Skip to main content

10 Things You Should Know About Stretching

Before fitness training, one must give importance to doing warm-up or stretching exercises to prevent accidents or to enhance the output during the training.  There are also a number of precautionary measures and tips to serve as guidelines when doing fitness exercises.  Here are some of them.
10 Things You Should Know About Stretching


1.  To increase your flexibility and to avoid injuries, stretch before and after workout.  Almost everyone knows that stretching before workout prevents injuries during the exercises, but only few people know that stretching after workout, when muscles are still warm, can increase flexibility.

2.  Hold your stretching position for more than 60 seconds to increase flexibility.  While holding your position for 20 seconds is enough for warm ups, holding each position for at least 60 seconds will develop the body's flexibility.

3.  Do not go into a stretching position then immediately return to the relaxed position, and do it repeatedly.  This is more appropriately termed as bouncing while in a position.  When stretching, hold that position for several seconds, and then slowly relax.  You may do this exercise repeatedly this way.  Bouncing or forcing yourself into a position during stretching can strain or damage some joints or muscles.

4.  Work slowly in increments instead of immediately proceeding to doing the hardest exercise or position.

5.  Make sure that you have stretched or warmed up all muscle groups.  For some people, even if they have strong bodies, they tend to neglect the neck when working out of stretching.  Stretching the neck muscles can be as simple as placing the palm of one's hand against the front of the head and pushing it.  Then, do the same to the sides and the back of the head.

6.  Stretch regularly to continually increase your range of movements and your level of flexibility and strength.

7.  Workout considering only your capabilities and not of others.  Do not force yourself to do exercises that you are not yet capable of just because there are people who can do it.  Increase your limits slowly.  Listen to your body.  There are days when your body may be too tired that you may have to consider reducing your range of motion.

8.  Learn to rest.  Rest in between sets and stations to make sure that the body has enough time to recover its energy.  Also, it is advisable that you don't work the same muscle groups consecutively for two days.  The muscles grow during the period when you rest and not when you are working out.

9.  Do aerobic exercises to strengthen your heart.  Aerobic exercises are those physical activities that much oxygen for fuel.  This includes cardiovascular exercises such as skipping rope, running or swimming.

10.  Music may help you when you want to train for longer periods or to increase your intensity.  You can use mp3 players, CD players or lightweight am radio receivers for this.  Just make sure that you brought your headset with you so you wouldn't disturb people who don't prefer music while exercising.

Apart from preventing injuries and increasing one's limit, it is also said that stretching is good for a tired body and also for a stressed mind and spirit.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The UK's 10 hay fever hot spots, with soaring numbers of city dwellers suffering from the condition

EXCLUSIVE: London is now the hay fever capital, according to sales figures from Chemist Direct. And with the mixed weather, pharmacists are also having to explain the difference between hay fever and colds. …read more The UK's 10 hay fever hot spots, with soaring numbers of city dwellers suffering from the condition http://goo.gl/WmWGT

Brancusi art becomes an NFT Collection on OpenSea

  Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of modernism, Brâncuși is called the patriarch of modern sculpture. Brancusi art becomes an NFT Collection on OpenSea with prices ranging from $230 to $4000 Check out the Brancusi Collection here

Effects of Over-training on Male and Female Sexual Health

Over-training has become a common practice nowadays. Many people workout because they want to gain muscle, lose some weight, and achieve the physique that they have been dreaming off. These individuals are often in such a hurry to achieve their ideal physique that they forget to follow fitness safety guidelines.  Many athletes who over-train exercise for about six hours a day ---  a length of time that is considered to be excessive. These individuals do not realize that over-training may do more harm than good. Too much or too intense training may lead to injuries, low testosterone levels among men and gonorrhea in women. Effects of Over-training on Male and Female Sexual Health Some medical studies suggest that over-training may cause a temporary decrease in testosterone levels.  Testosterone is the principal male sex hormone which plays an important role in libido, immune function, energy, and many more. This hormone is essential for the development of male sex and repr...