The correct way to stretch Stretching exercise

Stretching, a movement we have been doing since we were kids in gym class, stretching is like a neighbor who lives next door to the apartment, seems to know a little, but not sure really well. What exactly is the correct stretching to do? And who needs stretching? The following article will answer you!

What is stretching?

Although stretching is called stretching, but the ligaments are not what we call "tendons", but the muscles themselves, as well as the fascia and tendons around the muscles. Stretching is actually a stretching exercise, through the specific angle of these movements, to help increase muscle extension and flexibility, can be used as a warm-up before strenuous exercise, exercise in the middle of the moderating exercise, itself is also a kind of moderating exercise. After the muscle extensibility increases, you can improve the mobility during exercise and avoid sports injuries. Even if there is no strenuous exercise habits of people, you can also stretch to achieve the effect of relaxing the muscles and consume a small amount of energy. Generally, if you lack exercise for a long time, the muscles will be very tight, stretching can help shorten the muscle to restore the original length, the appearance of a taller effect. In addition, stretching can also help to remove edema, so that the feet because of long-term standing caused by water accumulation, you can achieve the effect of thin legs. Since many of the stretches are not difficult and do not take long (it is generally recommended that the same action does not exceed 5 minutes), it is very suitable for people with busy lives to do, to help the body relax, but also to increase the amount of exercise.

The three main benefits of stretching

Overall, stretching has three main benefits.

Help relax and increase the quality of sleep.

Workers often sit in front of the computer for a long time, after work and nestled on the sofa, easy to have shoulder and neck fatigue, soreness and pain problems. Because of stress, the body is in a state of long-term tension, even when sleeping can not relax, indirectly causing many people's insomnia, or fall asleep, but the quality of sleep is poor. There are many ways to help muscle relaxation, massage is one of them, but a few simple stretching movements, you can also spend only a few minutes a day, you can achieve the same effect for free. Many books on stretching recommend spending an extra three minutes in bed stretching your arms and legs when you wake up, which can help you wake up and relieve the stress you will face in the next day.

To help slim down.

Weight loss stretching exercises are very popular these days, the content to stretch the back muscles near the spine, in the stretching muscle at the same time, can also stimulate the sympathetic nerve near the spine, improve the amount of basal metabolism, and reduce appetite. Stretching the back muscles is not difficult, upright or sitting can be done. Some people say that every day before three meals to do a minute, two or three months to see the effect. However, the success of the slimming body, directly affected by the calorie intake and consumption of more or less. Therefore, although stretching is helpful for slimming, can consume a limited number of calories, it is recommended that you need to match the diet control and moderate exercise, in order to see the obvious weight loss effect.

Reduce the risk of sports injuries.

Regardless of whether the exercise to be done is intense, warming up is very important action that can avoid sudden muscle pulling during exercise, causing muscle or ligament damage and reducing the effect of exercise. It is recommended to spend 5-10 minutes before exercise to do a good job of stretching the main muscles of the body to protect the body, but also to make the exercise better.

Why stretching is important for exercise

Some people may ask, the long-term exercise of people with increased muscle strength, is not the need for stretching? Stretching increases muscle flexibility, and muscle strength is not the same. Many long-term sports and weight training people, although the muscle strength and endurance increased, but because of the lack of stretching action, muscle flexibility instead of reducing, resulting in physical incoordination during exercise. All professional athletes' protectors know that stretching is almost an even more important part of sports training than the sports themselves. Do stretching well to achieve better performance on real sports. Not only athletes, in order to the whole body muscle health, and to maintain the body's mobility, from children to the elderly, a little stretching exercise every day properly, for health is very helpful.

Stretching methods and teaching

According to the different movements and ways of stretching, stretching can be divided into four types: static stretching, equipment-assisted, convulsive stretching, and proprioceptive facilitation (PNF). Static stretching is the more common simple muscle stretching action. Equipment-assisted movements range from walls, stretching plates, to professional exercise equipment, all included in equipment-assisted stretching. Twitchy stretching is usually done by professional athletes and dancers due to the high level of activity and risk of strain. The proprioceptive promotion method accelerates the communication between nerves and muscles by stimulating the proprioceptive apparatus and gradually increases the elasticity of muscles, which is usually done by professional athletes with the assistance of coaches. For the general public, static stretching and equipment-assisted stretching are more practical. Even if it is only the simplest two categories, the stretching action is very much, for the waist, neck and back, arms, legs, lower limbs, shoulders and chest and other different muscles, stretching posture is also different. The following are three of the most basic ways to get started with stretching.

1. Stair lunge.

Use one or two steps of the height difference between the stairs, the two feet in a lunge to stretch out, thereby stretching the gluteus maximus and the back of the thigh muscles, after 15 seconds to change feet, so alternately continue to do 5 minutes.

2. Chair foot lift.

Sitting on a chair that does not slide, the upper body straight, and then lift the ankle until the calf belly has a sore and numb feeling, which helps stretch the Achilles tendon and strengthen the calf muscles.

3. Stretch against the wall.

The back of the body to the wall, pressed back, from the back of the head, hips to heels are close to the wall, and then raise the hands up, feeling like trying to touch the ceiling. This action can help stretch the hands and back muscles.

Timing of stretching

There are many times to stretch, and some simple movements can even be done in between work or when you first wake up in the morning. Generally speaking, there are four common times to stretch.

1. Before exercise.

Stretching before exercise is a natural concept, but recent studies have also shown that static stretching can set back athletic performance. It is recommended that dynamic stretching, such as jerky stretching, so that sports performance is not compromised.

2. In strenuous exercise or weight training.

In the midst of strenuous exercise, you can properly intersperse some stretching action, can ease muscle tension, reduce fatigue, so that the second half of the exercise better.

3. When you get up.

Just got up, still in bed when you are in bed, do some stretching exercises is a good way to wake up. Lie flat on your back in bed, extend your arms and legs outward slowly, feel your leg and hand muscles slowly tense up, and then relax. Repeat back and forth a few times to make you more relaxed for the start of the day.

4. Before three meals.

Spend 1 minute before three meals to do simple hand and back stretches, which have the effect of stimulating sympathetic nerves, suppressing appetite and avoiding eating near too many calories.

Stretching precautions

Although there are hundreds of stretching movements, but the following stretching principles are common to do stretching movements need special attention.

1. Not to be painful to have pulled in place.

It is a common myth that "only if you feel pain can you stretch", but usually if you feel pain, it means that the muscle or ligament has been torn. Stretching when you feel a tightening of the muscles, you have the effect of stretching.

2. No more than 10 minutes of static stretching per part.

Although stretching is only a kind of and gentle exercise, stretching posture to maintain too long, or can cause sports injuries. Exercise experts recommend that each part of the static stretching action should not continue to do more than 10 minutes. 5 minutes or so is the best length of time.

3. Repeat short repetitions daily for best results.

Stretching is a long-term training action, even if you only do 3 minutes a day, repeat every day, but also better than a long time stretching once, the muscle relaxation effect can only be maintained.