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Stretch Exercise Before
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It's advised to always warm up before stretch exercise (do them after endurance or strength exercises, for example; or, if you are doing only stretch exercise on a particular day, do a little bit of easy walking and arm-pumping first).
Stretching your muscles before they are warmed up may result in injury.
Stretch Exercise Program
Stretch exercise should never cause pain, especially joint pain. If it does, you are stretching too far, and you need to reduce the stretch so that it doesn't hurt.Mild discomfort or a mild pulling sensation is normal.
Never "bounce" into a stretch; make slow, steady movements instead. Jerking into position can cause muscles to tighten, possibly resulting in injury.
Avoid "locking" your joints into place when you straighten them during stretches. Your arms and legs should be straight when you stretch them, but don't lock them in a tightly straight position.
You should always have a very small amount of bending in your joints while performing stretch exercise.
Exercise Fitness
Before you start stretch exercise, you need to warm up your muscles by stretching for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Slowly stretch your calf, quad, groin, and hamstring muscles. Stretching also includes walking slowly, and doing knee lifts and arm circles.
Types of Stretch Exercises:
- Calf stretch: Stand facing a wall, about 2 feet away from it. Keeping your heels flat and your back straight, lean forward and press your hands and forehead to the wall. Do this slowly. You should feel stretching in the muscles in the back of your lower legs, above your heels. Hold this position for 20 seconds and then relax. Repeat.
- Groin stretch: Squat down and put both hands on the floor in front of you. Stretch your left leg straight out behind you. Keep your right foot flat on the floor and lean forward with your chest into your right knee, then move your weight back to your left leg, keeping it as straight as you can. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds, and then repeat the stretch with your right leg behind you.
- Hamstring stretch: Lie down with your back flat on the floor, with both of your knees bent. Place your feet flat on the floor, about 6 inches apart. Bend your right knee up to your chest and hold onto your right thigh with both hands placed behind your knee. Slowly straighten your right leg, feeling slight stretching in the back of your leg. Hold the stretch for 20 seconds, and then repeat the stretch with your left leg.
- Quad stretch: Stand facing a wall, about 1 foot away from it. Keep yourself up by putting your right hand against the wall. Raise your right leg behind you and grab your foot with your left hand. Pull your heel slightly up toward your bottom, stretching the muscles in the front of your right leg for 20 seconds. Repeat the stretch with your left leg.
After you exercise, you need to cool down for about 5 to 10 minutes. This cool down period should include the same muscle stretches you did to warm up.
Health and Fitness
Stretch after you do your regularly scheduled strength and endurance exercises.If you can't do endurance or strength exercises for some reason, and stretching exercises are the only kind you are able to do, do them at least 3 times a week, for at least 20 minutes each session.
Do each stretch exercise 3 to 5 times at each session.
Slowly stretch into the desired position, as far as possible without pain, and hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds. Relax, then repeat, trying to stretch farther.
You can progress in your stretch exercises; the way to know how to limit yourself is that stretching should never hurt. It may feel slightly uncomfortable, but not painful. Push yourself to stretch farther, but not so far that it hurts.
Note that stretch exercises, by themselves, don't improve endurance or strength, but will help with freedom of movement.
Check out these links for useful additional information:
Senior Strength Training Helps maintain independence
Tips for Exercise Never too late to start!
Return to Natural Health & Beauty from Stretch Exercise