Stretching is not as easy as you might think. It is such a pivotal part of any workout routine; yet, many people don’t know how to do it properly.
In fact, research has proven that bending and stretching, when wrongly done, can lead to fatal consequences.
You can skip all the research journals and check out the latest Tips To Stretch properly here.
Don’t stretch before a workout
Forget about stretching as a warm-up. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it does more harm than good. According to studies by the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, stretching out longer than 60 seconds can affect exercise performance and results.
It doesn’t help to prevent injuries either. Stretching causes slack in muscles and tendons, easily decreasing the stability we all need to stay safe when swimming, cycling, running or doing any other workout.
Do warm-up instead
You can get your body exercise-ready by performing some easy-paced drills or cardio, for example, skips, bodyweight squats, pushups, butt-kicks and so on).
Try to choose exercises that will reflect the moments you’ll perform in your workout routine.
Avoid stretching right after your workout
Stretching doesn’t always reduce post-exercise muscle soreness, as per extensive research. Another review published in the Strength and Conditioning Journal reveals that finishing a workout with stretching can impede muscle recovery.
The reason is that, while we stretch, the flow of blood to the muscles decreases.
Cool down!
Go easy after finishing your workout: focus on lowering your heart rate and getting blood where it needs to be. You can do this with 5 to 10 minutes of light aerobic exercise.
If you are feeling sore in the days after your workout, the best thing to do is swim, walk or trying our some light bodyweight exercises.
Stretch throughout the day
When you spend the day sitting at a desk, stretching throughout the day is important to increase muscle performance, increase flexibility, and prevent spine hunching of the spine.
You can easily do this by performing stretches focusing on the shoulders, lower back, neck, hands, and wrists, which will decrease the pain significantly.