Stretching is a great way to get rid of stress, loosen up your body, prepare for a workout, and get your body working at its best. However, you do need to adhere to certain rules and guidelines, or you may injure yourself.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your stretching exercises:
• Warm-Up: A common misconception is that warming up is the same thing as stretching. Stretching involves lengthening your muscles, while warming up is about elevating your core body temperature. By always warming up, your muscles become warmer and have an easier time stretching and lengthening themselves. Jumping jacks, jumping rope, swimming laps, and jumping in place are all great warm-up techniques.
• Go Slowly: Hold each stretch for 30 seconds. Stay focused on the stretch, don't let your mind wander. You may need to use a clock the first few times you stretch, but after a while your body will tell you and you will instinctively know when 30 seconds are up.
• Don't Bounce: Bouncing can actually cause damage to your muscle, and is a sure fire way to get injured. When you cause a muscle to stretch or contract forcefully, the stretch reflex kicks in - which is a nervous response that tells the muscle to protect itself. Also, every time you bounce you damage your muscle by creating microscopic tears in the muscle fibers.
• Progress Through The Stretch: Every stretch has 3 stages. The Comfort Zone comes first, which is during the initial 10 to 15 seconds. In this zone you find the most comfortable position for you. Next comes the Relaxation Zone, which is 5 to 15 seconds long. In this zone you let stress and tension melt away by focusing on your breathing and relaxation. Last is the Deep Stretch Zone, where you know that you're in the right position because the tension is in the place you want it to be. Remember that you want to feel slight discomfort, not pain!
• Remember To Breathe: It may sound silly, but during a particularly hard stretch you might focus so hard that you forget to breathe and simply hold your breath instead. In order to stretch a muscle fully you need to practice slow, rhythmic breathing.
• Know Your Limits: Stretching is not supposed to be painful. If you feel any kind of pain, let up on the stretch immediately.
Srdjan has been a communications specialist for almost 3 years. In his spare time, he enjoys programming, playing basketball, and helping others secure their homes and families with information on his weatherproof security camera [http://www.weatherproofsecuritycamera.org] blog.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Srdjan_S_Kokotovic
No comments:
Post a Comment