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Stretching is something that is not only limited to the sports world, that is, not only do people who do sports have to stretch on a regular basis, but it is recommended for all people in order to maintain good mobility and avoid postural pain. In fact, it is recommended to give little walks and stretching to people who spend many hours sitting in front of the computer during working hours.
Among the different types of Stretching, highlight the dynamic stretching for its great popularity. They consist of stretching through impulses but without exceeding the limits of static stretching and without rebounding or ballistic movements. With them it is possible to activate the muscles and increase the body blood flow so they are recommended before doing a sporting activity.
They are based on jumps and swings in which the antagonistic muscles thanks to the repetitive contractions of the agonist muscles. Focused on actively moving joints and muscles with repetitions ranging between 10 and 12, movements must be careful and controlled.
Their popularity is also due to the fact that with them the desired flexibility for each sport is achieved and no more so that the power of the athlete is not affected, favoring preparation for competition. However, the studies that have been carried out in this regard seem to show that to be really effective, the dynamic stretching They must be of long duration, which means dedicating between six and twelve minutes in each session and completing them with an adequate previous warm-up.
Thus, while static stretching does not improve muscle performance, but tolerance to discomfort caused by the stretching, the dynamics do not keep the muscles weak but increase the strength and the muscular flexibility since active muscular efforts and fast movements are made. The general recommendation is to perform dynamic stretching before sports activity and static stretching afterwards.
Benefits
- Prepare the muscles for sports activity.
- Increases blood flow.
- Increase and improve range of motion.
- Oxygenates the tissues.
- Prevents sports injuries.
- Improves muscle flexibility.
- Collaborate in the improvement of sports performance.
Precautions
- Exceeding the limits of the muscles can cause injury.
- It requires a previous warm-up to avoid injuries.
- It is important to accompany them with joint mobility exercises.