Stretching

The following pages show illustrations with descriptions of static stretching for warm up and post-exercise cool down.

Remember... stretch your large muscle groups ﬁrst and do all stretches in a smooth, slow, controlled manner.

Flexibility is an important component of physical ﬁ tness and needs to be addressed in a resistance training program. The two main purposes for stretching are injury prevention and a faster rate of recovery from exercise. Stretching should be performed in both the warm up and cool down phases of a training session. A good general guideline is that each workout session should be pr eceded by 5 to 15 minutes of general warm up, followed by 8 to 12 minutes of stretching, and concluded with 4 to 5 minutes of post-exercise stretching.

A regular stretching program will loosen muscle tissue, allowing an increased range of motion. This helps prevent microtears at the muscle-tendon junction. Almost 90% of all injuries from muscle strain occur at the muscle-tendon junction. Repeated injury at this junction can lead to a build-up of scar tissue, which impedes range of motion and adds stress to the joints.

Begin by stretching the major muscle groups ﬁrst. Move in and out of your stretches with smooth, slow, controlled motion. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds when you feel you have reached your muscle’s maximum distance. Do not use fast, hurried or reckless motions when stretching. Fast and bouncy motions will increase the risk of injury.

The most common and most popular type of stretching is the static stretching technique. This form of stretching involves voluntary, complete relaxation of the muscles while they are elongated. A static stretch is a constant, steady stretch in which the end position is held for 10 to 30 seconds. This technique is popular because it is easy to learn, effective, and accompanied by minimal soreness with the least risk of injury.

Ballistic stretching involves a bouncing or bobbing movement during the stretch. The ﬁnal position in the movement is not held. Ballistic stretching is unpopular because of the increased amount of delayed muscle soreness and the possibility of injury during the stretching exercise. Ballistic stretching is not recommended.

A dynamic stretch involves ﬂexibility during sport speciﬁc movements. Dynamic stretching is similar to ballistic stretching in that it utilizes movement, but dynamic stretching includes movements that may be speciﬁc to a sport or movement pattern. Dynamic stretching is most common among track and ﬁeld athletes, but is also used in other sports, such as basketball and volleyball. An example of dynamic stretching would be a track sprinter performing high knees with an emphasis on knee height and arm action, not on horizontal speed.

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