Stretching For Success

With my golf background, I tend to be biased with my analogies and use the wonderful and complex game of golf to fuel them. The following is what I have come up with to best describe what I have seen to be the most common approach to stretching: Stretching is like practicing your short game, it can be tedious and maybe even boring, but it is vital for progression. Working on your flexibility is extremely important, regardless of age or fitness level. Any good workout plan will include cardiovascular and resistance training.

However, it is the flexibility component that, many times, is omitted. Yes you must make the muscle stronger, but you must also make it longer. Strengthen AND lengthen! With that said, it is also important to know what type of stretching to do and when to do it. Stretching is a very vague term considering the various types of modalities of stretching there are. During this article I will discuss two of these modalities and explain why and when to use them in relation to your workout.

Before delving into the specifics, it is important to first define the two types of stretching that will be discussed in this article; Dynamic Stretching and Static Stretching. Dynamic stretching involves gentle movement to the range of movement limits not holding the stretch for longer than a few seconds. Conversely, static stretching involves holding the position of the stretch for periods normally between ten and thirty seconds and sometimes beyond. Not much of a difference you might think? However, which type of stretching you choose, and when, is absolutely crucial.

Dynamic stretching is fantastic for readying your body for a workout. It increases body and core temperature; decreases the chance of injury, elongates the muscles readying them for the upcoming musculo-skeletal demands and also stimulates the central nervous system. Static stretching improves static flexibility. Working out and performing pretty much any activity is dynamic in nature and therefore needs to be prepared for in a dynamic fashion. Therefore, save the static stretching for after you are done working out. The exercises described in the accompanying video will assist you in getting your musculo-skeletal system ready for activity and to help you recover after a tough workout.