I recently wrote a blog about the importance of stretching and how it can improve flexibility and reduce the chances of being injured. While stretching is important, it is also vital that a person knows the right way to stretch.
Believe it or not you can injure yourself if you don’t stretch the correct way. There are different types of stretches and different times when they should be performed.
First of all, stretching is not warming up. People sometimes confuse the two. So before you even begin stretching, you want to first warm up.
A good warm-up routine is to do a slow jog or brisk walking for about 5 minutes. You need to get the blood flow warmed up before you can begin stretching those muscles. If you attempt to stretch muscles that haven’t had a chance to warm up yet, you could injure them.
There are different kinds of stretches, too. Dynamic stretching is the type you should do immediately after warming up. These are slow, controlled movements. Unlike static stretches where you hold a stretch, dynamic stretching involves movement such as rotating your hips or circling your arms. You can do dynamic stretching for about 5 minutes.
Next it’s time to move into your workout routine which can be yoga, step aerobics, walking, circuit training or whatever else you desire.
After you have completed your workout routine is when you would do static stretches. These are stretches that are held for about 30 seconds. You can stretch your arms, legs, hips, sides or any other body part you feel compelled to stretch. Static stretching can be done for 3 to 5 minutes.
It’s important to understand the difference between warming up and stretching, along with dynamic stretching and static stretching. It’s also important to know which type of stretching is right before and after your workout.