Stretch Your Body

STRETCH AFTER YOU WORKOUT

You are deadlifting 120kg, practising pull-ups, running a few miles, attending a spin class, but are you stretching before and after? One of the biggest gym mistakes is not stretching. Stretching is so important for a number of different reasons, so do not neglect it, no matter what fitness activity you have planned. The benefits of warming up include that the heart rate is gradually increased and the temperature increases to improve elasticity in the body. The likelihood of injury is also decreased, the build-up of lactic acid will be lessened, and the body is both mentally and physically prepared for movement, resulting in greater performance. Just like the warmup, the cool down is a vital component of an effective exercise session and has similar benefits. One of the most important being that it promotes recovery. Cooling the body brings the heart rate gradually back down, and after a high-intensity workout, reduces the chances of blood clots. The difference between a amateur fitness professional and great fitness professional, is that a great one will properly warm up and cool down clients at the start and end of a workout session, to reduce the chances of injury. Typically, there are three different types of stretching: dynamic, static and ballistic. Dynamic stretching is normally done before a workout begins in order to warm up and can be described as moving stretches which mimic the exercises which will be carried out in the exercise session. An example of dynamic stretching could be performing a backward lunge while sending the arms overhead. Dynamic stretching is often used in conjunction with doing some cardio to warm up before starting your workout, such as a light jog on the treadmill for five minutes. Static stretching can be divided into two subcategories: static maintenance and static developmental. The former is carried out after a workout to help cool the body down and involves holding a stretch for a period of about ten to fifteen seconds. The purpose of this is to return the muscles to their original lengths. A static stretch could be raising your elbow above

your head to stretch out the triceps muscles. Static developmental on the other hand, is used to improve flexibility, for example if you wanted to learn how to do the splits, you would hold a leg stretch for a longer period of forty-five seconds and above. This is usually repeat several times as well. Whereas static stretching focuses on lengthening the muscles gradually and slowly, ballistic stretching is more forceful, using bouncing movements in order to push the body to its limits. Many different disciplines use ballistic stretching to improve their range of motion, for instance, gymnasts, dancers, football players, martial artists and basketball players. A static stretch can therefore be turned into a ballistic one, by adding in bouncing movements, again with practising the splits, a bounce could be added which would help get deeper into the splits. However, ballistic stretching does come with a higher risk of becoming injured. Some people also have hypermobility, also known as being ‘double-jointed’, which means they are super flexible and may experience joint pain. It is imperative that you check with your healthcare professional before stretching if you think you have hypermobility because chances of injury are again heightened.