- Benefits of stretching
- 1. Improve posture
- 2. Increase flexibility
- 3. Allow wide movements
- 4. Help you relax
- 5. Activate blood circulation
- Heating benefits
- 1. Prepares the body for effort and improves performance
- 2. Reduces the risk of injury
- 3. Improves mental preparation
- When stretching should not be done
Warming up and stretching have numerous benefits such as improved posture, increased flexibility, improved performance in sports, pain relief in some diseases or even injury prevention. However, in order to obtain good results, it is essential that these exercises are practiced correctly and in moderation.
Benefits of stretching
Stretches are exercises in which the person remains for a certain time in a posture in which the desired muscle remains at its maximum extension.
The main health benefits of stretching are as follows:
1. Improve posture
Stretching the body regularly reduces muscle tension, improving posture, avoiding the discomfort that could arise with poor posture.
2. Increase flexibility
If the muscles are flexible, performance in daily activities and during physical activity is better. In addition, stretches help maintain and regain flexibility, which generally decreases with age.
3. Allow wide movements
Stretching improves flexibility, which will enable you to achieve wider movements and better balance during sports
4. Help you relax
Stretching relieves muscle tension, often responsible for back, neck and head pain. In addition, stretching relaxes your body and mind, helping to relieve stress.
5. Activate blood circulation
Stretching increases blood flow in the muscles, which is very important for recovery after muscle injuries.
Watch the following video and check out the stretching exercises that can be done daily:
Stretching also helps in the recovery and relief of pain in some injuries and diseases such as arthritis, tendonitis, fibromyalgia or inflammation of the sciatic nerve, but it is important that they are done with great care and moderation to prevent them from getting worse.
Heating benefits
The warm-up consists of physical exercises similar to those that will be done during training, but of less intensity. This step is very important and fundamental to have a good performance and above all to avoid injuries.
The main health benefits of heating are as follows:
1. Prepares the body for effort and improves performance
Heating increases body temperature, improving the conduction of nerve impulses to the muscles and decreasing muscle viscosity, thereby decreasing friction between muscle fibers, improving performance.
2. Reduces the risk of injury
Heating increases the release of synovial fluid, which is related to the lubrication of the joints, reducing the friction between cartilage and bones and, therefore, the risk of developing injuries is less.
3. Improves mental preparation
As the warm-up consists of doing the physical exercise with less intensity, it will mentally prepare the person to improve concentration in order to be able to make a greater effort.
When stretching should not be done
Stretching should not be done before weight training, as it will reduce muscle strength.
In addition, it should not be performed until you feel pain, you should only feel some discomfort so that you can properly stretch the muscle.
Care should also be taken with injured muscles or some painful area, so as not to aggravate the problem. In these cases, you should stretch with the help of a professional, such as a physiotherapist, for example.
