I have found that stretching is one of the most underrated forms of exercise there is. Even I used to scoff at the time put into lengthy stretching that I have seen people do. Only when I began to realize that my muscles were becoming too big, and I had a difficult time scratching my back did I realize that I needed to take action. After just 3 weeks in a twice a week power-yoga class, I began to notice serious improvements in not only my flexibility, but also my strength gains, and lack of soreness after exercise. Impressed as I was, I needed to find out more information.
There is loads of information related to stretching in health journals and on the internet that I had consistently overlooked before. Mainly because at some point it had been engrained into my mind that I just didn’t have the flexible gene (no one in my family can touch their toes) and yoga was just too girly for a weightlifter like myself. Oh, how I was wrong…
Before we begin, keep in mind that there are several important factors that can affect your flexible abilities. The first is age: flexibility increases through adolescence up until the age of 20, after which it gradually decreases over time. The second is gender: women are generally more flexible than men. The third and the one that this post will focus on is activity: obviously people who remain active throughout their lives will generally be more supple than those who are sedentary. Being flexible is extremely important to in regards to exercise and general health, and this blog will cover the basic premises of stretching and how to do it safely and effectively.
Flexibility is defined as the ability of a joint to move through its full range of motion. Flexibility is specific to each joint, therefore having “good” flexibility implies that you have good range of motion in all your joints, not just one joint. Thankfully, flexibility is highly adaptable, and will increase with regular activity and stretching exercises. However, flexibility also has quick reversibility and decreases without inactivity. It is extremely important to any sort of physical activity especially in terms of skill-related fitness. A runner who has tight hamstrings will have restricted flexion in the hip joint, resulting in shorter stride length. Regardless of whether you are running competitively, increased flexibility in the hamstrings and other leg muscles will increase your speed and reduce the amount of energy used while running. For general well being, how easily, smoothly, and painlessly you can bend, reach, twist, and turn depends on how flexible your body is. Benefits of flexibility include:
- more efficient body movement
- increased performance capabilities in sports
- reduction of muscle soreness after exercise
- improvement and maintenance of food posture (reduces lower back problems)
- reduces chance of injury
- relaxation and relief from aches and pains from sitting too long while reducing blood pressure and mental tension.
So why are we not flexible? What makes us unable to bend over and touch our toes or tie our legs into a pretzel? There are five main structural limitations:
- Bone: can restrict the endpoint in range of motion, mostly due to past injury.
- Fat: gets in the way of limbs moving
- Skin: may restrict range of motion if there is old scar tissue
- Muscle: muscles are highly elastic and it is possible to increase the length the amount muscles can be stretched.
- Tendons: though not nearly as lithe as muscles, tendons may also stretch
- Ligaments: have very limited flexibility, but are majorly affected by long periods of inactivity and injury.
Now that you know the basics, understand this: stretching is NOT beneficial BEFORE you exercise. “Whoa,” you say, “why have I constantly been taught to stretch before my workout?” The answer is not so simple, but it’s largely due to lack of research and understanding of beneficial stretching in previous decades. Yes, decades. That is how overlooked stretching was for some time. Until only recently, the past 10-20 years, has there been a large focus on stretching for exercise. This means that all of your parents, coaches, and friends were fed incorrect information in regards to stretch technique (albeit, to not fault of theirs).
Stretching should never be the first part of your workout. Stretching cold, or resting muscles, can actually cause more harm than good. This is why having a short cardio warm up is highly recommended before any sort of exercise, even over traditional stretching. The best time to stretch, get this, is AFTER you have completed your workout. Your muscles are warm, loosened up, and already elongated. Stretching at this stage is crucial if you want to see improvement. Immediately after exercise, before you hit the shower, spend at minimum 10 minutes stretching. Here are some guidelines to follow:
- It is recommended that your stretch at minimum 2-3 days a week to maintain your flexibility, 5-6 days a week for best results.
- When stretching, your intensity is very important. You should create a stretch that causes mild discomfort in the muscle surrounding the joint being stretched. Do not stretch so hard that it causes pain.
- 2-3 repetitions of each stretch, holding each for 10-20 seconds.
There are three basic types of stretching: Static Stretching, Ballistic Stretching, & PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation).
This is a highly effective method that involves gradually stretching a muscle by placing it in a maximal stretch position and holding that position for 10-30 seconds. This is the safest method of stretching, particularly for untrained or sedentary people.
This involves short, bouncing movements such as touching your toes in rapid succession. Because the bouncing movements may be greater than the muscle’s extensibility, injury may occur, and caution is absolutely necessary (I personally would never recommend this type).
PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation):
This is the most effective method of stretching, but requires the use of a partner to help. PNF involves a series of pushing and relaxing movements by you and your partner. Using a hamstring stretch as an example, you would lie on your back with your leg extended and your partner would push against your leg until you feel a slight discomfort in your muscle. At this point you would push against your partner’s resistance by contracting the hamstring. After 10 seconds of this, you would relax your muscle, and your partner would apply even more pressure for another 10 seconds. This push-relax technique should be repeated at least 3 times.
Remember again, that these should be done after the workout, never before to avoid injury. A short cardio warm up should be done before any exercise.
As for yoga, it certainly is not girly. I joined a power yoga class that focuses more on stretching than on meditation. I can happily say that it was one of the best decisions of my health life in the past year. It may be intimidating at first (the first day of my class my instructor stood on her head with her arms crossed over her chest while talking to the class) but you will get better, and you will see improvements.
On Gyminee, feel free to join the flexibility exercise group or a number of the yoga groups that have been created. Wii fit has some fantastic yoga exercises, and is very popular among Gyminee users. You can also download weekly or daily podcasts on iTunes for free if you cannot afford either Wii Fit or a yoga class. Good quality yoga mats can be bought for as little as $10.
The most important thing is to start adding complimentary stretching to your workout routine as soon as possible.
Fun Nutrition Fact of the Week:
Did you know that one of America’s most famous snacks, Tortilla Chips, has had the same recipe for over a millenia? The ancient Aztecs invented the now popular food, using the same 3 ingredients as today: corn meal, water, and salt. Today, companies such as Frito-Lay produce the food on a much larger scale, but there has never been an a change to the oringal recipe. The only thing that separates the different varieties are the types of corn and the shape of the chip.
