19 October 2021 in Training

Stretching – an essential part of every workout

Stretching is an effective method of improving mobility. If carried out on a regular basis, it brings many benefits for the body. It should be included after each training session, and even used spontaneously as a form of relaxation. See for yourselves that it only takes 10-15 minutes to feel its soothing effect on our body.

What is stretching?

These are exercises that involve relaxing and stretching all the muscles in our body. Most often, however, stretching is an integral part of the main training session, e.g. strength or endurance workouts. We can also distinguish two additional types:

dynamic – it appears at the beginning of a workout as a warm-up. Its purpose is to prepare muscles for work and increase their performance.
static – as a rule, it appears at the end of a workout and is aimed at reducing muscle tension, i.e. relaxing it.

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The advantages of stretching

As I already mentioned, regular stretching has a positive effect on the body as it becomes more shapely, but there are more advantages of doing it:

1. It prevents injuries – Properly planned stretching affects proper blood supply and maintains the optimal length of muscles, which in turn translates into a lower risk of damage to the body.

2. It accelerates muscle regeneration – after training, the muscles are tense, and stretching relaxes the muscle fibers and the fascia. This will contribute to faster regeneration and reducing the feeling of DOMS, i.e. delayed onset muscle soreness.

3. It improves range of motion – unfortunately, when the range of motion is too small, exercises are poorly performed, which can cause injuries. Regular stretching deepens the range of motion, thanks to which it increases the efficiency of the whole body.

4. It increases the mobility of joints – joint capsules produce more fluid, which inhibits the abrasion of bone surfaces. In addition, thanks to stretching, the muscles, as well as the fascia, tendons, and ligaments become more flexible.

5. It has a positive effect on posture – abnormal body shape causes excessive shortening and elongation of the muscles. Regular stretching, on the other hand, reduces overload and maintains correct body posture.

6. It calms and relaxes the body – during training, the heart pumps more blood and the veins in the muscles expand. Stretching gradually slows down the heart rate, relaxing the body and reducing everyday stress.

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Stretching training

Stretching can also be a training unit that should last around 40-50 minutes. Then you focus on relaxing, resting and regenerating your muscles. Remember that if you don’t spend the right amount of time on muscle regeneration, even the best training plan will not make you build condition or lose excess weight. You should do stretching training at least once a week. Perhaps Sunday morning is the perfect time? 🙂

You already know the benefits of this often overlooked training stage, and I hope you won’t doubt the fact that stretching is an essential and extremely helpful part of your training plan. It is definitely a good idea to include stretching in your daily schedule, and you will see that not only your muscles, but also your whole body and mind, will thank you for it.

Bibliography:

Raisin L. Stretching dla każdego. wyd. Hachette Warszawa 2012; 136-179.
„BokenomStretching” 2. Brad Appleton’s Stretching and Flexibility.
Tsatsouline P. Rozciąganie odprężone – gibkość od zaraz przez kontrolę napięcia mięśni. wyd. Aha! Łódź 2014; 36-179.