You already know that stretching is necessary. It improves flexibility and mobility (one of many key elements of health) and reduces the danger of harm. And should you don’t stretch, the muscle groups can shorten and change into tight, which may restrict your vary of movement and put you in danger for joint ache or a pulled muscle.
However stretching is barely helpful if it’s finished appropriately. There are just a few frequent stretching errors that may result in the precise reverse of what you’re searching for, reminiscent of harm and inflexibility. Listed below are eight pitfalls to keep away from so you’ll be able to enhance your flexibility and your exercises.
1. You’re Doing the Incorrect Kind of Stretching
There are two most important sorts of stretching: static and dynamic. Static stretching is what you in all probability keep in mind from fitness center class: steadily stretching a muscle and holding a pose for about 30 seconds. Whereas this can be a nice option to calm down from a exercise or improve common flexibility, analysis means that static stretching earlier than a power exercise may very well trigger a lower in efficiency.
“Throughout a warm-up, you need to do dynamic stretching, which boosts muscle activation and prepares muscle groups to be highly effective by way of a full vary of movement,” says Trevor Thieme, CSCS. Dynamic stretches embrace lunges, trunk rotations, leg swings, and leaping rope.
For the post-exercise “cool-down” interval, you’ll be able to give attention to static stretching to loosen up the muscle groups and launch pressure. “Each sorts of stretching will help improve mobility,” Thieme says. “However one excites muscle groups whereas the opposite calms them down.”
2. You’re Bouncing Whereas Stretching
Utilizing momentum from bouncing to drive a muscle to stretch previous its regular vary (a.ok.a. ballistic stretching) could really feel prefer it’s serving to you improve your vary of movement. However as a substitute of loosening the muscle, the sort of speedy stretching motion can really trigger the muscle groups to tighten — a contraction often known as the myotatic reflex or “stretch reflex.” This will result in accidents like muscle or tendon tears, Thieme says.
3. You’re Stretching Injured Muscle groups
Stretching injured muscle groups is “a giant no-no,” Thieme warns. Muscle strains sometimes occur when a muscle is stretched past its restrict, so stretching it additional can worsen the harm. As an alternative, use the POLICE protocol (safety, optimum loading, ice, compression, and elevation) to assist the muscle heal.
4. You’re Overstretching
Whereas some discomfort is to be anticipated, you need to by no means be in ache whereas stretching. “Overstretching can lead to muscle strains or extreme neural pressure [stretching of the nerves],” says Lindsay Sudell, MOT, OTR/L, CFSS-3, CPT of Merely Stretch LA.
Overstretching can even result in hypermobility, “which is when a joint is simply too free and thus unstable,” Thieme says. Know your limits once you’re stretching, and don’t drive your self to transcend them.
5. You’re Not Stretching Constantly
It’s going to take quite a lot of sporadic stretching classes to attain the pliability of a gymnast. Ideally, your stretching classes must be reasonable and frequent moderately than intense and occasional.
“As a way to obtain bodily, everlasting change, stretching have to be constant for six to eight weeks,” says Sudell.
6. You’re Rushing By means of Your Stretches
“Individuals typically don’t stretch for the suitable length of time,” explains Sudell. She recommends aiming for 30 seconds or much less for pre-exercise stretches. For post-workout static stretching, purpose to carry every stretch for at the very least 60 seconds.
7. You’re Not Doing Sport-Particular Stretches
Sport-specific stretches “might be something focused towards actions {that a} specific athlete wants,” Sudell says. For instance, she says, golfers could give attention to stretches that enhance their spinal rotation and hip mobility, to allow them to hit the ball with maximal energy. Sprinters can heat up with dynamic stretches that simulate operating and explosive actions, like strolling lunges, butt kicks, and excessive knees.
Analysis additionally exhibits that static stretches are higher fitted to athletes who want flexibility (like gymnasts or dancers), whereas dynamic stretches are particularly helpful for individuals who have to run or leap (like basketball gamers or runners).
8. You’re Ignoring Your Respiratory
Deep, diaphragmatic respiratory “will help loosen up tense muscle groups, and when paired with stretching, can permit for an excellent deeper stretch with out growing the danger of harm,” Thieme says.
As well as, respiratory enhances the therapeutic impact of stretching, Sudell says. Analysis exhibits that diaphragmatic respiratory can assist the physique get well after an intense exercise. The correct option to breathe throughout a stretch is to slowly inhale by way of the nostril, maintain for a second, then launch the breath by way of both the mouth or nostril, holding the diaphragm and stomach tender and relaxed.