STRETCHING
& FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility is an im portant co m ponent of physical fitness and needs to be addressed
in a resistance training program . T he two main purposes for stretching are injury
prevention and a faster rate of recovery from exercise. Stretching should be
perform ed in both the warm up and cool dow n phases of a training session. A good
general guideline is th at each workout session should be preceded 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 m uscle tissue, allo w ing an increased range
of motion. This helps prevent m icrotears at the m uscle-tendon junction. A lm ost 90%
of all injuries from m uscle strain o c cur at the m uscle-tendon junction. R epeated
injury a t this junction can lead to a b uild-u p of scar tissue, w hich im pedes range of
motion and ad d s stress to the joints.
Begin by stretching the m ajor m uscle groups first. M ove in and out of your stretches
with sm ooth, slow, controlled motion. Hold the stretch for at least 10 seconds when
you feel you have re ached your m uscle ’s m axim um distance. Do not use fast,
hurried or reckless m otions w hen stretching. Fast and bouncy m otions will increase
the risk of injury.
The m ost com m on an d m ost popular type of stretching is the
static stretching
technique. This form of stretching involves voluntary, co m ple te relaxation of the
m uscles while they are elongated. A static stretch is a constant, steady stretch in
w hich the end position is held for 10 to 30 seconds. This technique is popular
because it is easy to learn, effective, and a c com p a n ied by minim al soreness with
the least risk of injury.
Ballistic stretching
involves a bouncing or bobb in g m ovem ent during the stretch.
The final position in the m ovem ent is not held. B allistic stretching is unpopular
because of the increased am ount of delayed m uscle soreness and the possibility of
injury during the stretching exercise. B allistic stretching is not recom m ended.
A dynam ic stretch involves flexibility during sport specific m ovem ents.
Dynamic
stretching
is sim ilar to ballistic stretching in th at it utilizes movem ent, but dynam ic
stretching includes m ovem ents that m ay be specific to a sport or m ovem ent
pattern. D ynam ic stretching is most com m on am ong track and field athletes, bu t is
also used in other sports, such as basketball and volleyball. An exam ple of dynam ic
stretching w ould be a track sprinter perform ing high knees w ith an em phasis on
knee he ight and arm action, not on horizontal speed.
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.
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