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Importance of Stretching
1. It’s absolutely vital that before any strenuous activity is undertaken, the muscles to be used are warmed up and prepared in readiness for the work to come. Therefore all warm up routines should be event specific and for explosive type events, dynamic.
2. To reduce this risk of injury, stretching is needed in order to bring the shortened muscles back to their original length and to reduce or avoid post exercise stiffness.
3. The purpose of stretching is to try to increase the range of movement around a joint or a group of joints. This helps to strengthen the joint and as well as increasing the flow of blood into the muscles around it.
4. To help reduce or prevent post exercise muscle stiffness, you now need to lengthen and loosen the muscles back to their pre-exercise level by holding your warm-down stretches for longer – i.e. 30 seconds or more.
Ten tips on how to stretch
1. Do everything slowly.
2. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds prior to exercise (warm-up) and for at least 30 seconds post exercise (cool-down).
3. Breathe normally and relax while holding the stretch to the point of pain.
4. NEVER, EVER do any bouncy stretching, always hold and relax.
5. Focus on the muscle you are trying to stretch and then try to lengthen it.
6. If a particular muscle group is tight, then stretch it in stages. Stretch as far as you can, then relax it and stretch again. This is most important during cool-down.
7. Move slowly out of the stretch.
1. It’s absolutely vital that before any strenuous activity is undertaken, the muscles to be used are warmed up and prepared in readiness for the work to come. Therefore all warm up routines should be event specific and for explosive type events, dynamic.
2. To reduce this risk of injury, stretching is needed in order to bring the shortened muscles back to their original length and to reduce or avoid post exercise stiffness.
3. The purpose of stretching is to try to increase the range of movement around a joint or a group of joints. This helps to strengthen the joint and as well as increasing the flow of blood into the muscles around it.
4. To help reduce or prevent post exercise muscle stiffness, you now need to lengthen and loosen the muscles back to their pre-exercise level by holding your warm-down stretches for longer – i.e. 30 seconds or more.
Ten tips on how to stretch
1. Do everything slowly.
2. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds prior to exercise (warm-up) and for at least 30 seconds post exercise (cool-down).
3. Breathe normally and relax while holding the stretch to the point of pain.
4. NEVER, EVER do any bouncy stretching, always hold and relax.
5. Focus on the muscle you are trying to stretch and then try to lengthen it.
6. If a particular muscle group is tight, then stretch it in stages. Stretch as far as you can, then relax it and stretch again. This is most important during cool-down.
7. Move slowly out of the stretch.