Last updated: Monday, September 11, 2006 | 8 Views
“I never stretch, I don’t have enough time and I can’t be bothered lying around all over the floor stretching when I am in a hurry to get home from the gym?” Or “I train at home, I can barely squeeze my weights or cardio in - so I skip my stretches”… - sound familiar?! I hear it often! And even though it sounds funny when you hear it out aloud, it is often the case for many people that carryout an exercise regime. I can’t tell you enough how important stretching is.
As you age, your muscles tighten and range of motion in the joints can be minimized. This can put a damper on active lifestyles and even hinder day-to-day, normal motions. Tasks that used to be simple, such as reaching for a can off of the top shelf, now become extremely difficult. A regular stretching program can help lengthen your muscles and make daily living activities easier.
Everyone can learn to stretch, regardless of age or flexibility. Stretching should be a part of your daily routine, whether you exercise or not. There are simple stretches you can do while watching TV, on the computer, or getting ready for bed. If you are doing strength training exercises, stretch in between sets. It feels good and saves time from stretching at the end of the workout!
It does not have to involve a huge time commitment, but stretching can end up giving you huge results! Here are eight benefits you can expect from a regular stretching program:
1. Injury prevention.
If there is anything like a sacred cow in sports medicine it has to be stretching. Every book and how-to article on exercise emphasizes the virtues of stretching, and avoiding injury is right up there at the top of the list.
Stretching is believed to help to prevent injury to tendons, ligaments and muscles by improving muscular elasticity and reducing the stretch reflex in greater ranges of motion that might cause injury to tissue. For example, some research still in the preliminary stages has found soccer players reduced injury risks by stretching, however the number of players studied was not large enough to draw a firm conclusion. But they still believe that by improving your range of movement you perform exercises better, thus preventing injury.
2. Reduced muscle tension.
Stretching realigns muscle fibers. This speeds up the recovery process after a hard workout. When fibers are intertwined, scar tissue requires more time to heal. Serious bodybuilders know how important recovery can be. When a muscle takes too long to recuperate, an entire workout cycle can be interrupted, slowing down muscle gain.
Studies have shown that performing stretching exercises reduces muscle soreness. It reduces soreness felt the next day by decreasing the build-up of lactic acid in muscles. Stretching can also prevent cramps; some muscles, like calves, have a tendency to cramp up more than usual.
So, stretching helps by decreasing your DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness). This means that you’ll be able to return to the gym for your next session sooner, resulting in faster muscle growth.
3. Increased range of movement.
As you already know we are born with fantastic range of movement when it comes to flexibility. Eg baby sucking it’s toes etc. So what happens? Most of us don’t bother to keep up with that type of range of movement as we get older, which means we lose our flexibility. When you think about it the average person doesn’t exercise that much at all, let alone go out of their way to train for flexibility.
Stretching attenuates stretch reflex, the body’s automatic defense mechanism to overextension. Holding a stretch for a prolonged period of time habituates the reflex so it reduces its signal. This helps muscles have a fuller range of motion - quite useful in bodybuilding since a proper range of motion during reps increases a workout’s effectiveness. Also useful in other daily activities.
As you grow older your muscles, tendons, and ligaments tend to grow stiffer; they lose some of their elasticity. If you do nothing about it, this means that the range of movement of your joints decreases. So inevitably you will have troubles with everyday activity. Stretching can help you prevent this.
4. Improve your daily performance.
Stretching will not only help to improve your performance in sports, but your everyday life as well. People who are very stiff have an increased chance of developing joint pain later in life and aren’t able to function at the same capacity as someone who is more limber.
Also, in a great number of sports, agility is a key component of top performance. Whether it is being quick on your feet or having the ability to maneuver around an opponent, stretching will improve your fitness level.
5. Increased circulation of the blood.
Stretching increases blood supply to the muscles and joints which allow for greater nutrient transportation and improves the circulation of blood through the entire body.
After an intensive workout, muscles need to repair themselves and fibers that are entangled impede the recovery process. When you stretch a muscle, tension in the fiber increases, aligning the disorganized tissue in the same line - like when you pull on a wrinkled shirt. In addition, it keeps the blood flowing.
Also researchers show that prolonged stretching (in the form of yoga) with moderate aerobic exercise and diet control will reduce cholesterol and significantly reverse hardening of the arteries (20 percent regression) in adults with proven coronary atherosclerotic disease.
After one year in a yoga program, participants lost weight, reduced cholesterol, and improved their exercise capacity.
6. Improved posture.
Stretching also improves muscular balance and posture. Many people’s soft-tissue structures has adapted poorly to either the effects of gravity or poor postural habits. Stretching can help realign soft tissue structures, thus reducing the effort it takes to achieve and maintain good posture in the activities of daily living.
7. Reduced risk of low back pain.
A key benefit is that stretching reduces the risk of low back pain. Stretching promotes muscular relaxation. A muscle in constant contraction requires more energy to accomplish activities. Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors, quadriceps, and other muscles attaching to the pelvis reduces stress to the low back. Stretching causes muscular relaxation, which encourages healthy nutrition directly to muscles; the resulting reduction in accumulated toxins reduces the potential for muscle shortening or tightening and thus reduces fatigue.
8. Improved muscle coordination.
Another little-known benefit is increased neuromuscular coordination. Studies show that nerve-impulse velocity (the time it takes an impulse to travel to the brain and back) is improved with stretching. This helps opposing muscle groups work in a more synergistic, coordinated fashion.
Stretching comes naturally to all of us. You might notice that if you have been sitting in a particular position for a long time, you stretch unconsciously. It feels good! In addition to that good feeling, a consistent stretching program will produce large gains in flexibility and joint movement. Be kind to your muscles and they will be kind to you!
If you want to improve your sports performance, prevent sports injury, alleviate back and other muscle pain or just increase your flexibility, a comprehensive stretching program may be an appropriate addition to your training routine.
But right now your greatest challenge, however, is not learning new stretching exercises or the proper technique; it’s not learning how long to hold the stretch or the best time to stretch. Nor is it deciding when to try new stretching exercises. The greatest challenge facing you at this moment is deciding whether you are willing to take action and make time for yourself and make flexibility training a priority.
And when you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience will make the change well worth the effort. Action creates motivation!
Happy stretching!
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[...] 2. Yoga Or Stretching The slow movements and controlled postures of yoga improves muscle strength, flexibility, range of motion, balance, breathing, blood circulation and promotes mental focus, clarity and calmness. Stretching also reduces mental and physical stress, tension and anxiety, promotes good sleep, lowers blood pressure and slows down your heart rate. [...]
[...] STEP 5: Stretch. A simple five minute, full-body stretch will give you a natural jumpstart, gently raising your heart rate so that your body feels awake and ready to handle the day’s challenges. In addition, unlike coffee, stretching improves the strength and flexibility of your muscles so that you’ll be more energetic hours, days, and even months down the road. Start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your feet, then gently rotate each ankle, circling three or four times clockwise and then counter-clockwise to explore your full range of motion. Slowly work your way all the up from your feet to the top of your head, tensing each muscle group for a count of five and then releasing it, and giving every joint a few soft rotations. This should take you about five to seven minutes. When you’re done your whole body will be humming with endorphins, the naturally mood-elevating hormones that your system uses to reward itself for exercising, so you’ll feel great as you head into the next part of your morning routine! [...]
Good blog. You are really different, because all others speak about all that tech crap.
Thank you bobb, and hope to hear from you soon.
[...] 20. Stretch out. Keeping your hamstrings loose pre- and midflight will help prevent you from growing restless. To stretch them, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, bend at the waist, grab your calves, and hold for 5 seconds. Rise and repeat 5 times. [...]
Sean…
If only all articles were written equal… then all would be written like this. Thanks!…
[...] A simple five minute, full-body stretch will give you a natural jumpstart, gently raising your heart rate so that your body feels awake and ready to handle the day’s challenges. In addition, unlike coffee, stretching improves the strength and flexibility of your muscles so that you’ll be more energetic hours, days, and even months down the road. [...]
The Australians have done quite a bit of research on stretching and have shown that it neither improves performance nor prevents injury.
The body of the recent sports medicine literature is in line with this. It counteracts everything your high school track coach taught you, but it turns out he didn’t have much science behind his statements, just oral tradition.
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