Do Stretching Exercises Pay? Get the Answer here!
Article by Michael Lykke
You may have heard or read a lot about how stretching exercises don’t work – well, they definitely do! Research tells us that stretching increases mobility and thus also flexibility in muscles and joints. However, we don’t know precisely what it is that becomes more flexible. Is it the muscles, the connective tissue, the threshold of pain, or something completely different?
What we do and don’t know about stretching A recent study shows that stretching doesn’t relieve post-exercise soreness – the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). However, this is an area that hasn’t been uncovered sufficiently by research, and in practice it turns out that stretching has a short-lived effect on muscle soreness. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that stretching increases flexibility, and that stretching as a part of the warm-up will benefit the overall athletic performance.
Physiotherapists recommend stretching both before and after the workout. As a recreational athlete there’s no doubt that stretching has a beneficial effect on the overall health of the body before, during, and after the workout. However, there are many things we don’t know for certain about stretching, and we have a lot more to learn from research. So don’t forget common sense and your practical experience with your own body.A great sense of wellbeingYou must not forget the great sense of wellbeing that most people get from stretching. Moreover, stretching is good for the energy systems in you body. Actually stretching is best in the morning if you want to increase your energy (Chi). Always drink water before and after stretching – even if stretching doesn’t make you sweat. You don’t have to worry about stretching without having warmed up first. You can stretch both a warm and cold body, however, a warm body lets you stretch the muscles a bit further.
Different stretching for different people If you are hypermobile or don’t have a sense of tightness in the muscle you’re stretching, there’s no point in stretching. By stretching tight muscles, you can achieve greater balance in your body – but if you also make the flexible muscles more flexible, you may create more imbalance than balance.
Your body already knows which muscles that become tighter due to age, strain, idleness, etc. – those are the muscles that most people should focus on stretching. Tight muscles give rise to bad posture and thus also poor working conditions for the body as well as an increased risk of developing pain and injury. This is one of the main reasons why it’s important for all of us to perform exercises that make us more flexible.
Different methods There are different methods of stretching. The classic and most simple one is holding a stretch for a certain amount of time, and then letting go “the static stretch”. Another and very effective method is the “contract-relax” stretch where you flex a muscle and then stretch it. The point is to “trick” the nervous system and thus achieve better stretching conditions. Both methods make you more flexible, but the static stretch also stretches the connective tissue, which is usually very tight and gives way to issues in connection with tight muscles. The contract and relax stretch is more directly focused on the muscle itself.
How often, how much, and for how long? If you want to achieve a speedy increase in mobility, you should stretch frequently and preferably several times a day. Some people need to maintain the frequent stretch for a long time – or maybe even the rest of their life. Other people can do with stretching frequently for a period of e.g. six months after which they can do with maintaining the balance they have achieved and stretch less frequently.
There is no general rule for how long you should hold a stretch. There is no research to indicate that long stretches are more effective in connection with flexibility, so you might as well do short stretches. Under all circumstances it is important to stretch every day in order to achieve and maintain results. Hold your stretch for at least 15 seconds – preferable longer. Take deep breaths during the entire stretch so you can feel the muscles “let go” while your stretching. It is in no way a bad thing to stretch the same muscles several times with a little break between stretches.
The conclusion Stretch whenever you feel like it, and if you think it gives you a greater feeling of wellbeing or makes you less sore after working out. In any case, stretching is healthy for tight muscles and the body in its entirety.
About the Author
Learn more about stretching and get inspiration for other workout programmes e.g. back exercises , yoga , and pilates.