To keep the muscles strong, flexible, and healthy, stretching is the way to go. And we need flexibility to maintain a range of motions in the joints.
Our muscles become tight and they actually shorten without flexibility. If you've noticed that you're unable to extend all the way when you call on the muscles for activity, that is a clear sign of the absence of flexibility, which will result in strains, joint pain, and eventually, muscle damage.
But it's worth noting that you can overstretch your muscles as well. You need to consider certain factors while stretching to prevent hurting yourself. Here's what you could be doing wrong:
Static stretching
Standing in one place while stretching is pretty useless since you are working on very limited muscles. While static stretching can relieve fatigue and stress, it fails to prepare you for a workout.
Failing to perform proper techniques
The stretches you pick depend on your fitness level and your chosen exercise. To stop injuries and other discomforts choose the best stretching exercises.
Stretching sore muscles
Injured muscles take time to fully recover. If you think stretching sore muscles will help in healing, you are wrong. Give time to heal the sore muscles before making those work harder.
Overstretching the muscles
When stretching it is natural to feel little strain and pressure on the muscles but you should not stretch beyond the point of comfort. Any pain should not be felt when stretching. If the stretch starts hurting you need to pause. Stretching imposes too much tension on the muscles, too. Stop exercising several times a day around the same muscles.
Failing to warm-up
We used to believe stretching was important to warm up and prepare the muscles for action. Mounting study, however, has shown that stretching the muscles before they get warmed could actually damage them.
The fibers are not prepared when it is cold and can be destroyed. You will get blood flow to the region if you exercise first, and this makes the tissue more pliable and subject to change. All it takes is five to 10 minutes of light exercise, like a fast stroll, to warm up the muscles before relaxing. You can also rest during a workout on aerobics or weight training.
Stay on a specific stretch for 30 seconds on a row. Don't bounce, which can be injurious. During a stretch, you'll feel discomfort but you shouldn't feel pain. If you do, the tissue will sustain injury or harm. Should that happen, seek medical help.
