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Stretching is a crucial part of a full workout that people ignore for one reason or the other. Although stretching is not as exciting as the other types of exercises, you need to include stretching exercise to your workout routine in order to say you’ve done an all-rounded workout session. With that said, in this article, we shall highlight different stretching exercise for beginners, benefits of stretching and other essentials related to flexibility exercises.
Stretching comes with a myriad of benefits, and that is why more people are encouraged to engage in this activity. It is highly recommended to do your stretching in a peaceful distraction-free environment (3). The fewer distractions there are around you, the more likely you are to reach your full stretching potential. Stretching, despite having so many benefits, is actually done by very few people. Even regular gym-goers and people who are pro-fitness ignore this essential exercise. It is an important part of working out that people skip.
Stretching exercise make a difference in how your muscles respond to other exercises. Most exercises that people engage in, especially strength-training exercises, result in the contracting and shortening of muscles in a process referred to as adaptive shortening (7). When you stretch a muscle, you prevent all this from happening. Stretching a muscle will help lengthen it, prevent tightness, and increase the muscle’s recovery time after working out.
When you engage in stretching exercise, you end up making your muscles more pliable, allowing them to withstand more strain (7). This thus enables you to make your workout sessions more effective.
When you do a lot of exercises that contract your muscles but never stretch, your muscles are likely to end up imbalanced (6). Such an imbalance increases your risk of injury because some muscles and joints will have to overcompensate for those that are too tight or too weak. This will likely lead to strains and discomfort.
When your muscles are loose and less restricted, you are able to move through your full range of motion (6). Being able to move your muscles through their full range of motion will help you kill it in the gym and, most importantly, go about your daily activities without suffering through constant aches and pains.
Before we highlight different basic stretches for beginners, let’s take a look at the different types of stretches first.
This type of stretching involves the use of repetitive movements. They help improve the range of motion by working the muscles and joints that are going to be involved in the workout you are about to do or the sport you are about to take part in (4). This is actually a recommended way of preparing your body for a workout session, and thus one is advised to perform this particular type of stretching before a workout session. Dynamic stretches help increase circulation without really making the muscles too loose. Just like tight muscles can increase the risk of one sustaining an injury, muscles that are too loose can also do the same.
That is not all. Dynamic stretches help to prepare your nervous system by exercising the neural pathways associated with the skill. This makes this type of stretching the most recommended before a workout session, and you should look to add it to your pre-workout routine.
Read More: Types Of Stretches To Loosen Up Your Body From Head To Toe
You perform active isolated stretching when you stretch a specific muscle until you feel tension, and then hold that position for one to two seconds (4). When doing this particular type of stretching, you usually use your hands or a rope to get the muscles to its stretching point. Due to the fact that you don’t force the muscle to stay contracted, the muscle ends up staying relaxed. Active isolated stretching offers a risk of overstretching especially if you are using a rope, and thus you should be careful when performing this particular type of stretching.
Ballistic stretches use repeated bouncing movements to stretch the targeted muscle groups (4). Although the bouncing aspect of this particular type of stretching may cause an increased risk of getting injured, when done properly; this is doing them from a low-velocity to a high-velocity, and doing static stretches before, it helps reduce the likelihood of an injury occurring. This particular type of stretches is also referred to as bouncing stretches.
PNF stretching is usually done with the help of a partner or a gym instructor. You’re supposed to contract a muscle, release that muscle, and then stretch it (4). PNF stretching is very effective, but only if done properly. You should attempt PNF under an expert’s supervision as it can be very dangerous if done carelessly or in haste.
This type of stretching involves stretching a muscle to the end of its range of motion (4). Once you get to the end of the muscle’s range of motion, you are supposed to hold that position for about 30 seconds. Static stretches are essential when it comes to increasing the length of a muscle by organizing the muscle fibres in the direction of the stretching force and by relieving tension. It is advisable to do static stretches at the end of a workout session as they work wonders for speedy muscle recovery and increase one’s range of motion. It is not advisable to do this particular type of stretching before a workout. The reason for this is the fact that they are not very helpful when it comes to boosting your performance during dynamic movements.
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When you are new to any particular exercise, you should ease yourself into the exercise. You don’t want to do so much that you end up harming yourself and you also don’t want to do so little that you don’t enjoy the benefits of the exercise. Here are examples of flexibility exercises beginners can engage in.
This particular stretch mainly focuses on the hamstrings and helps relieve tension in the back.
How to do it (2):
This is yet another stretching exercise that can help with your flexibility.
How to do it (1):
Read More: How Often Should You Stretch To Enjoy The Benefits Associated With Stretching
This stretching exercise is super effective when it comes to stretching your arm muscles.
How to do it (1):
This particular stretching exercise for beginners focuses mainly on your quads.
How to do it (6):
How to do it (6):
This particular stretch helps stretch your full body and can help prepare for exercises like planks and push-ups.
How to do it (5):
This particular exercise stretches your back, your core, your hips, your neck, and your chest. It is one of the most touted stretching exercise for beginners by yoga instructors and fitness trainers.
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Those are examples of stretching exercise for beginners. Just like any other type of exercise, you need to maintain the right form to prevent injuring yourself when performing flexibility exercises. Stretches are not supposed to be painful. If you feel pain, that’s your body telling you you’ve gone too far. If you have any medical condition, you should consult an expert before adding any various flexibility exercises to your workout program.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!