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Stretching

    Stretching Editor's Picks

    • About Stretching Exercises

      Stretching exercises have many benefits for your body. They should be performed before and after exercising, and can be done on a daily basis to keep your body limber. Stretching exercises are simple to do, and are not meant to strain your muscles. After stretching, you should feel invigorated and relaxed. more »

    • How to Make a Running and Stretching Routine

      Developing a good running and stretching routine will help you achieve your fitness goals. Stretching is important for runners, as it helps protect from injuries and keep muscles limber. For best results, a good running regime will include stretching routines and workouts. Here's how to make a running and stretching routine. more »

    • How to Choose Supplies for Stretching

      Flexibility is an essential part in exercising because as the muscles increase, without the range of motion and loosening joints, the more likely injuries or cramps occur. And during your stretching warm-up exercises, it's not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on workout equipment. Most of the minimal equipment you'll need can be... more »

    • How to Relax With Deep Breathing and Stretching

      Many of us feel stressed on a daily basis. This stress can lower the strength of our immune systems, which can cause us to get ill. By exercising we can increase the strength of our immune systems. The deep breathing can help you to calm your mind. Combining a physical stretch with deep breathing has wonderful benefits. This sort of... more »

    • How to Do Neck Stretching Exercises at Work

      Sitting at a desk can leave you feeling tense and at times even in pain from holding your neck at a certain angle for long periods of time. Knowing how to do a few stretches can help alleviate the pain and soreness. If you can't remember, set a reminder notice on your calendar program to pop up every 45 minutes or so. Take the time to... more »

    Stretching Quick Guides

    Stretching Articles

    • About Stretching

      Stretching helps to improve a person's flexibility and range of motion. It is helpful to perform some stretching exercises prior to a workout... more »

    • How to Get Taller by Stretching

      This article will provide you with some easy ways to incorporate stretching into your daily routine and get taller at the same time. There are... more »

    • How Does Stretching Help Health?

      Anyone saying "ooh, my back" when lifting a heavy object knows very well that the bones of our bodies are held together with an intricate system... more »

    • How to Do Oblique Stretching

      Stretching is an important part of your workout. It helps improve your posture and helps reduce post workout soreness. Your obliques are a major... more »

    • How to Do Hip-Toe Stretching

      Unlike traditional Western massage, Thai massage works with the body's energy lines and pressure points, involving stretching movements as well as... more »

    Wikipedia

    Stretching

    :The term can also refer to the stretching of canvas on a frame.

    Stretching is a form of physical exercise in which a specific skeletal muscle (or muscle group) is deliberately elongated to its fullest length (often by abduction from the torso) in order to improve the muscles felt elasticity and reaffirm comfortable muscle tone.(Weerapong et al. 189–206) The result is a feeling of increased muscle control, flexibility and range of motion. Stretching is also used therapeutically to alleviate cramps.

    Stretching, in its most basic form, is a natural and instinctive activity; it is performed by many animals including humans. It can be accompanied by yawning. Stretching often occurs instinctively after waking from sleep, after long periods of inactivity, or after exiting confined spaces and areas.

    Many athletes stretch deliberately before or after exercise in order to increase performance and reduce injury. Whether it is helpful, has no effect, or even has detrimental effects is in dispute. While common, it may not be beneficial for all athletic activities.

    Possible benefits

    In the literature described by Michael Yessis, there are many beneficial stretches that can improve range of motion (ROM) in athletes, especially runners. In his review,yessis> he cites benefits of stretching:
    # may improve ROM
    # reduce risk of injury during activity
    # prevent post-exercise muscle soreness
    # slow delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS)

    To gain these benefits, Yessis describes different forms of stretching along with their individual benefits. He suggests that one stretching exercise may not be enough to prevent all types of injury. Therefore, multiple stretching exercises should be used to gain the full effects of stretching.

    Research by Sharman et al. sought to find what techniques elongate muscles through "proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation" (PNF) stretching. They used around seventy sources to compile their data. In read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stretching

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