Why is Stretching Important?

Like many I’m sure at some point you have been told or reminded that it is important to stretch. But why do you need to stretch, what are the benefits, how often do you need to and what kind of stretches should you be doing? Stretching helps the body in many different ways. It helps
keep muscles flexible, strong and healthy. Flexible muscles can improve posture, decrease pain and soreness, increase performance and also help prevent injuries. Often common daily pain such as back and neck pain can all be fixed by relieving tight muscles with daily stretching.

How often should I be stretching?

Daily stretching is ideal to obtain and maintain muscle flexibility. However at least 2-3 days is recommended to start improving your flexibility.

How long should I stretch for?

For the best total body mobility, stretch each major muscle group for a total of one minute each. You can break it up into 2 30 seconds holds, 4 15 seconds holds or do one constant hold for a minute. Hold at the point of tightness or slight discomfort. Stretching should not be painful, avoid overextending as you can cause muscles to tighten.

When should I stretch?

To improve flexibility the best time to stretch is after a workout when your muscles are warmed up. You will get the best range of motion during static stretching post workout. If you are looking to stretch before a workout or activity it is best to do a dynamic warm up, the dynamic warm up should consist of similar movements to what you are going to be doing during your workout but
at a lower intensity. This helps prevent injury during your workout and also helps muscles perform more effectively during the workout. Stretching before and after workouts are beneficial but these do not need to be the only times you stretch. When you wake up, before bed or during breaks throughout your day are also good times to get some stretching in. It is more important to get the stretching in rather than when you do it.

What stretches should I do for my lower back pain?

For low back tightness it is important to loosen up all the muscles that surround the lower back including abdominals, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and spine. A few good stretches to start with include child’s pose, cat cows, lying knee pulls, piriformis stretch, seated spinal twist, quad pulls and seated toe touch.