5 Tips on How to Stretch Correctly

Everybody who’s ever been involved in sport or strenuous exercise can tell you how vital it is to stretch at the beginning and end of any period of extended activity. Stretching the muscles encourages blood flow around the limbs and torso, allowing for an increased level of flexibility and much less risk of strain or other type of injury. Warming up allows athletes to attain the best possible state of readiness before a competition or training session, and can also help focus the mind on the exertion to come.

The most important thing to remember while stretching is that it is important to stretch and prepare every muscle group, not just the ones you plan to use. Runners, for example, do not just stretch their legs, they will stretch their arms, necks, back, abs and pectoral muscles in preparation for a race. Start either from the top or the bottom, preferably sticking to a set routine each time you stretch to warm up, and then reversing it to cool down.

Never overstretch. The point of stretching is not to see how far you can lunge forward, or how long you can hold your toes for. All you are doing is relaxing and lightly--exercising the muscles, not trying to prove anything. Never risk an injury during warm-up or warm-down, as that will completely defeat the object of doing the exercise in the first place!

When stretching, ensure you take deep, steady breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. Regulated breathing has been shown to have a positive effect on an athletes’ performance, and it also allows the athlete to maintain a calm, focused state of mind.

If stretching after exercise, try taking a hot bath beforehand, and then stretching out. Immersion in hot water helps relax and tone the muscles, allowing them to rebuild and regenerate after exercise while still maintaining their pliability. An all-body stretching regimen after a hot bath can improve flexibility and muscle tone, as well as providing ample opportunity to get clean.

Finally, take your stretches nice and slow. Never rush through a stretching routine – it should last for a minimum of fifteen minutes before any period of exercise. A few quick hamstring extensions and a thirty-second run on the spot is not enough to warm the muscles up properly. Shirking on your warm-up is a major cause of injury, and even the most accident-prone athlete can help his chances of avoiding serious damage with a good warmup.

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