Don’t leave stretching out of your workout routine
What role does stretching play in your workout routine? Do you stretch regularly as a ‘warm-up’ or stretch after working out to feel good and help reduce muscle soreness? Do you realize the importance of regular stretching and the benefits of stretching?
Most people probably don’t consider stretching an important part of their workout routine. It is, however, a crucial part of any workout routine as a method of injury prevention and can even improve athletic performance. Stretching increases muscle flexibility, which can improve performance, but increased flexibility also reduces the risk of injury.
Flexibility may improve athletic performance as it helps your joints move through their full range of motion. Decreased flexibility often means your joints are not able to move on their full range of motion, which can result in injury. Stretching also increases blood flow to the muscles and regular stretching after working out can help reduce muscle soreness after a hard workout.
Understanding the importance of stretching is just the beginning. You must also understand how to stretch correctly. Here are a few guidelines:
Don’t stretch cold muscles. Stretching should not be considered a warm-up. If you stretch while your muscles are cold, you risk injury. Spend 10 minutes in a light jog, or biking at low intensity to allow your muscles to warm up.
Don’t rush through your stretches. Be sure that you spend time focusing on each major muscle group. Stretch both the right and left sides of each muscle group as well. You should stretch calves, thighs, hamstrings, hips, back, neck, shoulders, and (depending on your activity) wrists and ankles as well.
Active stretching can be better than static stretching. Active stretching with light movements (dynamic stretching) can be more beneficial for your muscles than static or stationary stretching. Rather than sitting on the ground to stretch your calves, thighs and hamstrings, stretch them while walking down the track.
For more details on dynamic stretching, checkout the dynamic series videos by triathlete and coach, Janda Ricci-Munn on our YouTube channel.
