Before jumping into any kind fitness training, one must remember to do stretching exercises to warm the muscles which helps prevent injuries and improves the output of the training session. There are also several precautions and measures to consider before commencing any exercise program. Here are several to consider:
- In order to increase your flexibility and help avoid injury, stretch for at least 5 minutes before and after working out. Most people know that stretching before a workout helps to prevent injuries while doing the exercises; however few people realize that stretching after working out can further increase flexibility.
- Hold your stretches for approximately 60 seconds for increased flexibility. Although holding your stretch for 30 seconds is enough to warm-up, it is really important to hold each stretch for 60 seconds to develop your body’s flexibility.
- Do not repeatedly stretch and then then quickly return to a relaxed position. This is referred to as “bouncing your stretch” and is the wrong approach. When stretching, hold the position for 60 seconds, and slowly relax. Bouncing your stretch puts unnecessary strain on your joints and ligaments.
- Be sure to stretch all your muscle groups including your neck. Most people tend to neglect their neck when stretching and will often strain their neck muscles during a workout. Stretching your neck muscles is as simple as placing the palm of your hand against your forehead and pushing against it. Then, repeat that action on the sides and back of your head.
- Stretch on a regular basis, stretching regularly helps to continually improve your range of motion and your level of strength and flexibility.
- Do not force yourself to exercise beyond your capability just because you see others in the gym doing certain exercises. Slowly Increase your limits, listen to what your body is telling you. There are days when might be tired and you can’t do what you did the day before… that’s OK though!
- Learn to take a rest. Rest long enough between sets so that your muscles have enough time to recover before moving on to the next set. Also, it’s important not to work the same muscle groups for consecutive days. Your muscles rebuild during the days off not when you are training.
- Do some aerobics to strengthen your cardio vascular system. Aerobic exercises are an important part of an overall workout session. This includes exercises such as skipping, jogging or swimming, whatever you can do to elevate you heart rate for at least 5 minutes following a workout session.
Apart from preventing injury and increasing one’s flexible limits, it is also proven that stretching daily helps relieve stress and fatigue which is good for your mind and spirit.
Author Biography:
Pat Johnson is the senior editor at LegalSteroidGuide.com, the most trusted guide for sourcing out the best legal steroids for your personal goals. Pat has extensive knowledge in the fields of bodybuilding, fitness programming and fitness nutrition and he is also a top contributor on Quora Answers in the health & fitness niche where his answers have received over 167,000 views!
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