How stretching affects your muscles

Stretching affects your muscles and therefore should be incorporated in any exercise routine you partake. It also helps your body improve on flexibility, improves your muscle strength and generally balances the body.

This should also be observed because stretching affects your muscles even in areas that you least expect or cannot exercise such as the neck. Since it improves flexibility, you find yourself with less stress, improved performance and greater energy levels. There are three distinct categories of stretching exercises; dynamic stretches, static stretches and ballistic stretches.

Dynamic stretching involves a lot of controlled muscle movement. A good example of dynamic stretching is leg lifts or even arm circling. If the stretching movements are not carefully controlled, they can result in muscle injury. Static stretches involve stretching out and holding the stretch for a minute or so. Breathing in this case needs to be regulated in an attempt to get maximum relaxation of the muscles. Ballistic stretches are done by moving your body muscles vertically using inertia pressure as an enhancement.

Caution should always be exercised because when done incorrectly ballistic stretches cause prolonged muscle tension. Most people take stretching as a way of relaxing or cooling down after a rigorous workout, this is not entirely true since stretching affects your muscles giving you more strength even though it involves low intensity movements. Various factors also point at the importance of stretching before exercising. These include; improved posture since it creates balanced muscle tone in all joints; faster reaction time which can be quite handy especially for athletes; decreased muscle soreness since they are relaxed giving you more time in the gym for workouts and muscle toning. It also helps you have more intense workouts, burning more fats and therefore gaining more muscles. Next time you go to the gym, it’s important to start your session with a good stretch.