When you watch professional or Olympic athletes on television, you see them stretching before their event, whether it's football, basketball, track and field, gymnastics or anything else. What you don't often see are weekend amateur athletes stretching before training.
“For any amateur or professional athlete, it’s important to stretch properly before and after strenuous exercise – even if you don’t call yourself an “athlete.”
Here are 10 points of what stretching can do for you :
1/ It increases the range of movement while reducing muscle stiffness. It slows down the breakdown of your joints as you age. Yes, we all get older.
2/ Reduces the risk of injury.
Flexible muscles are much less likely to be injured during sudden movements like jumping. By increasing the range of motion of muscle groups through stretching, you can reduce the strain placed on the muscles in your body during various activities.
3/ Helps relieve post-exercise pain.
After an intense workout, stretching the muscles helps relax them and reduce the shortening and tightening effect that causes post-exercise soreness.
4/ Improves posture.
Stretching the muscles in your legs, lower back, chest and shoulders helps align your back better and improve your posture.
5/ Helps reduce stress and manage it better.
Regularly stretching muscles relieves tension and reduces stress.
6/ Improves muscle relaxation and reduces muscle tension.
Continuously tense muscles prevent proper blood circulation to the muscles. This deprivation of oxygen and essential nutrients creates even tighter muscles. Stretching relaxes the muscles.
7/ Improves overall muscle functionality and mechanics.
Flexible joints require less energy to perform a greater range of motion. Better flexibility improves overall performance by creating more energy efficient movements.
8/ Prepare the body for the stress of exercise.
Relaxing the muscles when preparing for exercise improves your ability to withstand the impact of exercises such as running, tennis, soccer or even weight training.
9/ Increases blood circulation.
Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles and joints, which allows for better transport of nutrients and improves blood circulation throughout your body.
10/ Reduces the risk of low back pain.
Flexibility in the hamstrings, hip flexors and muscles attached to the pelvis takes pressure off the lumbar spine and all benefit from stretching. This, in turn, reduces the risk of lower back pain.