We are all told we should stretch more ,so why don't we ? and when we do , does it really do anything or are we just wasting our time? AS a personal trainer i see stiff un-stretched bodies every day and i ask the same qeution,"why dont you stretch?" which generally leads to an excuse or two like "i don't have time",or',ïwas to tired after training".These answers will lead you to one place, injury or to the point where you are so tight you cannot train. here a couple tips to ,make sure you are doing it right!
1. Do not stretch cold muscles. before your training session you should warm up with a light ride, fast walk or a jog .from there you shuld go into some dynamic stretches to get the blood flowing.
2. After your session make sure you have stretching program,there is no point stretching different muscles every time. to see improvement you need to have consistency. get your personal trainer to write down a program our do some reseach into which stretches suit your need .
3. Don't just focus on the muscles that are feeling sore or tired at the time.your body works as a whole , if you leave muscles out there will be an imbalance in your body.
4. stretch until you feel your body release and relax. it is no good just stretchibf for 30 seconds then moving on, and do each stretch twice. The second time you should be much more flexible.
5. take 5 minutes out of your training program to stretch. it will mean you recover quicker and are much less likely to hurt yourself.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
