Stretching - Introduction

I have seen many people stretching during workouts just for the sake of it, They twist their arm and legs quickly in some weird manner and start with their exercise. They forget that stretching is as important as the main exercise. One thing you should remember that stretching is not same as warm up! It is very important that you perform the general warmup before you stretch. A warmup exercise helps in increasing your core body temperature by one to two degrees. It is not a good idea to attempt to stretch before your muscles are warm.

In the next few posts i will show you how stretch your important muscles in the most effective manner. I will discuss stretching techniques, effects and its implication to fitness by dividing the body in three parts Upper limbs, lower limbs and the trunk. But lets first start with explaining stretching and why every one keeps talking about it.

Stretching is a general term used to describe any maneuver designed to increase the mobility of the soft tissues and increase the ROM (Range of motion) of the joints by lengthening the soft tissues (muscles,tendon,ligaments etc)

Benefits:
-reduced muscular tension,
-increased range of motion of joints,
-enhanced flexibility,
-improves coordination,
-increases body temperature and heart rate,
-increased blood flow to muscles,
-increased levels of glucose in the blood.

All this helps in making the body ready for the upcoming intensive exercise and prevents muscle injury or soreness.

Types:
The two commonest types of stretching are Static and Ballistic. In stretching the muscle and the soft tissues are just stressed to the point where there is a mild stretch of the muscle and it is kept stretched for few seconds. whereas in Ballistic method a rapid, forceful and bouncing stretch is applied . It is not recommended by experts so we will not talk about this.

Duration and Time:
As stated above stretching should be only done when the muscles are well warmed up. Another frequently debated point is how long one should stretch a muscle. From the various source material available, it seems to be anything from ten to sixty seconds (or even several minutes). Many researchers recommend thirty to sixty seconds. A compromise would seem to be about twenty seconds, however children and people whose bones are still growing should take care.

Contraindication:
-If a bone blocks motion.
-One has had a recent fracture of a bone.
-An infectious process in or around a joint is suspected or known.
-There is sharp, acute pain with joint movement or muscle elongation.
-One has had had a recent sprain or strain.
-There is a loss of function resulting in a decrease of range of motion of joints.
-Osteoporosis.

Remember proper breathing control is important for a successful stretch. Proper breathing helps to relax the body, increases blood flow throughout the body, and helps to mechanically remove by-products of exercise.

Keep reading for more posts on stretching.....