Stretching is very important to start and end an exercise. But its functions go beyond preventing sprains and strains. So why stretch?
1. Stretching before starting an exercise prevents injury. Helps muscles “warm up” and prepare before moving on to more intense exercises. Helps prevent “muscle pulls”. Allows a greater range of motion. For example, if you are going to punch hard without stretching, you will “hit” your relaxed muscles to move, causing pain and discomfort. To prevent this from happening, start by gently pumping your arms or extending your arms above or below your head. You can also do leg extensions, either on the floor or elevated. For elevated leg stretches, it should not be immediate, but gradual and slow. The greater the leg stretch, the more the muscles are pulled, so do it slowly. When stretching, do not bounce. The rebound can cause small tears (micro tears) in the muscles that can cause scarring. These scar tissues can make movement painful and future stretching more painful and difficult. If you feel the stretch becoming more painful, it means you have gone too far. Focus on a more comfortable, painless stretch. Make sure to stretch both sides as well. It extends your range of motion more that way. Also, the movement doesn’t just go in one direction, right?
2. Stretching improves flexibility. When you constantly stretch, you also become more flexible, so activities that require flexibility, such as dancing and kicking, sprints, and sprints, even basic tasks like lifting and tying your shoe, can become easier. Flexibility also decreases as people age, so it’s best to stretch regularly so you can maintain your flexibility.
3. Stretching promotes better breathing and respiratory flow (or oxygen). Stretching allows oxygen to flow better through your body and also helps improve blood circulation. Body aches and sores usually come from increased tension and tension due to the lack of oxygen flowing to different parts of your body. Stretching allows oxygen to move freely and move better.
4. Stretching reduces stress and improves posture. Stress causes muscles to tense and knot, which can cause tension and back pain. Stress causes negative effects on your body. Muscles stiffen and slow the flow of oxygen (carried by the blood) to the brain, confusing thinking. Stretching restores the flow of oxygen and regulates it, re-oxygenating the brain and also the heart. In addition to contributing greatly to circulation or blood flow, stretching also releases endorphins or wellness hormones in the body that can improve your mood and make you feel good. Stretching also greatly improves posture, as it prevents the muscles from overstretching, leading to slouching and stiffness of the body. When you have good posture, circulation flows better and you can look good and feel good throughout the day.
5. Stretch after exercising. Lactic acid builds up in your muscles while you exercise, causing fatigue and pain. This can be remedied with post-exercise “cool down” exercises or stretching. Post-exercise stretching can aid in recovery from training, decrease post-workout muscle soreness, and ensure that your muscles and tendons are in good working order. If you stretch after exercising, you are conditioning your muscles and, in some way, relaxing your muscles after a vigorous regimen. Its objective is to return the muscles to the pre-exercise stage. It’s like telling your muscles that you have finished the hardest part of the workout. This part of the exercise is called “cool down” and generally consists of light exercises such as brisk walking, calf stretches, and static stretching. In addition to relaxing your muscles, cool-down exercises are also intended to re-oxygenate your heart, as you have used too much oxygen while exercising. This means allowing steady breathing and the muscles push oxygen back to the heart.
Stretching, although it takes minimal time throughout training or exercises, is still a very important part of the activity and should not be taken lightly. How much pain you may feel or how good you feel after a workout depends on how well and how effectively you have stretched.