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Stretching serves a large number of purposes. As an athlete or avid exerciser, stretching is a something you should appreciate, learn to appreciate or at least try to appreciate. Stretching can do a lot for you – including helping to prevent injuries. After all, no avid athlete or exerciser wants to be sidelined with an injury that would have easily been prevented.

It is important to remember that static stretching should not be completed at the beginning of your workout when your muscles are cold. The best time to engage in static stretching is after a medium intensity five minute warm-up what may consist of jogging, jumping rope, jumping jacks or any movement that gets your blood flowing and increases your range of motion.  Research shows that static stretching before training can have a negative impact on power and performance. While the negative effects are minimal, it is important to remember that when you do decide to static stretch you are going to need to devote more than a few minutes to it.

Another type of stretching is dynamic stretching, which many trainers prefer before exercise opposed to static stretching. Dynamic stretching uses momentum and an exaggerated range of motion to help warm up your muscles for exercise. The goal of dynamic stretching is to warm up your tendons, muscles and ligaments that will be used during exercise.

Why You Should Stretch:

• Increased range of motion.
• Relief from muscle soreness due to the promotion of blood supply and oxygen to your muscles.
• Improved capacity for activity.
• Relief from muscle stiffness.
• Helps to prevent sprains, strains and muscle tears. Can also prevent re-injury at the site of previous joint or muscle trauma.
• Increased tissue temperature, which means increased metabolic rate.
• Reduced muscle tightness.
• Important during rehabilitation.
• Increased musculotendinous.

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