Fitness Stretching

Fitness Stretching

A stretching routine can be an interesting exercise for the body for both athletes and sedentary people. That’s right, start or end your day with gentle stretching and joint warm-up exercises promotes health and it is especially beneficial to avoid the appearance of pain related to inactivity or spending long hours in the same posture sitting in front of a computer screen.

For athletes it is also essential to acquire good stretching habits with in order to avoid injury. However, in these cases, in addition to executing the exercises well, you have to choose the right time. The latest studies seem to show that stretching before playing sports can be counterproductive since cold stretching before training creates small injuries causing the muscle to lose tension to make the subsequent contraction.

According to a study conducted on athletes who stretched before training, all decreased their performance significantly regardless of their age, gender or level. The estimate is that the strength of the stretched muscles decreased by just over 5% and the explosive strength by about 3%.

Stretching does not involve only the muscles but the entire structures together with the muscles stresses the joints, fasciae and nerves. That’s why it’s so important to execute them thoroughly paying attention to the movements that must be performed slowly and smoothly accompanied by deep breaths, without rebounding and without pain, although with tension, holding the posture for 15 to 30 seconds.

Types of stretching

In addition, there are different types of stretches from which to choose the most suitable for each person and for their physical needs. The best known is the static, which consists of stretching at rest and holding the posture for a few seconds and its dynamic variation that includes impulse without exceeding the limits of comfort. To these must be added the stretching isometric in which the muscles make force against the stretch, the active one, which is another type of static stretching consisting of stretching using the antagonist muscle without external assistance, and the passive one, in which there is an external force on the limb to be stretched.

Complete the list the ballistic, which is like the dynamic one, although the muscular limits are forced by rebounding and PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) which is a combination of static and isometric.

Benefits

  • Decrease pain
  • Improve posture
  • Promotes elongation
  • Increase muscle temperature
  • They improve joint range of motion
  • Improve athletic performance
  • It favors the return to calm

Contraindicados …

  • When there is an unconsolidated bone fracture
  • If there is joint inflammation
  • During infectious processes
  • If there is pain when performing them in the joints or muscles
  • In cases of hyperlaxity
  • If there is trauma or bruising
  • If there are symptoms of osteoporosis
  • After muscle strains

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