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IPL'S UNDERSTANDING THE HUMAN BODY~
Tight muscles. Waning body temperature. Sluggish blood flow. Sound like a set-up for injury? You're right. Regardless of your personal workout choice, one truth applies to everyone: Preparation can prevent injury.
Many common exercise injuries stem from overlooking two basics: warm-up and stretching. Take a closer look...
Warm-up: Before you get started, your blood flow is not what it's going to be. If you're exercising in the morning, blood flow and body temperature are at their daily low. The idea of a warm-up is to swing your body into gear gradually -- not suddenly. A good warm-up consists of slow, deliberate, rhythmic movements -- such as very light bend-and-back movements for waist, arms, legs, and more. Keep it up for five minutes to increase your blood flow gradually. This is called warm-up because it actually makes your muscles warm!
Stretch: After the warm-up, stretch. Why not first? A warm muscle stretches better than a cold one. Like the warm-up, this session should be lightly paced. Focus on each group of muscles you will use in your workout -- head, neck, back, arms, shoulders, pelvis, upper legs, lower legs, and feet. You need to loosen up muscles, and focus on range of motion.
A good stretch lengthens muscle fibers. Long, loose fibers are less vulnerable to injury during exercise. For specific stretches targeted for your activity, consult your trainer, coach, or exercise specialist.
Six rules that make stretching really work:
Relax. New research shows that people with little flexibility can be very limber when they're under anesthesia. Now, some scientists believe that total relaxation may help people loosen up under normal conditions. Use any technique that helps you relax, such as visualization or background music.
Go slowly: Adequate stretching takes time and does not come from fast movements or rushed sessions.
Think static: If you were ever advised to bounce when you stretch, erase the memory. Today, experts agree that stretch-and-hold is the right approach. A hold should be at least 30 seconds.
No pain: When you're deciding how far to reach, remember that pain is not healthy. Stop at the point that's just before pain. If it hurts, back off a notch. Try to go a tiny bit further tomorrow.
Stretch daily: Even if you don't do your workout every day, take a few minutes to warm-up and stretch. Daily attention helps you stay limber.
Stretch again: During your workout, it's OK to stop and stretch again, when your muscles are even warmer. A good time: when you're shifting from one muscle group to another, or one activity to another.
If you're starting a new routine or joining forces with a new exercise machine, devote extra attention to your stretch. This may be a time when you're most prone to injury, because you may use a muscle differently -- or more intensively.
Finally, don't abuse your muscles. Over-aggressive stretching can actually bring on microtrauma, which is a tiny amount of tissue damage. Pushing your workout too hard or too fast can do the same thing. The problem with microtrauma is that it tends to keep happening. You may not be aware of the ongoing process until finally, you experience full-blown injury.
To avoid microtrauma, follow the stretching rules above. And limit your increases in training time and intensity to about 10% per week. Finally, if you experience minor pains or soreness during or after exercise, don't ignore them. Back off, and consult your medical practitioner.
Clearly, exercise injury is proof of what Mom always told you: Prevention is easier than cure. And prevention can be as simple as common-sense preparation and listening to your body.
One point I want to make as well, I can't recall if the article covered, is how stretching is essential for muscle growth~!! Which Is one thing I know alot of of don't really think about, and as much as I hate to say this I think men or alot of men any way are very guilty of this.
Lets look at the meaning of and just what stretching is;...
Stretching is the deliberate lengthening of muscles in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. Stretching activities are an important part of any exercise or rehabilitation program. They help warm the body up prior to activity thus decreasing the risk of injury as well as muscle soreness.
Lengthening the muscle, expanding the muscle belly, increasing flexibility, and ROM. Just near the opposite of what resistance training does to our muscles, causes muscle hypertrophy, & strength. Muscle fibers can adapt to stresses placed on them by increasing in length as well as girth~! Without each other, resistance and stretch the equation nears an imbalanced stage. Which in the end you end up with dense muscle tissue that has lost it flexibility, ROM, and muscles often stay in a shortened state, which will eventually lead to muscle strain and/or injury!!
Stretching exercises in them self can be considered an intense workout if done properly and held for the appropriate amount of time, to achieve benefit from it.
Benefits from stretching you say, well here are just a few for you to consider,...
Increased flexibility and joint ROM, Improved circulation, better posture, stress relief, & enhanced coordination.
But it must be executed properly in order to benefit from it. This is where we divide the those who have learned and those who haven't~!!! I walk around the gym and see those who haven't all the time~!! Makes you just want to grab them and say read a book or take a class, but please learn how to stretch properly before you hurt yourself~!!!
Warm the muscles up with moderate motion, slowly increasing your ROM as the muscles begin to warm and the blood starts to circulate thru out your body, controlled motions, not jerky spastic ones. Do this for a minimum of 5-8 minutes before beginning to stretch. Always remember "STRETCH TO THE POINT OF TENSION, NOT PAIN" (OR STRAIN) if you feel pain while your stretching you've gone to far, back off some, NO BOUNCY BALLISTIC STRETCHING, slow and controlled, static stretches, holding each stretch for 30 seconds, (bouncing or ballistic movements cause small micro tears in the muscles which leave scar tissue as the muscle heals, the scar tissue tightens the muscle even further, making you less flexible and more prone to pain~!)
Relax and breath slowly, don't old your breath, remember to balance out sides, what you do on one side always take to the other side, stretch before during and after your workout for the best results. Remember when in the warming up stage of stretching, stretch all the large major muscle groups, save the smaller one for either during or after your training. Don't forget this goes a long way in helping to prevent muscle soreness when your stretch after your workout~!!! It will also improve your performance over time~!!
So don't forget this critical part of your training~!!!
Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL
Many common exercise injuries stem from overlooking two basics: warm-up and stretching. Take a closer look...
Warm-up: Before you get started, your blood flow is not what it's going to be. If you're exercising in the morning, blood flow and body temperature are at their daily low. The idea of a warm-up is to swing your body into gear gradually -- not suddenly. A good warm-up consists of slow, deliberate, rhythmic movements -- such as very light bend-and-back movements for waist, arms, legs, and more. Keep it up for five minutes to increase your blood flow gradually. This is called warm-up because it actually makes your muscles warm!
Stretch: After the warm-up, stretch. Why not first? A warm muscle stretches better than a cold one. Like the warm-up, this session should be lightly paced. Focus on each group of muscles you will use in your workout -- head, neck, back, arms, shoulders, pelvis, upper legs, lower legs, and feet. You need to loosen up muscles, and focus on range of motion.
A good stretch lengthens muscle fibers. Long, loose fibers are less vulnerable to injury during exercise. For specific stretches targeted for your activity, consult your trainer, coach, or exercise specialist.
Six rules that make stretching really work:
Relax. New research shows that people with little flexibility can be very limber when they're under anesthesia. Now, some scientists believe that total relaxation may help people loosen up under normal conditions. Use any technique that helps you relax, such as visualization or background music.
Go slowly: Adequate stretching takes time and does not come from fast movements or rushed sessions.
Think static: If you were ever advised to bounce when you stretch, erase the memory. Today, experts agree that stretch-and-hold is the right approach. A hold should be at least 30 seconds.
No pain: When you're deciding how far to reach, remember that pain is not healthy. Stop at the point that's just before pain. If it hurts, back off a notch. Try to go a tiny bit further tomorrow.
Stretch daily: Even if you don't do your workout every day, take a few minutes to warm-up and stretch. Daily attention helps you stay limber.
Stretch again: During your workout, it's OK to stop and stretch again, when your muscles are even warmer. A good time: when you're shifting from one muscle group to another, or one activity to another.
If you're starting a new routine or joining forces with a new exercise machine, devote extra attention to your stretch. This may be a time when you're most prone to injury, because you may use a muscle differently -- or more intensively.
Finally, don't abuse your muscles. Over-aggressive stretching can actually bring on microtrauma, which is a tiny amount of tissue damage. Pushing your workout too hard or too fast can do the same thing. The problem with microtrauma is that it tends to keep happening. You may not be aware of the ongoing process until finally, you experience full-blown injury.
To avoid microtrauma, follow the stretching rules above. And limit your increases in training time and intensity to about 10% per week. Finally, if you experience minor pains or soreness during or after exercise, don't ignore them. Back off, and consult your medical practitioner.
Clearly, exercise injury is proof of what Mom always told you: Prevention is easier than cure. And prevention can be as simple as common-sense preparation and listening to your body.
One point I want to make as well, I can't recall if the article covered, is how stretching is essential for muscle growth~!! Which Is one thing I know alot of of don't really think about, and as much as I hate to say this I think men or alot of men any way are very guilty of this.
Lets look at the meaning of and just what stretching is;...
Stretching is the deliberate lengthening of muscles in order to increase muscle flexibility and joint range of motion. Stretching activities are an important part of any exercise or rehabilitation program. They help warm the body up prior to activity thus decreasing the risk of injury as well as muscle soreness.
Lengthening the muscle, expanding the muscle belly, increasing flexibility, and ROM. Just near the opposite of what resistance training does to our muscles, causes muscle hypertrophy, & strength. Muscle fibers can adapt to stresses placed on them by increasing in length as well as girth~! Without each other, resistance and stretch the equation nears an imbalanced stage. Which in the end you end up with dense muscle tissue that has lost it flexibility, ROM, and muscles often stay in a shortened state, which will eventually lead to muscle strain and/or injury!!
Stretching exercises in them self can be considered an intense workout if done properly and held for the appropriate amount of time, to achieve benefit from it.
Benefits from stretching you say, well here are just a few for you to consider,...
Increased flexibility and joint ROM, Improved circulation, better posture, stress relief, & enhanced coordination.
But it must be executed properly in order to benefit from it. This is where we divide the those who have learned and those who haven't~!!! I walk around the gym and see those who haven't all the time~!! Makes you just want to grab them and say read a book or take a class, but please learn how to stretch properly before you hurt yourself~!!!
Warm the muscles up with moderate motion, slowly increasing your ROM as the muscles begin to warm and the blood starts to circulate thru out your body, controlled motions, not jerky spastic ones. Do this for a minimum of 5-8 minutes before beginning to stretch. Always remember "STRETCH TO THE POINT OF TENSION, NOT PAIN" (OR STRAIN) if you feel pain while your stretching you've gone to far, back off some, NO BOUNCY BALLISTIC STRETCHING, slow and controlled, static stretches, holding each stretch for 30 seconds, (bouncing or ballistic movements cause small micro tears in the muscles which leave scar tissue as the muscle heals, the scar tissue tightens the muscle even further, making you less flexible and more prone to pain~!)
Relax and breath slowly, don't old your breath, remember to balance out sides, what you do on one side always take to the other side, stretch before during and after your workout for the best results. Remember when in the warming up stage of stretching, stretch all the large major muscle groups, save the smaller one for either during or after your training. Don't forget this goes a long way in helping to prevent muscle soreness when your stretch after your workout~!!! It will also improve your performance over time~!!
So don't forget this critical part of your training~!!!
Stay Strong~~!!!
IPL
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