Stretching Tips
Stretching is the most overlooked part of a fitness plan. Since I love stretching and since I don't really understand why people avoid flexibility training, I have decided to act like the Ambassador of Stretching. So as ambassador I am going to give you a few tips and reminders and hopefully they will inspire you.
The goal of a post-workout stretching session is to relax and lengthen your muscles to prevent injuries. When done correctly, stretching can relieve chronic pain caused by tight and over used muscles.
When to Stretch:
- While you want to stretch warm muscles that have been working, you do want to make sure you have cooled down properly after cardio before stretching. Let your heart rate slow to 100 beats per minute before you start stretching. Placing your head below your heart before your heart rate and breathing slow down can cause nausea, dizziness and possibly fainting. Dealing with those things would really kill your desire to stretch. So take that extra 5 minutes on the elliptical to allow your heart rate to slowly lower.
How to Stretch:
- Do not bounce while you are stretching. This is called ballistic stretching and muscles just don't like it. You can tear muscles, ligaments and tendons by bouncing when you stretch.
- Breathe in a nice smooth and controlled manner and DO NOT hold your breath. Think of feeding the muscles oxygen while you lengthen them,
- Hold stretches for 20 seconds to a minute, but do not force a stretch. Allow the muscle to slowly lengthen.
