Post-workout stretching benefits -
You get into a position that lengthens a muscle, like touching your toes which helps lengthen your hamstrings , and hold it for about 30 seconds. Moves like high knees or side-to-side lunges loosen muscles and joints by taking them through their full range of motion.
Increased flexibility. This is probably the best-known benefit of stretching and the one with the most research to support it. Flexibility is the ability of joints and surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, and tissue to move through a full range of motion without pain or restriction.
The more flexible you are, the easier it will be to reach overhead to grab dishes off a top shelf, bend over to pick something up, or twist to throw a frisbee. While all types of stretching can increase flexibility, static stretches tend to offer the most long-term benefit.
Improved athletic performance. Dynamic stretches in particular have been shown to have a more significant effect than static stretches on enhancing performance. It also refers to running, biking, playing tennis, or doing whatever else keeps you active. Improved relaxation.
Stretching can help ease muscle tension and stress that builds up in your body. Injury prevention. Preparing your body for activity by doing dynamic stretches before you work out may minimize your risk of injury. When you have good flexibility and a full range of motion in all of your joints, your body is better able to distribute loads and forces that it encounters as you move, says Dr.
Pain relief. Read more about this benefit of stretching below. The best time to do static stretches for flexibility is after warming your body up — often, after a workout or doing some yoga.
A post-workout stretch also aids recovery by increasing blood flow to deliver oxygen and nutrients and whisk away waste products like lactic acid. This can also help reduce some post-workout soreness. If you want to loosen up before you work out, dynamic stretches that involve movement are the way to go.
Dynamic stretching increases blood flow to warm up muscles, lubricates your joints, and raises your heart and breathing rates to prepare your body to meet the physical demands of the exercise. Want a few ideas to help you prepare for your next workout? Try these dynamic stretches.
Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity by moving more quickly. For example, begin with high-knee marching and then progress to high-knee jogging. Aim to do five to 10 minutes of dynamic stretching to warm up before your workout.
Shoulder circles: Start by relaxing your shoulders, then slowly rotate them in a circular motion either forward or backward. This warms up your arms and shoulders. Squats: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and lower your body by bending your knees and hips, keeping your chest up and back straight, until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
Then push through your heels to return to the starting position. These will warm up your legs, glutes, and hips. High knees : Lift one knee up toward your chest while driving the opposite arm forward, and alternate quickly between knees to maintain a brisk pace.
This will kick up your heart rate while activating muscles in the front of your legs. Butt kicks : Start by flexing your knees, then kick your heels towards your glutes, alternating legs in a running motion while maintaining an upright posture. This keeps your heart rate up while targeting muscles in the back of your legs.
Hamstring scoops : Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, hinge forward from the hips, and swing one leg back, keeping it straight. Then scoop your leg forward in a controlled motion, repeating the movement with the other leg while maintaining a stable core and controlled pace.
This works your upper and lower body simultaneously. These static stretches will help you relax and recover after a workout. Regularly practicing them will also increase your flexibility and range of motion.
Hold each stretch for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat for two to four repetitions. The information contained in these videos is intended to be used for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice or treatment for any specific condition.
Hinge Health is not your healthcare provider and is not responsible for any injury sustained or exacerbated by your use of or participation in these exercises. Please consult with your healthcare provider with any questions you may have about your medical condition or treatment.
Stretching is an important part of managing ongoing pain for a number of reasons. Stretching can also increase your pain tolerance.
A pilot study in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain found that people were less sensitive to a pain stimulus after stretching. Chronic pain and stress, anxiety, and depression have similar pathways in the brain, says Dr.
Pain can exacerbate these conditions and, in turn, stress, anxiety, and depression can affect how someone experiences pain. This is why people with chronic pain report more stress , anxiety, and depression.
Taking time out to stretch and focus on your breathing can help alleviate stress and anxiety, break this cycle , and possibly reduce pain. Lastly, stretching can help prevent pain or provide relief by helping your body distribute forces equally. All joints in your body work together, so if one area is tight, another area has to pick up the slack, which can contribute to or aggravate a painful condition over time.
For example, tight hips can impact how your back feels after a long day of sitting or going for a run. When you do static stretches, go only as far as the point of slight discomfort or tension.
If you feel any pain, slow down, check your technique, or reduce your range of motion into a pain-free zone. That means you can easily get the care you need through our app, when and where it works for you. See if you qualify for Hinge Health and confirm free coverage through your employer or benefit plan here.
This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.
Simic, L. Does pre-exercise static stretching inhibit maximal muscular performance? A meta-analytical review. Konrad, A.
The Impact of a Single Stretching Session on Running Performance and Running Economy: A Scoping Review. Frontiers in Physiology, 11 , Herman, K. The effectiveness of neuromuscular warm-up strategies, that require no additional equipment, for preventing lower limb injuries during sports participation: a systematic review.
BMC Medicine, 10 1. Larouche, M. Stretch-induced hypoalgesia: a pilot study. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 20 4 , These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.
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Active cool-downs are voluntary low-intensity movements within one hour after training. Passive cooldown is either organic cooling down, such as sitting to rest, saunas, or even compressive therapies. They found that the type of cool-down exercise impacts the benefits.
So how do you know which one works best for you? It depends on your experience and preferences. When creating your cool-down routine, it's recommended to include these points and focus on the specific muscles and their recovery to cool down for next-day benefits properly.
By consistently stretching, your muscles will lengthen. This means, over time, stretching will improve your flexibility and your range of motion. Stretching will also reduce the lactic acid buildup from your intense workout.
This excess can lead to muscle stiffness and possible cramping. After an intense workout session, a byproduct called lactic acid is left in your system.
Taking the time to cool down properly cycles out the buildup of lactic acid and prepares your body for your next task. Cooling down can minimize delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS , which typically happens between 24 to 48 hours after your workout because of microtears in muscle fibers caused by an intense workout.
So how does cooling down affect DOMS? Cool downs increase blood flow to the muscles you use during your workout to speed up recovery.
Post-workout stretching helps prevent injuries by increasing flexibility. This can lower the risk of body muscle imbalances. Stretching reduces inflammation, especially after an injury. When injured, your body will increase the muscle tension around the injury to prevent more damage.
This process increases the number of knots in your muscles which can decrease movement and elasticity. You might know that exercise is great for stress relief but did you know cooling down and stretching assist in gradually bringing your body back to homeostasis?
Homeostasis is the process of the body coming back into a resting state. This gentle segway of calming your body will ease you back into your day. For a dynamic cool down, continue your workout for around five minutes at a slower pace and lower intensity.
For example, if your workout was a run, continue to walk for 5 minutes after. Your goal is to get your heart rate below beats per minute. After a cool-down, spend some time in static stretches , holding each for approximately 30 seconds.
Focus on stretching the body parts used during your workout. The recovery process is equally as important as pushing your body during intense exercise. Stretching and cooling down bring your heart rate back down and signal your muscles that it's time to relax.
This post-workout routine will help reduce muscle stiffness and soreness and increase muscle flexibility and circulation. These extra 15 minutes at the end of your intense workouts will make a world of difference! For media inquiries please: Phone: Get a more in-depth look at the work ACE has done in the past year, as well as the progress our country has made in responding to the obesity and chronic disease epidemics.
Stretching at the end Post-workout stretching benefits your Post-wrkout can help boost your flexibility, reduce Post-workout stretching benefits risk of injury, benefkts decrease muscle tension in Pos-workout body. It can even help improve your performance the next time you work out. This article will look at six simple yet highly effective stretches you can add to the end of your workout. The benefits of stretching have been well-established. Stretching can help increase the flexibility of your joints. One Poat-workout the most overlooked aspects Post-workout stretching benefits exercise is stretching after a strenuous workout. Stretching tired stretchiing sore muscles after stretchingg workout is essential Poet-workout it Post-workout stretching benefits flexibility and reduces muscle tension after a workout. Stretching should be a part of your well-balanced workout routine, given the same importance as strength and cardiovascular training. Stretching after working out is a highly recommended practice. The benefits of stretching before a workout are often discussed, emphasizing its role in injury prevention.
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