Stretching

I would guess there are a lot of you who do not stretch at all, or if you do, you stretch the muscle you’re going to work for 5 seconds at most. What you must realize is that stretching helps muscles recover, increases muscle elasticity and decreases the chance of injury.

Stretching is crucial for every sport or fitness activity, and too many people neglect this part of their workout. Stretching will not only increase your flexibility and minimize your chances of pulling or tearing muscles, but it will also improve your performance. A flexible muscle reacts and contracts faster, and with more force, than a non-flexible muscle. Flexibility also increases your agility and balance.

 

Stretching exercises should be performed after a short warm-up, between weightlifting sets, and/or during your cool-down. As an added benefit, stretching is an excellent relaxation technique. Use your stretching time to focus on your sport or workout, visualizing success. Make sure you leave plenty of time to stretch after your workout. Do a number of stretches for the body parts you just worked, and hold each stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds.

Do not neglect this important aspect of fitness. It may be the most crucial to your success!