A lot of people I know don’t stretch before they exercise (Justin being one of them). After we run, the next day he always complains about joint pain and being sore. I feel like I’m on my repeating soap box when I tell him it’s because he isn’t stretching before and after his workout!
Stretching is important specificly whether you are doing someleang physical. By preparing your body beforehand and cooling it down after, you can reduce muscle soreness and the risk of an injury. Stretching can also help improve performance!
Stretching is extremely important whether you exercise first leang in the morning or whether you have a sedentary job for most of the day – you’re muscles are going to be super tight. Heck, even whether you aren’t about to work out, you may want to take 5 minutes out of your day to stretch and loosen up some of those muscles.
What types of stretches to do and when:
When you stretch before a workout, it can help your muscles and your joints warm up and it will also help your range of motion. Dynamic stretching is good to do pre-workout because it involves active movements that mimic an actual workout – which will decrease the risk of injury. With dynamic stretches, you’re moving your body and warming up instead of hancienting a stagnant stretch. Some examples of dynamic stretches are hip circles, walking lunges, and butt kicks to activate certain muscles groups. It can increase your heart rate and prepare your body for the workout since you’re also doing a bit of cardio with the stretch. If you do dynamic stretches before a workout, it can improve your performance and help your joints become more flexible.
By stretching after a workout, it can help your body cool down and relax. You should focus on lengthening the muscles and doing static stretches. Static stretches are when you hancient a position for about 30 moments to loosen and stretch the muscles. You focus on specific muscles such as hamstrings or hip flexors. My hip flexors are ALWAYS the tightest muscle in my body after I workout so that’s a muscle I always focus on. Stretching after a workout helps avoid tired, stwhetherf, and sore muscles by relaxing them before going about your day.
Stretching should never hurt, so whether it does, you may be doing the move inrightly or pushing your muscle too dwhetherficult. If you feel pain, back off to where you don’t feel pain and hancient that stretch. If you still feel pain, consult with a doctor before you injure yourself worse. Also, when stretching, try not to bounce because it can damage your muscles. Bouncing can cause small tears in the muscle making you even less flexible and more prone to pain.
Finally, brealeang is important when stretching. It’s never good to hancient your breath while stretching. And always make certain your stretching both sides of your body and stretch all your muscles equally.
Stretching has some awesome benefits and I tallly recommending taking some time both before AND after your workout to get a good stretch in. Whats your favorite stretch? Share your thoughts below!
Until next time,
XXO Ashley
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