Flexibility & Stretching
When many people think of stretching they conjure images of the girl at the park bench with the ankle warmers or the guy in the gym with the headband. Many people think that strecthing is a waste of time, boring, not for me etc. Many people jump off bridges, would you jump after them?
So strecthing isnt fun or interesting and doing it right adds precious time to your workout that you could spend in the sauna. So what's the point?
The point, my dear friends is that stretching thoroughly before and after your workout will not only increase your range of motion while lifting weights, decrease your risk of injury on the treadmill, stop your muscles from aching so badly the next day, but it will also decrease your risk of debilitating injuries and illnesses as you grow older. Not so boring now is it?
The truth is that many people won't spend the time stretching during their workouts at the gym because they feel like they look stupid, are self conscious, or embarrassed. These excuses won't mean anything when you're 80 years old and not able to get out of your armchair without help!
So here are some strecthing basics that everyone should know.
Prior to your workout:
You should spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up before you start stretching as "cold stretching" may cause more harm than good.
Your pre-stretch should consist of stretches for the major muscles being worked during your workout and stretches should only be held for 15 - 30 seconds each.
After your workout:
Your post-stretch should concentrate on stetches specific to the muscles you have worked as well as full body stretches. Each stretch should be held for 30 - 60 seconds.
To view some stretches you may want to work into your routine click here.
Remember, the benefits of flexibility through stretching far outweigh the time it takes to work it into your regular routine. Flexibility is not just a fad, it's an essential part of a healthy lifestyle that you overlook at your own detriment!
So strecthing isnt fun or interesting and doing it right adds precious time to your workout that you could spend in the sauna. So what's the point?
The point, my dear friends is that stretching thoroughly before and after your workout will not only increase your range of motion while lifting weights, decrease your risk of injury on the treadmill, stop your muscles from aching so badly the next day, but it will also decrease your risk of debilitating injuries and illnesses as you grow older. Not so boring now is it?
The truth is that many people won't spend the time stretching during their workouts at the gym because they feel like they look stupid, are self conscious, or embarrassed. These excuses won't mean anything when you're 80 years old and not able to get out of your armchair without help!
So here are some strecthing basics that everyone should know.
Prior to your workout:
You should spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up before you start stretching as "cold stretching" may cause more harm than good.
Your pre-stretch should consist of stretches for the major muscles being worked during your workout and stretches should only be held for 15 - 30 seconds each.
After your workout:
Your post-stretch should concentrate on stetches specific to the muscles you have worked as well as full body stretches. Each stretch should be held for 30 - 60 seconds.
To view some stretches you may want to work into your routine click here.
Remember, the benefits of flexibility through stretching far outweigh the time it takes to work it into your regular routine. Flexibility is not just a fad, it's an essential part of a healthy lifestyle that you overlook at your own detriment!
Stretch Your Limit
When it comes to your average Jim at the gym, there is no need to be overly flexible. In fact the slight tightness of your muscles will help with weightlifting as it will provide the bounce back when you reach your point of tension in the exercise. If the limbs were too flexible, it would make certain resistance training exercises more difficult.
Specialist sports like gymnastics, cheerleading, dance and acrobatics will require far more flexibility in order to perform to the best of your ability but for most of us a stretching session should last no more than 20 minutes maximum.
In any regular gym workout, your session should go something like this:
Warm Up
Pre Stretch
Main Phase
Cool Down
Post Stretch
The purpose of the pre stretch is to get the joints and muscles ready for the exercise about to take place, whereas the purpose of the post stretch is to get the muscles to return to their original length and to try to prevent the effects of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.
You should always stretch all the muscles you have used in your workout especially after a tough or intense session. You can stretch the muscles you haven’t used also as it will be of benefit to you but there is no harm in skipping those stretches if you are short on time.
Specialist sports like gymnastics, cheerleading, dance and acrobatics will require far more flexibility in order to perform to the best of your ability but for most of us a stretching session should last no more than 20 minutes maximum.
In any regular gym workout, your session should go something like this:
Warm Up
Pre Stretch
Main Phase
Cool Down
Post Stretch
The purpose of the pre stretch is to get the joints and muscles ready for the exercise about to take place, whereas the purpose of the post stretch is to get the muscles to return to their original length and to try to prevent the effects of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS.
You should always stretch all the muscles you have used in your workout especially after a tough or intense session. You can stretch the muscles you haven’t used also as it will be of benefit to you but there is no harm in skipping those stretches if you are short on time.
