Stretch exercises

In many exercise programs, be it weight lifting for building and toning muscles or cardio vascular exercises for increasing stamina and to lose weight, most people do not perform enough stretching exercises even though stretching exercises can be performed by anyone at any age unless that person has some physical restriction to stretch. What is worse, many people do not even stretch before and after exercising. Unknown to most people, stretching also has anti aging benefits.

•Benefits of stretching exercises for muscle growth

Stretching is an important aspect of exercising and should be a part of any exercise routine and program. There are many wonderful benefits when you perform regular stretching exercises. Stretching exercises not only help you to warm up and cool down before and after your workouts, it can and will actually help your muscles to grow bigger and stronger too. Don’t believe me? Then read on.

Stretching exercises help muscle growth because stretching lengthens your muscles and thus giving your muscle fibers a greater range of motion when lifting weights. So in effect, it recruits more muscle fibers and thus causing your muscles to grow stronger and bigger from your weight training.

Leg stretching exercises

The mantra of yoga - A healthy mind rests in a flexible body

Yoga has nowadays become a crucial part of a person’s life. It works on the physical as well as the mental level. No other form of exercise can offer this. Yoga also helps the body in improving the lung capacity, circulation, preventing muscle soreness, loosening the tight hamstrings and most importantly providing flexibility to the body.

Flexibility can we obtained by stretching and this stretching can we well done through various yogic poses and asanas. Unless one has a flexible body, one cannot perform the higher level yoga poses that are extremely beneficial to the mind and body. Increasing flexibility of the body is the primary aim of the basic level yoga poses.
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Flexibility is of different types:

Dynamic flexibility- ability to perform kinetic movements of muscles

Static active flexibility- ability to maintain extended positions using only tension without external support

Static passive flexibility - ability to maintain extended position using once weight.

Muscle stretching exercises

Stretching both before and after exercise is key to any fitness program. Stretching prior to exercise warms up your body making it less prone to accidents and injuries. Stretching exercises increase joint and muscle flexibility making for a better workout. During the warm-up period, stretches should be held between 15 and 30 seconds.

Stretching following exercise relieves muscle tightness, improves flexibility and cools down the body. After a workout, your body will be able to stretch even further than it did prior to your exercise program. During the cool-down period, stretches should be held between 30 seconds and one minute. It is during these longer stretches that flexibility increases the most.

It is important to breathe normally as you stretch and avoid holding your breath. Concentrate on the stretch itself and on your breathing, relaxing the rest of your body. A mild tension should be felt but no discomfort. Avoid bouncing.

When standing during a stretching exercise, you can hold onto a steady object such as a chair to maintain balance and proper posture. If you prefer not to hold onto anything, keeping your eyes focused on a point of interest such as a painting will help to maintain the proper balance and posture.

Exercise stretches

Back exercise stretches the lower back muscles to help bring relief to back pain caused by over-stressed back muscles. Spine rehabilitation too is done through back exercise. People suffering from back pain are put through an exercise regimen, as exercise stretches the back and promotes better blood circulation in the area.

You will hear many people complain of back pain occasionally. About 75% to 85% of the people experience back pain at some point of time in their life. The most common area of back pain is the lumbar region of the spine. This is the region that bears most of the body weight. Sudden twisting and bending can cause injury to the back. Back pain also occurs when the muscles get stiff because of poor posture. Back exercise stretches the stiff muscles to provide relief.

Back Exercise Stretches – For Back Pain Relief

Back exercise stretches need to be performed softly. You should treat your back gently and not subject it jerky and violent movement. The exercise routine that you follow should start gently, and gradually build over a period of a few weeks. You could cause more harm than good, if you do not follow expert advice in matters of back exercise.

Stretches exercises

You as a runner know, or should know, the importance of a warming-up before, and a cooling-down after your workout. First you do your easy running and then your stretches. A bit of calf stretching here, reaching the toes there, a few strides and your done. You think. What a shame.

You just forgot two very important stretches. Maybe the two most important ones for runners. These two stretches will keep nasty injuries like shin splints and achilles tendonitis out of the door. So please take your time to learn about them.

Shin Splints

Shin splints are lower leg pains either to the inside of the lower leg (medial shin splints) or to the front outside part(anterior shin splints). They happen to runners who are new to the sport and push themselves too much, runners who suddenly increase their mileage too excessively and runners who change their running terrain to harder or steeper grounds.

It is not so strange we runners develop shin splints. Our lower legs take the impact of two to three times our body weight every time we take a step while running. Each leg does about eighty to ninety steps a minute. That’s a lot of impact on your lower legs !

Stretching exercises

Everyone needs to make use of some good stretching exercises before they do any other kinds of exercises. Stretching exercises are not something that you need to do just once or twice a week. It is important that you do some great stretching exercises before you exercise each and every time. These stretching exercises will help you to get your muscles warmed up; and ready for anything that you throw at them. With out stretching exercises you are bound to pull some muscles and this can hold you back.

You cannot afford to let your muscles get pulled and torn if you want to get in good shape, that is why it is so vitally important to learn some good stretching exercises.

The stretching exercises that you choose need not be too complex or too fancy, they only need to work. And not all stretching exercises are for everyone. There are different levels to stretching exercises just as there are with any other kind of exercise as well. The stretching exercises that you choose to do each time you work out should suit your exercises and your body.

For example you do not want to try advanced yoga on the first day you have tried yoga. You need to work up to the more advanced levels of stretching exercises. Keep this in mind and start with simple and easy stretches. This is the best way to stay in good shape all throughout your body. Remember that if you hurt yourself doing your stretching exercises you will not be able to do your regular exercises, you will be in too much pain. Even missing a few days can really throw off your stride when it comes to your exercise routines.

Flexibility stretching exercises

Stretching exercises are beneficial for our health and help to keep our body supple and flexible. Doing stretching exercises for at least five to ten minutes before you embark on any kind of exercises be it aerobics or swimming goes a long way in preventing muscle pull.

Benefits of stretching exercises are manifold and include enhancing flexibility of your muscles, improving coordination among different body parts, controlling body temperature and heart rate and preventing overall injuries.

However, there are some methods that should be followed by an individual religiously while doing stretching exercises. As in the case of other types of exercises, a person while performing stretching exercises should keep in mind not to overdo it. And the proper way to go about it is to start stretching at a very slow pace. The whole body and mind should be entirely relaxed and the place of exercise should be peaceful and free from all kinds of disturbances. It is best that you avoid those stretching exercises that are painful and hurt you while performing it.

Basic aim of doing stretching exercises is to take your body to the level of “mild tension.” While stretching, give proper attention to breathing. It should be relaxed and normal. Do not try to hold your breath while performing the exercises; it could lead to an adverse effect. Give at least fifteen seconds to each exercise before returning to normal position. Do not rush. You should give time between each stretching exercise to ensure that your body gets enough time to relax. Stretching after your exercise is over is also very important as it helps your body to cool down so that your heart rate and body pressure returns to pre exercise position.

Stretching exercise

In our modern society it may be difficult for you to find time for exercise. This is such a shame because stretching has so many great benefits. It gives you energy, it removes health problems, it assists you reduce unneeded fat, and it degrades stress. The only thing to do this is looking for a way to put exercise in your daily procedure without you having to completely rearrange your schedule to match it. You could go on to do this with just doing some basic exercises within your day or find small break to match it. By adding stretching into your procedure of every day, you can get a lot of the benefits of exercise. Stretching exercise for only ten minutes a day may not assist you lose weight, but it will reduce stress, reduce back pain and body aching, help reduce health problems, help bettering your mood, and provide you with more energy.

The best time to begin your stretching is first thing in the morning. If it is possible to arise ten minutes earlier than normal just to do stretching you will reap more benefits. Pick a spot in your home where you can do the stretching. If you have a spot close to your bed that will work, this will make it easy to scuttle out of bed and start. Go up with a few stretching routine to do everyday that includes stretching your arms, legs, back, and neck. By taking this time in the morning to do some stretching, you will find out that you get more energy in the morning and are able to get started faster and with a more positive mind-set on the day.

Back stretching exercises

Stretching and yoga aren’t just for people who can fold themselves up like pretzels, or movie stars who have nothing better to do with their days! It can be a beneficial practice to all who use it, and one doesn’t have to adopt the worldview of the swamis in order to reap benefits from it. The pace of our lives these days is crazy—some would argue destructive.

Yoga proponents say that learning the art form will not make you dull, but more magnetic, and show you the importance of slowing down. Yoga’s ‘inactivity’ can insert a moment to breathe in the midst of the hustle and bustle of life, can clear your mind, and re-energize you with just a few simple techniques.

The first lesson in any Yogic theory is how to relax. This doesn’t mean you flop on the sofa and become a couch potato; instead it is defined as ‘a conscious transfer of energy from one department of nature to another….’ Even if you do this for 5 minutes at a time over a beverage, you’re on your way to relaxing. It will increase your efficiency—try it and see!

Stretching involved in yoga can be very simple: lie on the floor without pillows. Remove your shoes and wear whatever is loose fitting and comfortable to you. Stretch your arms over your head while stretching your legs and feet. Close your eyes and let your head roll to one side.

Now release each part of your body and consciously permit each limb, each ‘section’ of your body, to meld in to the floor. Permit yourself to feel as if you are sinking and think of a peaceful scene. This will likely feel very odd to you the first time you do it, but the relaxation that you bring each part of your body will be refreshing!