to be careful not to push beyond the point of the initial discomfort of muscle tension. You also need some recovery from stretching exercise. Muscle fibers are broken down in stretching just like they are in other forms of exercise and require time to repair. This is especially true if you are really pushing to get that extra level of flexibility necessary for an activity such as dance. Be careful not to bounce while stretching. This is called Ballistic Stretching and is now consider contraindicated to gaining flexibility and is prone to injury. This type of stretching exercise is best avoided. Stretching exercise can be extremely beneficial to every body type and should be regarded as a serious part of your regular fitness routine. To keep the body healthy and feeling well maintained make sure you take the time to stretch.

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