There are numerous reasons to stretch before, after, or even during a workout session. Stretching is essentially movements that lengthen your muscles— together with your tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue. It helps increase your flexibility which is an important factor of fitness. Also, it helps improve your posture, reduce the risk of muscle injury, and ease body muscle fatigue.
Pre-workout stretches improve your muscles’ range of motion and enhances your ability to twist, bend, and complete certain movements during your exercise. It is recommended to do either active stretching or dynamic stretching before you begin working out.
Post-workout stretches (like static stretching) allow our bodies to cool down gradually, after an intense exercise session. Post-workout stretches increase your range of motion and are particularly important in reducing the degree of pain felt in the muscles after an exercise.
Stretching can increase your body’s ability to look after itself. Performing dynamic stretches in mid-training may boost muscle gain, which makes it great to alternate with your strength training routine.
In this blog post, we aim to highlight 15 reasons to stretch before, during, and after exercise. You are sure to find a good reason to go ahead and get stretching!
5 Different Reasons to Stretch Before Exercise
When you start your workout with a good stretch, it opens up and prepares your body for the coming physical activity. It also increases your range of motion and boosts your performance. Listed below are 5 reasons to stretch before exercise. They include;
- Prevents and Lessens Risk of Muscle Injury
When you go straight into working out without warming up, you push your body too soon. This can cause your muscles to become tense and susceptible to injury. Stretching is a great way to make sure this doesn’t happen.You reduce the risk of tearing muscle fibers and tissues when you extend your muscles through stretching.
- Assists Oxygen Flow in the Body
Insufficient oxygen flow can impede your performance and cause serious injuries such as tension, pains, and aches. Stretching encourages the flow of oxygen through your bloodstream to the rest of the body. This helps in alleviating pain, reducing injury, and enhancing your movement as well as performance.
- Better Flexibility and Range of Motion
Stretching leads to enhanced flexibility which helps prevent injuries. When you stretch before exercise, it helps you perform your workout routines with more ease.When muscles are not stretched out, they limit your range of motion. Stretching your muscles consistently will eventually allow you to stretch them to their full capacity.
- Improves Concentration Levels
As blood circulates to the muscles, you will feel a rise in your energy levels. The blood also flows through to the brain to enhance concentration levels, which may help motivate you to begin a workout.
- It Can Help Boost Performance
Stretching before exercise will improve your performance in any exercise you plan to do, be it cardio or strength training. You’ll feel more able to power through and endure long exercise sessions and less likely to experience fatigue.
Why Stretching During Exercise Is Just As Important
You should take stretching breaks during your exercise session, as this will help your relieve fatigue in your muscles.
When you work one portion of the body to burn out, try to take some time to stretch those portions of your body that have been engaged during your training, before moving on to another area of the body or workout routine.
- Better Coordination When Working Out
Stretching the muscle during your training is a way relieve your muscle from soreness and burnout, that way you feel more coordinated. This coordination is particularly beneficial for strength training, to keep your movements safe throughout the course of your workout.
- Provides a Boost in Energy Levels
Taking an extra minute or two to stretch mid-workout is important. It is common to experience endorphin rush and a boost in your energy levels, after stretching. Just like you will stretch before your workout to deliver oxygen and promote blood flow, it’s vital to do this mid-workout as well.
- Heightens Your Body Awareness
Taking a moment to stretch gives you time to observe your body, like your heart rate and areas of your body that feel fatigued. You can call it a stop-stretch-assess type of scenario, to help prevent injury.It’ll help you gauge your energy and fatigue levels to assess whether to give your body a rest
- Eliminates Lactic Acid Build Up
Stretching helps to eliminate lactic acid build up from the system,caused by intense strength training or high intensity interval training sessions. Stretching relaxes the muscles and helps to dissolve lactic acid buildup, which can hinder your performance during your workout sessions.
- Helps Enhances Body Movement
When you perform certain exercises, like strength training exercises, it constricts your muscle, so it is best to stretch before starting a new exercise. As you stretch, your body will have more range of motion. By elongating the muscles and reducing tight areas in the connective tissue, you perform your exercise with a better form.
More Reasons to Stretch After Your Exercise
Static stretches after your exercise helps to slow down the body gradually. It helps tense muscles return to a more relaxed condition. Also, it increases flexibility, reduces the risk of sore and stiff muscles as well as muscle injury post-workout.
- Ideal for Cooling Down Post-workout
Post-workout stretches are great for cooling down and gradually getting your heart back to a resting rate. Also, it improves circulation and offers your body and mind a sense of relaxation after your workout.
- Promotes Better Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for good health. Sleep plays a vital role in immune function and metabolism. Stretching can enhance the quality of your sleep by decreasing mental stimulation. When you’re holding a pose or stretching with mindful breathing, we go from sensory overload to a sense of calm and ease that begins to run throughout the body. This can promote feelings of relaxation and help you enjoy a good night’s rest.
- Increases Blood Flow
Having good blood circulation means an increase in both blood supply and oxygen to not just your muscles and joints, but throughout the entire body. This allows for better nutrient transportation throughout your body, as well as help the body regain its normal heart rate. Improved blood circulation is a crucial part in the recovery and repair phase of your body after a workout as it aids in the relief of any post-exercise aches and pains.
- Aids Muscle Recovery and Repair
The enhanced blood flow that follows after stretching, permits the muscles to relax and receive the oxygen needed to begin the recovery phase. This is particularly important if you’re recovering from a sports injury.
- Reduces Muscle Soreness and Protects Joints
After workout, your body and muscles tend to feel sore. Our joints are surrounded by connective tissue and have muscles attachments. By stretching, you effectively reduce the tension in your muscles work and this in turn relieves muscle soreness. This also, reduces pressure on your joints and allows them to move more freely.
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