One action actually determines the success or failure of fitness

For better muscle growth and better muscle shape, and for safety...please remember to stretch! Stretching training is just as important as resistance training!

Improve your athletic performance

Stretching is often considered an integral part of training and treatment by coaches, strength and conditioning trainers or rehabilitation therapists. Stretching before exercise can reduce muscle viscosity and reduce internal energy consumption during exercise. At the same time, increased elasticity can improve muscle contraction speed and muscle contraction strength.

Sports stretching can increase the range of motion of muscles and joints, allowing athletes to complete more reasonable technical movements and reduce unnecessary energy loss. For example, swimmers can increase the range of motion of their shoulder girdle to increase their stroke amplitude and water efficiency. On the other hand, athletes may have poor body shape due to muscle imbalance. For example, a sprinter's hip flexor muscles may be too tight, which often limits the extension range of the hip joint and hinders the development of the strength of the hip extensor muscles. Through targeted stretching, the hip flexor muscles can be relaxed and lengthened, and combined with strength training of the front and rear muscle groups, a more reasonable muscle strength balance can be achieved, ultimately improving running posture and movement efficiency.

However, research reports have found that long-term static stretching before exercise can reduce muscle strength, explosive power, jumping height, power and speed in certain sports, directly affecting the performance of the sport. Currently, most people believe that dynamic stretching before exercise is more reasonable. On the other hand, proper stretching between and after exercise can make muscles more elastic, which helps with muscle strength and movement speed. The methods and uses of stretching should be targeted and have high technical requirements. They should be designed and implemented by professionals who have received stretching training, such as coaches, doctors, physical trainers or rehabilitation therapists, to achieve the best results.

Speed ​​up recovery

Stretching has been used as a post-training recovery method for more than 20 years. Studies have shown that stretching can effectively relax muscles, reduce muscle stiffness, increase blood microcirculation, allow nutrients to reach tissues that need repair, and accelerate the elimination of metabolic waste.

Stretching can effectively reduce muscle soreness, including short-term muscle soreness after exercise and delayed onset muscle soreness. Studies have shown that static stretching after exercise can reduce muscle tension response. Stretching can effectively reduce muscle tension and directly reduce muscle pain. On the other hand, stretching can speed up microcirculation and reduce swelling between muscle fibers, which is also one of the reasons for reducing muscle pain. Finally, stretching can reduce the generation and transmission of local painful nerve signals, which is one of the most direct reasons for reducing muscle pain.

With the development of modern technology and changes in lifestyles, more and more people lack sufficient exercise. Many white-collar workers who work at desks for a long time can easily lead to fatigue and tension in the cervical spine and upper back muscles, causing insufficient blood supply to the head, leading to dizziness, decreased work efficiency and increased mental stress. Stretching during work breaks can relax muscles, relieve muscle tension and improve mental stress.

Preventing injuries

Traditional theory holds that stiff muscles are the main cause of muscle strain during exercise, and studies have also pointed out that lack of flexibility is a predisposing factor for many sports injuries. Stretching can reduce the frequency, severity, and recovery time of muscle stretches. Stretching can make muscles more elastic, absorb more energy and increase muscle contraction ability.

On the other hand, muscle fatigue is also a cause of sports injuries. Stretching after exercise training can speed up muscle recovery and reduce the situation where muscles train and work in a fatigued state the next day, thereby preventing injuries. However, there is currently no consensus on the mechanisms and principles of stretching in injury prevention. Despite this, most people still recommend stretching as an important part of a complete exercise prescription.

Safe stretching guidelines

1. Wrong stretching can cause trouble.

2. Painless stretching.

3. Stretch after warming up (such as jogging).

4. Apply even force when stretching and pay attention to adjusting your breathing (exhale as the muscles are gradually stretched and stay relaxed).

5. Stop stretching when your muscles feel tense, and pay attention to increasing the intensity gradually.

6. Pay attention to stretching the symmetrical muscles. Ensuring that the symmetrical muscles are relaxed is conducive to maintaining the functional position of the joints.

7. When stretching, be sure to maintain a normal body position, which will help ensure that the target muscles are well stretched and will not affect other muscles.

8. Avoid explosive strength training immediately after static stretching.

9. Stretch on a soft, fixed surface (artificial turf, yoga mat, etc.).

10. Mainly sit, supine or prone positions, which are conducive to body relaxation and improve stretching efficiency.

Stretching precautions

Stretching exercises are not recommended in the following specific situations:

Joint instability (or joint injury) caused by fractures or sprains;

The stretched part has wounds and is accompanied by infection or inflammation (soft tissue inflammation, such as folliculitis, etc.);

The stretching part has acute injury (muscle, tendon, ligament, etc.);

There is pain in the stretched area.

General warm-up tips

Stretching, especially dynamic stretching, is an important part of warm-up. Generally, warm-up includes the following parts:

1. Aerobic exercise: jogging or cycling for 5-10 minutes until the body sweats slightly;

2. Dynamic stretching: about 10 minutes, choose a stretching method related to the special movement;

3. Low-intensity special sports;

4. Start formal special training.

If an athlete has an old injury in a certain part of his body, he can do some targeted exercises individually to avoid adverse reactions during exercise. Paying attention to warm-up and stretching, and doing things within your ability, is always the best way to prevent sports injuries! (This article only covers the safer static stretching techniques)

Some common questions about stretching

Q: Should you stretch before or after exercise?

Answer: Stretching is needed before and after exercise. People often ask questions like "Should I stretch before or after exercise?" There is no need to choose, because both stretching times are necessary. There is no benefit in only stretching after exercise and using it as stretching before the next exercise. The purpose of stretching after exercise is different from that of stretching before exercise, and these are two completely different processes.

The purpose of stretching before exercise is to prevent injuries. Stretching increases the range of motion by lengthening muscles and tendons, which ensures that we can move freely without restrictions and avoid sports injuries. However, stretching after exercise plays a completely different role. Its primary purpose is to promote the repair of muscles and tendons. Stretching exercises can stretch muscles and tendons, which helps prevent muscle stiffness and relieve DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) caused by high-intensity exercise.

Stretching after training should also be part of your cool-down. The arrangement of cool-down activities may vary depending on the intensity and duration of the exercise, usually including 5 to 10 minutes of low-intensity exercise and 5 to 10 minutes of static stretching activities. An effective cool-down that includes light exercise and stretching will help remove metabolic waste from the muscles, prevent blood pooling, and promote the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles. So all of these can help the body return to pre-exercise levels and speed up the recovery process.

Question: To what extent should you stretch? Will it hurt?

A: Stretching is not meant to be painful, but should feel comfortable, flexible and beneficial to the body. Although many people believe that pain is necessary to get the most benefit from stretching, this is one of the most common mistakes we make when stretching for the following reasons:

When a muscle is stretched to the point of pain, the body resists the stretch through the stretch reflex, which occurs as a safety defense response to prevent serious damage to muscles, tendons, and joints. The stretch reflex protects and prevents muscles and tendons from being overstretched by causing muscle contraction.

Therefore, if you want to avoid the stretch reflex, you must avoid pain. Never stretch beyond your comfortable range; only stretch until you feel tension in your muscles. This will not only help you avoid injuries, but also allow you to get the best benefits from stretching activities.

Q: Do I need to pay attention to breathing when stretching? How to adjust your breathing?

A: Many people subconsciously hold their breath when stretching, which can cause muscle tension and make it difficult to stretch. To avoid this phenomenon, remember to keep your breathing steady during stretching and increase the depth of your breathing to promote muscle relaxation, speed up blood flow, and speed up the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles.

Q: How long should each stretch be held statically? How often should you stretch? How long should the entire stretching activity last?

Answer: The above questions are all issues that we often discuss when we discuss stretching. Although there are many different answers to these questions, based on the professional thinking gained from studying the relevant literature and my own experience, I believe that the suggestions mentioned below are the most correct and helpful at present.

The most controversial question is: "How long should I hold each stretch?" Some articles will tell you that as little as 10 seconds is enough, which is the shortest time currently reported. However, 10 seconds is just enough time for the muscles to relax and begin to lengthen. To truly improve flexibility, each stretch should be held for 20 to 30 seconds.

The amount of time you spend stretching should be determined by your level of participation in a particular sport. That is, for those who aim to improve their physical fitness, stretching activities should last no less than 20 seconds. However, if you want to participate in high-level sports competitions, each stretching movement must be maintained for at least 30 seconds and then gradually extended to 60 seconds or more.

"How often should I stretch?" The same principle of engaging in stretching activities appropriate to your athletic level applies to the number of times we should stretch each muscle. For example, beginners can stretch each muscle group 2 to 3 times, and if the athletic level is higher, each muscle group can be stretched 3 to 5 times.

The same principles apply to “How long should I stretch?” For example, beginners can stretch for 5 to 10 minutes, but for professional athletes, the total stretching time throughout the day should be close to 2 hours. If the athletic level is between beginners and professional athletes, the time of stretching activities should be adjusted according to the athletic condition.

Be patient when doing stretching exercises. No one can become fit in just a few weeks, so don't expect miracles from stretching. In the long run, some muscle groups may require at least 3 months of stretching activities with a certain intensity to achieve substantial improvement. So stick with it, it's worth it.

In conclusion: A comprehensive and correct approach is the key to getting a good figure. You can choose to train hard in the gym for an hour and then leave in a hurry, but without correct stretching training, it is difficult for your muscles to achieve a very comprehensive and full growth! How to get more blood flowing to the muscles you are training? The answer is simple: stretch enough!