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How to Warm up and stretch for exercise
When done properly, stretching can do more than just increase flexibility. The
benefits of stretching include:
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Enhanced physical fitness.
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Enhanced ability to learn and perform
skilled movements.
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Increased mental and physical
relaxation.
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Enhanced development of body
awareness.
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Reduced risk of injury to joints,
muscles, and tendons.
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Reduced muscular soreness.
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Reduced muscular tension.
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Increased suppleness due to
stimulation of the production of chemicals, which lubricate connective tissues.
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Reduced severity of painful
menstruation ( dysmenorrhea ) in females
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Unfortunately, even those who stretch do not always stretch
properly and hence do not reap some or all of these benefits. Some of the most
common mistakes made when stretching are:
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Inadequate rest between workouts.
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Performing the wrong exercises.
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Performing exercises in the wrong (or
sub-optimal) sequence.
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| On this page, we will try to show you how to avoid these problems, and others, and present some of the most effective methods for realizing all the benefits of stretching. |
| Stretching is not warming up! It is, however, a very important part of warming up. Warming up is quite literally the process of "warming up" (i.e., raising your core body temperature). A proper warm-up should raise your body temperature by one or two degrees Celsius (1.4 to 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and is divided into three phases: |
It is very important that you perform the general warm-up before
you stretch. It is not a good idea to attempt to stretch before your muscles
are warm (something which the general warm-up accomplishes).
Warming up can do more than just loosen stiff muscles; when done properly, it
can actually improve performance. On the other hand, an improper warm-up, or no
warm-up at all, can greatly increase your risk of injury from engaging in
athletic activities.
It is important to note that active stretches and isometric stretches should not
be part of your warm-up because they are often counterproductive. The goals of
the warm-up are an increased awareness, improved coordination, improved
elasticity and contractibility of muscles, and a greater efficiency of the
respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Active stretches and isometric
stretches do not help achieve these goals because they are likely to cause the
stretched muscles to be too tired to properly perform the athletic activity for
which you are preparing your body.
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| The general warm-up is divided into
two parts:
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These two activities should be
performed in the order specified above.
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The general warm-up should begin with joint-rotations, starting
either from your toes and working your way up, or from your fingers and working
your way down. This facilitates joint motion by lubricating the entire joint
with synovial fluid. Such lubrication permits your joints to function more
easily when called upon to participate in your athletic activity. You should
perform slow circular movements, both clockwise and counter-clockwise, until
the joint seems to move smoothly. You should rotate the following (in the order
given, or in the reverse order):
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After you have performed the joint rotations, you should engage
in at least five minutes of aerobic activity such as jogging, jumping rope, or
any other activity that will cause a similar increase in your cardiovascular
output (i.e., get your blood pumping). The purpose of this is to raise your
core body temperature and get your blood flowing. Increased blood flow in the
muscles improves muscle performance and flexibility and reduces the likelihood
of injury.
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| The stretching phase of your warm-up
should consist of two parts:
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It is important that static stretches be performed before any dynamic stretches
in your warm-up. Dynamic stretching can often result in overstretching, which
damages the muscles. Performing static stretches first will help reduce this
risk of injury.
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| Once the general warm-up has been
completed, the muscles are warmer and more elastic. Immediately following your
general warm-up, you should engage in some slow, relaxed, static stretching
(see page on Stretching techniques). You should start with your back, followed
by your upper body and lower body, stretching your muscles in the following
order:
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Sides (external obliques)
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Thighs (quadriceps and abductors)
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Some good static stretches for these various muscles may be found in most books
about stretching. (See Houghton's books for more details) Unfortunately, not
everyone has the time to stretch all these muscles before a workout. If you are
one such person, you should at least take the time to stretch all the muscles
that will be heavily used during your workout.
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Once you have performed your static stretches, you should engage
in some light dynamic stretching: leg-raises, and arm-swings in all directions
(see page on Stretching techniques). You should do as many sets as it takes to
reach your maximum range of motion in any given direction, but do not work your
muscles to the point of fatigue. Remember -- this is just a warm-up, the real
workout comes later.
Some people are surprised to find that dynamic stretching has a place in the
warm-up. But think about it: you are "warming up"
for a workout that is (usually) going to involve a lot of dynamic activity. It
makes sense that you should perform some dynamic exercises to increase your
dynamic flexibility.
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The last part of your warm-up should be devoted to performing
movements that are a "watered-down" version of the movements that you will be
performing during your athletic activity. The final phase of the warm-up
involves rehearsing specific movements that the athlete will be using during
the practice or the event, but at a reduced intensity. Sport-specific
activities improve coordination, balance, strength, and response time, and may
reduce the risk of injury.
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