The Importance Of Stretching
Posted by admin on August 11, 2009
Your nagging coach or gym teacher was right. You should always stretch before and after you exercise. Your muscles are made to stretch and contract, but putting them through a workout without first warming up and stretching is bound to cause you problems. You could suffer anything from mild muscle pain to the more serious strains and tears.
First you should always do light cardiovascular exercise to warm up your whole body. A three to five minute walk while swinging your arms is all that is necessary. After the warm-up you should do a slow controlled stretching of each muscle group. You should do three repetitions, holding each stretch for at least ten seconds. You should feel the muscle stretching and experience tension or tightness but not to the point of pain. It can be just as dangerous to over-stretch a muscle as it is to not stretch it all. Properly stretched muscles are less likely to cause pain the next day or sustain injury.
It is equally important to stretch your muscles after exercising. During exercise your muscles tighten and shorten and they need to be stretched to avoid pain and injury. Stretching before and after exercise increases flexibility and allows your muscles to work more efficiently. This can improve your overall health and lessen the pain from many activities, particularly as you age.
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