Stretching is the most common way of exercising. It helps to strengthen the muscles and increase flexibility. It also reduces the risk of injury and promotes wellness and overall body health.
It makes the body flexible and hence helps in easy body movement. Proper techniques of stretching can improve motion in your joints, increase blood flow, and decrease the stiffness of the body. It also helps in increasing the overall performance of the player in the sport and reduces the risk of muscle tear, soreness, sprain, and strains.
It also helps in improving body posture, healing back pains, performance in physical activities, and calm your mind.
There are several types of stretching techniques, namely: Dynamic, Static, Ballistic, PNF, Passive, active stretching. When stretching, focus on major areas of the body that help in mobility such as knees, calf muscles, elbow joints, shoulders, neck, lower back hamstring, etc. One should not overdo stretching, or it may lead to injuries.
After a hard workout, stretching helps your muscles to loosen and lessens the shortening and tightening effect that can lead to post-workout aches and pains. Even if you are feeling sleepy or low at school or your workplace, its time to do stretching, it calms your mind and your body, making you feel fresh and relieved. It also boosts your energy level, which can help you work more efficiently.
Stretching should be done by everyone, irrespective of the person playing sports or not. On a normal basis, one should stretch 2-3 times a week at least.
“A lot of people don’t understand that stretching has to happen on a regular basis. It should be daily,” says David Nolan, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Before stretching, it is essential to warm-up first. It helps to increase the heart rate, blood, and oxygen flow in the body. Usually, 5-10 mins of warm-up is enough. Stretching once in a while won’t give you a perfectly flexible body. It happens gradually over time. It takes weeks to months to obtain flexibility, and you have to maintain it further.
A hamstring stretch will help to keep the muscles of your thigh flexible. Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Hold legs with your hands down your legs until you feel a burning sensation. Hold for 30 seconds, then slowly return to a sitting position.
Regular stretching keeps muscles long, lean, and flexible. Stretching should be pain-free; you should feel the tension, but it should not pain. If you feel the pain, there must be an injury or damage, so you should consult a doctor.
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