Each and every day we find ourselves attempting to create habits good and bad consciously and without even knowing it (use of substances etc). I can completely understand why most of us choose to overlook and even neglect the entire philosophy of doing a warm-up then stretch routine. Most of us are just plain BUSY! My hope is that through education even the novice/average fitness enthusiast sees the importance of such a routine and implements it regularly. Prevention of injury? Increased ROM (Range of Motion) which leads to more uniform muscle recruitment during contraction? Increased blood flow to the target muscle group? Your body's overall increased efficiency? What's not to like? No no I see it's "just another" task to perform in the gym and sheesh it takes like 30 minutes to do? A basic stretching routine and warm-up can easily be accomplished in less than 30 minutes time. Stretching is very important and doing a warm-up BEFORE you stretch allows blood to flow to the muscle groups you intend to stretch. Warming up allows your body temperature to increase slightly which helps loosen muscles and make them more pliable for stretching.
You see we must break away from the typical "going through the motions" attitude towards the gym. Are you there for serious results? Are your motives other than to meet a fitness and health related goal? If you're not serious about your health, goals and a greater sense of well-being then stop reading this blog.
A typical workout should be broken down into a 4 stage (sometimes 5) experience.
1) Warm-Up: To include some form of cardiovascular stimulation to roughly 60-80% Max heart rate until a light sweat breaks out or you have burned 90-175 calories. The warm-up should incorporate the day's target muscle groups for added benefit. (e.g. Doing stationary bicycle on a squat day). Also for weight resistance, the warm-up can include light weight in reps of about 150% of the scheduled workout reps (i.e. Lighter weight more reps).
2) Stretch: While I always try to stretch my entire body, a basic stretching routine should at least include the target muscle group of the day. Focus on relaxed, controlled breathing. You want to stretch and HOLD. Don't bounce your stretch. Pain is not good if you feel any sensation of pain back off and hold then slowly advance the stretch. 15-30 seconds should suffice. However, I always aim for 30 second holds. Slowly release and move back to the starting position.
3) Workout: Your planned workout for the day duh! Stay hydrated and follow your plan. Stay focused on executing proper breathing techniques.
4) Stretch (again optional): Follow same principles of your pre-workout stretching routine.
5) Cool-Down (optional and should be done before Post workout stretch): Depending on your workout for the day a Cool-Down may benefit by allowing the muscles to recover from the workout and slowly return to normal working order.
Even if you just implemented a couple of stretches into your routine regularly you would see the benefits. I would suggest starting off with a couple of stretches a day until it becomes more of a habit and you are more comfortable with the process and your flexibility improves! You can also look into taking a few Yoga or Pilates classes at your local gym/health club. These practices will teach you good stretching techniques and may help the stubborn gym rat establish good stretching habits.
So remember brushing regularly helps keep the cavities away and warming up and stretching helps keep injuries at bay!
Stay Fit!
