Stretching - What It Is And Why You Need to Do It

A lot individuals go to great lengths to train hard and work towards achieving their personal health and fitness goals. Whether your style is weight lifting in the gym, training outdoors, or exercising from the comfort of your home, you may or may not know that stretching is just as integral a part of your workout program as any other exercises, since flexibility is one of the components of fitness. But just what exactly is stretching, and why is it so important? Why is there so much fuss about stretching that it’s widely advocated for by fitness professionals globally? By the time you’re done reading this post, you will hopefully have learned a thing or two about stretching.

Stretching is a method of training that consists of lengthening groups of muscles by tension. It was made popular in Europe by Bob Anderson, whose method preceded other techniques that have evolved over the years. With regular practice, stretching can help you attain and maintain a good level of joint mobility, among other benefits, as are discussed below:

• Stretching will decrease muscle stiffness and increase range of motion, which may also slow down joint degeneration.
• Stretching may reduce risk of injury, since a flexible muscle is less likely to get injured from a slightly extensive movement. Muscular resistance during exercise may also be decreased by increasing range of motion in particular joints by way of stretching.
• Stretching the shoulders, chest and lower back muscles will improve your posture by keeping your back in better alignment.
• Stretching improves efficiency and overall performance since a flexible joint does not require a lot of energy to move through a wider range of motion.
• Stretching relieves stress on the lumbar spine, which consequently reduces risk of low-back pain, by promoting flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, and muscles attached to the pelvis.
• Through stretching, you tend to reduce and better manage stress since less tension is held in well stretched muscles, leaving you feeling less stressed.
• Better blood circulation is promoted through stretching, as blood supply to the muscles and joints is increased and circulation improved, allowing for greater transportation of nutrients through the whole body.
• Stretching before a workout prepares the body for the stress of exercise by loosening up the muscles and making them resistant to the load they are about to endure.
• Stretching helps relieve post-exercise aches and pains by loosening muscles and reducing their shortening and tightening after a hard workout session.

Some Stretching Tips

In order to perform stretching exercises correctly and with maximum effectiveness, there are a number of important rules you should follow:

• Identify the muscle group to be stretched, then find a comfortable but effective position which, once reached, should be held for 15 – 30 seconds.
• It is very important that you do not feel any pain when performing stretching exercises.
• It is also important to warm the muscle before stretching, therefore stretching would appear to be more effective at the end of a workout to help your body relax after the session. However, it is noteworthy that some fitness professionals stress that stretching while the muscles are cold is more effective, more so on connective tissue.

So there you have it; we’ve discussed what stretching is, as well as it benefits. With that said, hopefully, you now understand how important stretching is, and if you have been slacking on the same, it’s probably in your best interests that you incorporate some stretches or flexibility exercises into your workout program.