A BIT OF A STRETCH:HOW TO GET YOUR MUSCLES READY TO WORK

The science on stretching may not yet be conclusive, but there are still plenty of reasons not to skip this important part of your workout routine. 

One of the most important aspects of physical fitness is flexibility, and there’s nothing better than stretching to improve the mobility of your joints and tendons. There is a plethora of evidence that demonstrates that in order for your workout to be truly effective and deliver the full range of benefits that you would expect, like increasing the size of your muscles and improving cardiovascular health, you need to perform each and every one of your exercises using your body’s full range of movement for that particular muscle or muscle group. And if your joints aren’t flexible enough, your body won’t be able to perform the exercise properly, which can lead to injury.

Stretching also improves your overall strength, by tightening and strengthening your hamstrings and tendons, thus allowing them to handle more weight and letting your muscles endure more strain, for longer.

But there is also evidence that suggests that stretching has some drawbacks. If you have loose and weak hamstrings caused by a sedentary lifestyle, overly-strenuous stretching can actually cause more harm than good. It’s vital not to overdo yourself – if a particular stretch starts to hurt, you’ve taken it too far.

Stretching, however, is not an appropriate replacement for a proper warm-up. When you exercise, your heart pumps more blood to your muscles, warming them up and loosening their tightness from previous training, and if you do your stretches before your muscles are ready to work hard, your stretching isn’t going to be nearly as effective as it might have been if you had already built up a light sweat. Perform your warm-up cardio before you stretch, and you’ll find it a much more pleasant experience.