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The Importance of Stretching After a Workout

Why stretch? Stretching increases flexibility and range of motion around a joint, a key component of physical fitness that is often neglected. A greater degree of flexibility is believed to help prevent injury (and low back pain) and improve sports performance. We lose flexibility as we age, so practicing a regular program of stretching the major muscle groups can help prevent loss of flexibility and its associated negative impact on quality of life in our golden years. 

Stretching properly involves a slow, steady elongation of the muscles and tendons to the point of tightness—never pain—and holding the stretch for ten seconds or longer. (Never use bouncing or ballistic-type stretching, which can cause injury.) It is best to stretch muscles that have been warmed up internally from exercise as opposed to cold muscles. In fact, stretching cold muscles can actually increase risk of injury, as a cold muscle is more prone to strains! Think of a muscle as if it were a rubber band. If you stretch cold rubber, it snaps and breaks; however, if you warm the rubber first, it stretches more elastically and fluidly, like taffy. 

Stretching is different from “warming up.” A warm-up is what you do before you begin a bout of exercise and generally consists of a low-intensity version of the exercise you are planning on engaging in (such as a fast walk before a jog). A good warm-up consists of light cardio or other "movement prep" exercises that allow you to work up a light sweat and increase the internal temperature of your muscles before starting your workout. If a particular muscle group is particularly tight, you may wish to do some light stretching as part of your warm-up but you don't want to push too much as stretching can actually weaken muscles, diminishing your ability to get the most from your workout.

After your workout, when muscles have been contracting or shortening, stretch all of the muscles groups worked holding each stretch for 10 seconds or more - we usually recommend a 20-30 second hold, repeated if necesary.

Incorporate stretching into your daily routine and your joints will thank you for years to come!