Three Pro Stretching Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Workout
Photo: courtesy of Old Navy1/4When to Stretch
"There are different kinds of stretching. Static stretching, which is the kind we usually think of, is when you lengthen a muscle as far as it will go, and then hold it for thirty to sixty seconds. Static stretching should only be done after a workout, because you'll actually decrease muscle activation if you do it before, which will make you weaker. Dynamic stretching, which uses functional ercises to prepare the body for movement, can be done before. Things like lateral lunges, knee hugs, and leg swings are considered dynamic stretching. Doing these before a workout will prepare the joints for movement, increase the core body temperature, and decrease the risk of injury.
A few minutes of each type of stretching is fine. Five to ten minutes of full-body dynamic stretching as a warm-up before your workout is a great place to start. At the end of your workout, you can choose just a few tight muscles to work on with static stretches—hip flexors, hamstrings, and glutes are common tight spots."
Photo: courtesy of Nike2/4Why You Should Stretch
"Stretching properly ensures that your body has the full appropriate range of motion at each joint," explains Jessi Kneeland, personal trainer at Peak Performance in NYC. "Having tight muscles leads to a decreased range of motion at the joints, which sets you up for injuries. Stretching has also been shown to relieve stress, improve circulation, and just feel good!
Nothing will happen initially if you don't stretch, but over time if you're not stretching you have an increased chance of getting injured—especially for those who are doing things that are bad for their posture and mobility. Sitting for a long time or allowing your shoulders to drop forward will reinforce bad movement patterns in your body. Tight muscles will just keep getting tighter, which can lead to them pulling certain joints, tendons, and ligaments out of alignment. When you go to use those muscles after not stretching them, whether in a sport, the gym or just goofing around, the body is out of alignment and at a higher risk of injury."
Photo: courtesy of Rei3/4Tools for Stretching
"You can think of a rubber band with a knot tied in it—regardless of how much you stretch that rubber band, the knot isn't going to come out and will actually tighten! Stretching your muscles when they've formed these "knots" is like that. A foam roller and The Stick both work to release some of the knots that form in your soft tissue. Sometimes, you need to address the knots before you can get the stretch that you need. Foam rolling and using The Stick—a flexible plastic bar used for massaging muscles—brings you some of the muscle-tension relieving benefits of getting a deep tissue massage, only in a convenient and cheap form that you can do before or after any workout! I always recommend foam rolling before you start your dynamic stretches, so that you can get the most out of both.
Photo: courtesy of Hugger Mugger4/4Tools for Stretching
"Straps or bands are often used when you need a little help holding a static stretch. A good example is the lying hamstring stretch. If you lie on your back and lift your leg up until you feel a stretch in the hamstrings, you may need a band or strap to help you hold your leg properly while you focus on breathing and relaxing. They can also be used to enhance a stretch using AIS (active-isolated stretching), which is a technique in which you contract the antagonist (opposite) muscles in an effort to get the stretched muscle to relax. In the laying hamstring example, you would press your foot into the band and contract your quad, which would automatically cause your hamstring to relax and stretch a little further."
