Stretching Exercises

Stretching exercises can help improve your performance in any sports and help you become more agile out on the field.

By stretching properly, it will stretch your muscles giving your muscles more room for growth, help with your physical activity, and to also help with any types of bad posture.

It's important to understand the importance of flexibility exercises before and after any physical activities or just in a daily basis. Flexibility training should be done at least 3 times a week, if not, stretching on a daily basis would be better for you as well as better for your body.

Benefits From Flexibility Exercises

Why do stretching exercises? Not only does it decrease your chances of being injured, example, "pulling a hamstring", but if your an athlete, by being flexible you can be more faster, build more muscles, and have more strength.

Here are a couple of reasons why being flexible is important:

It can decrease injury and help improve and increase any athletes physical performance.
Reduces soreness of any and all muscle groups.
A good flexibility program can improve posture.
Stretching can help reduce lower back pain.
Increases blood flow throughout the muscles and tissues.
Improves neuromuscular coordination.

Pay Close Attention To Tight Areas

As people get older and wiser, people start to realize the importance of flexibility exercises. However, pay attention to tight areas that may be your chest, hamstring,shoulders, and hips.

IMPORTANTLY, there may be other tight areas on the body besides chest, hamstring, shoulders, or hips to pay close attention too. Depending on an injury that previously occurred, make sure to pay more attention to those areas when doing your flexibility training. Make sure that the area is nice and loose.

It's very important to stretch after any exercises or any physical activity to prevent any muscle soreness or any more tightness in any muscle groups. REMEMBER, to stretch before and after any physical activity.

Stretching Exercises Tips

Squeezing in 1 or 2 stretches will not work.
The more attention you give during your flexibility exercises, the more you get in return.
Stretch your muscles slowly to the end point of movement.
Hold each stretch for about 10 to 30 seconds, repeat each stretch 2-4 times.
Get creative by using towels or any other accessories to help with stretching.
Stay relax and focus on your breathing, it will help with any flexibility training.
Stretch consistently.

Flexiblity Training Safety

Warm-Up first by either walking or light jogging for about 10-15 minutes.
Avoid bouncing or any jerking movements.
Listen to your body, don't over stretch.
Do not force your stretches beyond its mild discomfort.

Types of Flexiblity Training

Static Passive Stretching - It's the ability to hold on to a stretch using your body weight or with any other force.
Static Active Stretching - It refers to stretching your primary muscles while your secondary muscles are holding the muscles up.
Dynamic Stretching - The ability to perform a full motion stretch swinging from one side to the other side.

Flexibility Exercises

Stretching exercises can be made up of several exercises that can help your body become more flexible.

Here is a list of flexibility exercises that can help with your flexibility training:

Dynamic Stretching	Isometric Stretching
Static Active Stretching	Static Passive Stretching
Ballistic Stretching	PNF Stretching

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