Basics of Stretching.

We all love to stretch. In whatever position we are sitting or standing. We extend our hands and legs, moving our torso left to right, bending down and much more.  If you look around this is something that everyone does multiple times of the day involuntary.

Why do we stretch?

Stretching makes the body more supple and helps to reduces tension from our muscle. Every time we sit, stand, exercise or sleep, there is some part of our body which is in a flexed state or tensed  ( example: sitting on a chair our hip flexors are flexed/short ).  The flexed state is shortening of the muscle ( think of flexing your biceps). By stretching, we get the muscle back to its regular length, and this is what makes us feel flexible and functional.

Stretching is far more complicated than this. Let us understand the science behind it.

What is stretching?

Stretching is a physical activity that elongates the muscles being used. In simple English, A process where we lengthen the muscle fibre from one joint to other ( origin to insertion ) is a stretch. Example like stretching anything from two different ends.

What happens when we stretch?

According to Professor Davis from Lehigh University, what happens during a stretch is very complicated. He said, “Each muscle contains stretch receptors which attach themselves to the working part of the muscle called, muscle fibres. The stretch receptors measure the degree of the stretch, sending a message through the spinal cord to the nerves that control the contraction of the muscle where the receptors are.”.

How do we measure the stretch?

We measure stretch with flexibility. Poor flexibility = tight muscle and reduced range of motion.

What is flexibility? Flexibility is the range of motion  (ROM ) around a particular set of joint or joints.

What is the advantage of stretching?

• Stretching improves our flexibility.
• Improves blood circulation in our body.
• Helps to fix our posture.
• Stretching helps to relieve the tension and relax our muscles.
• Stretching makes our daily activity movement easy.
• Reduces the risk of injury.

There are two types of stretching

Static stretches: Is stretch placed on muscles and held for 15-30 second. Very common in the general population. (Remember when you stand up and lift your hand and hold it for 10 seconds). Good, now you know!!!

Dynamic Stretch : is a stretch which is moving through a range of motion repeatedly 10 -12 times. Dynamic stretch requires more coordination than a static stretch because of movement involved.  Coaches, trainers and physical therapist most prefer dynamic stretches because it works on movements which have more carryovers to their sport and daily functionality. Example : Good Squats requires flexible  hamstring, glutes and ankle.

Let’s discuss about what kind of a stretch to do and when.

 Dynamic stretching : Before exercise for warm-up.

Advantages of Dynamic stretches before  Exercise

• Dynamic stretches improve your mobility.
• Prepares your body  for the movement.
• Improves your nervous system and motor abilities: by repeatedly doing the warm-up based on your movement, it trains our nervous system to get better in the exercise.

Static stretches : perform post-exercise.

Recently static stretches have been taking a lot of slack. Static stretches are equally important and should be performed post-training session to relax the muscle trained and to work on the joint to joint range of motion if stiffness experienced.

Static stretches before exercise are counter-productive, it reduces the explosive strength of the muscle , which means poor performance and can also lead to injuries if overdone.

Can we overdo stretching: Absolutely !!!!! By stretching one muscle all the time, we are creating an imbalance in the tissue. Every muscle has antagonist’s muscle. Only stretching quadriceps muscle ( thigh) will create an imbalance in your posterior chain ( antagonist muscle -hamstring ).

Should we stretch full body every day : Not recommended Like everything in our training, we need to find balance. Stretching every day is not needed to avoid the imbalance in our muscle.

Stretching can also create postural imbalance : Person with anterior pelvic tilt stretching his hamstring every day can make the problem worst. Stretching your hamstring which is already in a stretch position due to postural imbalance, can make it worst.

Assisted stretching : One of the most dangerous forms of stretching. It should only be performed by a qualified personal trainer or physical therapist on you.  Someone unqualified pushing or challenging your range can cause serious injuries.

My approach to stretching.

• Stretching should be planned like your workout.
• Stretch the tight muscle.
• Go gentle on your static stretches and focus more on dynamic stretches.
• Breathe when you stretch.
• Do static stretches  three times a week for 5-10 min post-training.
• Work on your posture to avoid stiffness.
• Think of stretch has global instead of one joint.
• learn some basic soft tissue work to take care of soreness and stiffness.
• Invest in a foam roller, perform this 2-3 times a week.
• Stay hydrated, dehydrated muscle can cause pain and stiffness.
• Consult a personal trainer or physical therapist who can guide you with proper technique and progression to stretching.

Stay supple !!