Stretching is the floss of the exercise world: you know you should do it, but how easy is it to skip it? Stretching after a workout is particularly easy to ease-you have already invested time in the exercise, so it is easier to give up when the exercise is complete.
However, whether you are running, strength training or doing HIIT, some post-workout stretching after your daily activities will bring some tangible benefits. Here is everything you need to know about why you should stretch after a workout, which stretch to choose, and how to do it most effectively.
Jennifer Morgan, a sports physiotherapist at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, PT, DPT, CSCS, said: "One of the benefits of stretching after exercise is that you can improve your mobility after working out your muscles. ", Tell yourself. "Stretching exercises can increase blood flow, increase oxygen levels, and help provide nutrients to your body and muscles, and help remove metabolic waste to help the recovery process."
Stretching as a warm-up exercise should focus on dynamic movements, or those that involve movement-like roundworms, rather than simply touching your toes. Morgan said that dynamic stretching exercises are also helpful in the cooling-off period after exercise, because they can exercise multiple joints and muscles at the same time, which can bring you greater benefits.
However, static stretching also plays a role in your calmness because it can bring mobility benefits, says Marcia Darbouze, PT, DPT, owner of Just Move Therapy in Florida and co-host of the Disabled Girls Who Lift podcast . Darbouze said that according to a review on stretching types published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, static stretching can increase your range of motion, and since your muscles are already warm after exercise, it is easier to get good Of stretching.
No matter which exercise you choose, post-workout stretching is important: You want to bring more blood flow to the muscles you just worked out to help recover and prevent stiffness, Morgan said.
Consider which muscles you use during your exercise can help guide your post-workout stretching process. Suppose you just ran away. Morgan said that it is important to exercise the hamstrings (such as the hamstrings), quadriceps and hip flexors (rotating lunges attacking the last two). Darbouze said, you also need to make sure to stretch your big toe and calf.
Yes, when doing weight training, you definitely need to stretch after the workout, Darbouze said: "Strength athletes tend to be very stiff."
After lifting weights for the lower body, you will want to exercise the same lower body muscles: hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, and calves. Darbouze said that if you notice any imbalance during exercise—for example, it’s difficult for you to squat low enough on the right side—you need to pay special attention to the area that is causing you problems.
Darbouze said that for upper body weight training, it is important to stretch the wrists, pectoral muscles (chest muscles), latissimus dorsi (back muscles) and trapezius muscles (the muscles that extend from the upper back to the neck to the shoulders). .
Stretching your trapezius is very important for strength training people, because they often skip the lower or middle part of the trapezius. She said: "This may cause the upper trapezius muscles to become too tight, and will only cause our body to lose balance." (A simple trap stretch involves placing your ears on your shoulders.)
However, one important note is that although focusing on areas that feel tight can help guide calmness after exercise, in fact tightness may not be the underlying problem.
"If a muscle overcompensates, it is considered tight because it lacks the power to do something," Morgan said. For example, no matter how much you stretch, the hip flexors feel "tight," which may actually indicate a lack of core strength, she said. Therefore, you need to ensure that you add enough strengthening exercises to the actual exercise, rather than just trying to stretch the muscles afterwards.
Morgan said that ideally, your post-workout stretching should last about the same time as your warm-up-5 to 10 minutes.
But one important thing to remember is that Darbouze said that any form of post-workout stretching is better than nothing. "You don't have to roll on the ground for 20 minutes," she said. "Even if you only do one thing or spend 2 minutes doing it, it is one thing."
As for how long does it take to stretch each time? Darbouze said that if you are just starting, 30 seconds should be fine, and as you get used to it, it will take up to a minute or so.
You may feel some discomfort when you stretch, but you will never feel squeezing or severe pain. "When you stop stretching, you should stop feeling anything," Dabz said.
"I use a green-yellow-red light system with stretching," Morgan said. "Under the green light, you only feel the stretching, there is no pain, so you are happy to continue stretching. At the yellow light, you will feel some kind of discomfort in the range of 1 to 4 (discomfort scale), and you should proceed with caution— —You can move on, but you don’t want the situation to get worse. Any 5 or above is a red light for you to stop."
Although the best post-workout stretch you choose depends on the type of exercise you complete, Morgan's following stretch program is a reliable choice to try after a full body strength training program.
What you need: As long as your weight, there is also an exercise mat to make the movements more comfortable.
Direction: Each stretch is maintained for 30 seconds to 1 minute. For one-sided (one-sided) movements, do the same amount of time on each side.
Demonstrating these actions is Caitlyn Seitz (GIF 1 and 5), a group fitness coach and singer-songwriter in New York; Charlee Atkins (GIF 2 and 3), creator of CSCS, Le Sweat TV; and Teresa Hui (GIF 4) , A native of New York, ran more than 150 road races.
Starting on all fours, place your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Tighten your core and keep your back flat.
Place your left hand behind your head with your elbow pointing to the left. Put your hands gently on your hands-don't put pressure on your head or neck. This is the starting position.
Then, move in the opposite direction and rotate to the left and up so that your elbows point towards the ceiling. Hold for a few seconds.
Return to the starting position. Continue this action for 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then repeat on the other side.
When you start to roll to the right, use your left hand to push off the ground and bend your left knee to maintain balance. You should feel this in your right pectoral muscles. As your mobility increases, you will be able to stretch farther and roll your body farther.
Start standing with feet together. Take a big step forward with your left foot, putting you in a staggered position.
Bend your left knee, do a lunge, keep your right leg straight, and your toes on the ground, feeling a stretch in the front of your right thigh.
Place your right hand on the floor and twist your upper body to the left as you stretch your left arm to the ceiling.
Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides. Bend your waist, put your hands on the floor, and bend your knees.
Walk your hands forward and enter the high plank. Place your hands flat on the floor, your wrists under your shoulders, and your core, quadriceps and hips are joined. Pause for one second.
Sit on your heels (as much as you can) and fold forward, placing your abdomen on your thighs. Stretch your arms in front of you and place your forehead on the floor. In addition to the hips and buttocks, you will also feel this stretch of the shoulders and back.
Post time: Aug-23-2021