Tokyo Personal Trainer explains How long to stretch for every occasion
Stretching is a very common topic these days. When to stretch. Where to stretch. How to stretch. How long to stretch. How not to stretch.
I have constantly been told by all my instructors in whatever sport I have done that you need to warm up and stretch before you initiate any exercise curriculum. All through my schooldays all my coaches had me warm up and stretch. It didn’t matter which activity it was. Swimming, water polo, football, softball, baseball, soccer, track, and weight lighting.
Then I joined the Armed Forces and even they had us warm up and stretch. They generally did what we called a daily seven, which consisted of 7 drills that were done by the numbers followed by a formation run or obstacle course. Chanting was then introduced to help build up cardio stamina after warm up.
Latter I got involved in martial arts, (Judo, Karate, Boxing, Aikido, and wrestling). All these exercises also require you to warm up and stretch. I spent over 20 years doing martial arts, triathlons, bodybuilding, power lifting and various other team and individual intramural sports. The same principals applied. No matter what kind of workout you did it was crucial to warm up, stretch and at the conclusion to cool down and stretch. Recently I have just started taking Yoga. This also requires the same principals.
All these different sports, however, require a unique type of stretch.
The key is to identify how and when to use the correct form of stretching to stop injury and achieve optimal performance. So what type of stretching do you do?
There is a controlled style of stretching, which is called dynamic. This helps to lengthen your muscles using similar actions to the activity you will be doing. You always start out gradually and increase to a maximum range of movement. Most exercises will consist of running, jumping, hopping, and stepping up and down. There are a a small number of exceptions to the rules such as swimming, which can be done in the water. Static stretches are generally done at the end of your workout when your body will get the greatest results.
As far as flexibility goes, PNF stretching can be used. This however requires a cohort to apply force which you resist by trying to return to the initial position. This helps to give you more range of movement by increasing your kinesthetic memory.
There are numerous benefits to good stretching and form. By having flexibility and more freedom of movement you will boost your capacity to finish easy to difficult tasks with a lesser amount of effort. A regular daily stretching routine will help to correct your posture and self esteem by looking better and feeling better about yourself. Stretching helps to relieve tension in the muscles and helps you lead a more productive lifestyle.
Pete Carey is a top Tokyo Personal Trainer and owner of TheFitnessCode.com. Please feel free to contact us at pete@thefitnesscode.com if you are interested in learning more about the Tokyo Fitness scene.
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