Its one of those things. Its invaluable but it often time consuming, and sometimes we just tend to forget about.We look at the importance of stretching can have on your body and the benefits which it can bring to your workouts.
It is a common understand by stretching it can help bring greater flexibility to muscles and allows for a greater motion around joints[1]. Without incorporating this, your muscles will start to become tighter and will potentially lead to issues with muscle and join pain [1].
Scientifically, by performing stretches it will allow for increased blood flow, by this it will increase circulation [2]. From there it will mean the recovery time will be sorter and this enables greater ability of what you want to achieve because your body will be able to handle more [2].
Furthermore, There are a number of different ways which stretching can be achieved. Whether it be through a warm up or call down. By completing it through the warm up, as stated as before, it will increase blood flow, therefore leading the increase oxygen to the muscles that are needed [3]. This allows your body to anticipate the vigorous exercise its about to engage in and therefore allows to warm up [3]. This in turn will reduce injury and allow for an optimal performance to be achieved [3].
Moreover, stretching has indicated that it can assist with improved posture, flexibility and coordination [4]. Therefore this can lead to a much better lifestyle in terms of day to day living [4]. It has been shown that with stretching, it should indicate that though flexibility can be different in different areas, symmetry is important to ensure equal flexibility and therefore movement[5].
One final mention is that don’t stretch with the intention of it being painful. You should feel tension but it shouldn’t hurt [5]. By doing this you will enable yourself to relieve the pain but at the same time not cause any injury which may hinder performance [5].
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*Based on previously written blogs* *Please speak to a specialist or professional for guidance in completing the correct stretching*
[1]Harvard Health Publishing, 2019. The importance of stretching. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching
[2] Lindberg, S., 2018. Stretching: 9 Benefits, Plus Safety Tips and How to Start. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-stretching
[3] Thacker, S.B., Gilchrist, J., Stroup, D.F. and Kimsey Jr, C.D., 2004. The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(3), pp.371-378.
[4] ActiveLife Physiotherapy, 2019. The importance of stretching. Retrieved from http://activelifephysio.com.au/view/lib/the-importance-of-stretching/237
[5] Mayo Clinic Staff, 2017. Stretching: Focus on flexibility. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/stretching/art-20047931
