The How and why of Stretching

April 9th, 2011 | by Guest Author |

Most individuals fully grasp that stretching is really a crucial part of training; nevertheless, their belief of the reason why, when and how to stretch generally misses the mark.

Lots of people today regularly stretch just before they begin their workout. Contrary to well-known belief, stretching out prior to a work out isn’t only useless, but could even be harmful depending on what kind of workout you’re performing. For instance, if you’re doing an anaerobic exercise that requires explosive movements, a pre workout stretch out is counter-productive. Being explosive, you need a difficult contraction of the muscle, which is what stretching tries to stop.

The stretching out part of exercise should come post-workout. The premise for this notion is that after the muscles have been contracting constantly throughout exercise, they are a lot more pliable. On this state, muscles will fight the stretch much less, allowing for a deeper, far more successful stretching experience.

Also, after a workout there’s lactic acid in your muscles that creates a sense of soreness and exhaustion. Stretching can be a method that pushes the lactic acid out of the muscles for the rest of the body to process, which relieves some of the post-exercise soreness. By making this a habit, muscle memory will likely be a lot more likely to keep your muscles loose in the long run.

With that being said, a “warm-up” is 100% important before exercising. A warm-up really should not be overly draining but must get your blood flowing to the muscles that you’re about to use. Warming up just before exercising also helps prevent injuries that can occur from muscle tissues that are not elastic enough to keep the force or load that is being put on them typically causing a muscle tear. Instances of warm-ups contain 5-10 minutes walking at a fourteen minute mile pace on a treadmill, lifting with light weights or basic aerobic activities like lunges.

In summary, to ensure that you are safe during your workout and get the most benefit from it, remember to warm-up prior to your exercise routine and stretch at the end.

Atlanta personal trainers promote a 360-degree approach to weight-loss in an attractive environment, and they strive to produce a comfortable environment with individual training spaces, supportive and knowledgeable staff, along with a unique ‘un-gym’ experience. Atlanta fitness regularly provides every member with tailored nutrition and exercise.

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