How to stretch after exercise

2024 Author: Arianna Cook | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:23

Why and who needs stretching after a workout? Stretching exercises after sports activities of various types. How to increase the effectiveness of the stretching complex? Stretching (stretching) is to support the flexibility of muscles, joints and ligaments, which can improve posture and develop coordination. Stretching classes can be a specialization of the main training or complement other complexes. Why is the workout supplemented with stretching, which exercises are more effective?

What is post-workout stretching for?

After training, the strained muscles hurt, they are exhausted by intense exercise, and are in a state of hypoxia. Stretching after exercise evenly distributes blood flow and removes waste products faster. Pain sensations decrease, fatigue recedes. Stretching helps to recover faster and form the necessary shape of the figure.

Why stretching after training for men

To get the desired results from your workouts, you need to start, do and finish them correctly. Stretching after strength training can improve endurance, strengthen joints, and increase range of motion. Muscles, undergoing stress with increased intensity, become denser and shorten - in men they are already stiff, the effect of power loads is more pronounced. Overexertion and overheating have a negative effect on joint mobility, which reduces the effectiveness of training.

If the goal of professional athletes' training is sports achievements, then the majority of the stronger sex begins to play sports in order to acquire relief muscles, increase endurance, and improve health.

Mandatory stretching after sports activities frees up tissue for muscle growth. That is, after stretching, the blood flow in the muscles accelerates again, the lactic acid leaves, the connective tissue "gives way" to the muscle fibers, intensive training has a prolonged effect.

Stretching allows you to relax, while the internal organs also receive an additional flow of oxygen. Blood pressure normalizes, ligaments and joints become stronger, and the likelihood of developing diseases in which salts are deposited in the joints decreases. In men who stretch after basic workouts, arthrosis and arthritis appear 3 times less often than those who neglect stretching.

The need for stretching after training for girls

Every woman, whether she is a professional athlete or an amateur, who started attending the gym, paying tribute to fashion, prefers exercises to form a beautiful figure. Stretching helps girls not only improve athletic performance, but also prevent possible injuries and, by strengthening ligaments and joints, increase sexuality during movement.

Girls, if they are not engaged in bodybuilding, do not chase relief muscles, thanks to stretching, they can get rid of tightness, increase plasticity, and get smooth muscle transitions.

Muscle shortening for women is an aesthetic problem. In addition, you can get injured when walking in heels or awkward movement. With regular stretching, coordination improves, injured muscles regenerate, blood circulation accelerates, and movement becomes more confident and sexy.

Stretching not only improves post-workout conditions for women and men, but it also improves mood and allows you to return to your normal life rhythm. For those who plan their training correctly, passive rest for 2-3 hours is not required.

During menstruation, women will have to give up stretching. It increases the contraction of the uterus and can cause profuse bleeding.

Effective post-workout stretching exercises

Ending a workout correctly in the gym or in the stadium helps to avoid injury and strengthen joints. All exercises are performed while the muscles are still warmed up. During the final lessons, there should be a slight painful sensation. You should stretch very gently, slowly, fixing each position for 25-30 seconds. The breathing rhythm should be maintained arbitrarily, as it is convenient. If there is an opportunity to practice in front of a mirror, you should use it.

Stretching after strength training

Stretching is performed after the end of strength training, while the muscles are still warmed up, but breathing has already recovered.

Rules for stretching after strength training:

Stretching the muscles should be started while sitting. Legs are spread as wide as possible, first reaching for one toe, then to the other.
The starting position is the same - sitting on the floor. One leg is bent, and hands stretch to the toe of a straight leg.
They sit on their knees, resting their buttocks on the heels. Perform springy, slow forward bends.
You need to stand up, spread your legs shoulder-width apart, cross your arms behind your back. The leg is brought forward, the arms are also pulled forward, they make a wide lunge. Spring for 15 seconds on the leg onto which the weight is transferred during the lunge. Then the leg is changed.

Men should add these exercises to their stretching routine:

Standing straight, you need to stretch your right hand to the side, and take a sock with your left and press it to the buttock. The position should be fixed for 10-15 seconds, and then the leg should be changed.
Lunges should be done not only forward, but also to the sides.
A hard enough exercise to stretch your back muscles. You need to kneel down and lean forward, trying to hold on and not fall. Ideally, the forehead should touch the floor.

The following exercises are introduced into the complex for girls:

You need to stand up straight, put your palms on your head and tilt your neck back and forth.
The palms are clasped behind the back, the arms are trying to stretch out as far as possible and raise so that pain is felt in the shoulders.
They take the elbow of the opposite hand behind the back with the palm and pull it to feel pain in the joints. Then the hands change.
You need to try to stand on the bridge from a prone position.

All exercises are performed in one approach, 5-7 times.

Completing the stretching complex, they again perform the exercise from a sitting position. Starting position - legs together, slowly bend towards the toes. Then the legs are spread, bend forward, slowly slide with the palms until they relax and lie on the mat. Then you can shower and relax.

Stretching after gym workout on simulators

After intensive training on the simulators, you need to devote at least 30-40 minutes to stretching. It is necessary to take care of the condition of all muscles, stretching them consistently - from the muscles of the neck to the muscles of the legs.

Features of stretching after exercising on simulators:

Neck stretch … They stand up straight, look forward, slowly tilt their head so that their chin touches the chest. Then the head is thrown back, trying to lower the back of the head as low as possible. The right hand is raised up, they try to take their head to the right, in front of the hand. Then the hands are changed, the movement of the head is repeated. During the exercise, care should be taken that the shoulders do not move. The neck stretch is completed by rotating the head.
Stretching shoulder muscles … The Swedish wall is used as a support. One hand rests in a wall rack at shoulder level, the other is taken back in the same plane. The position is fixed for 20-30 seconds, then the hands are changed. Hands are raised up, turned up with palms, then they take themselves by the shoulders. With this position of the hands, the body is rotated, fixing the position in the turn for 15-20 seconds. Then the elbow is taken with the opposite hand and pulled with all strength towards it.
Stretching the chest muscles … When stretching the pectoral muscles, wall bars or parallel bars are used. Starting position - support on the bar, as before push-ups, feet are on the floor. Then you need to slowly go down so that a slight soreness is felt in the chest. The body should be lowered gradually so as not to damage the ligaments. In the lowest position, you should linger for 30 seconds, then perform a reverse lift.
Stretching back muscles … To do this, you need to stand in the following position: bend your chest forward, take your pelvis back as much as possible so that your back looks bent from the side. From this starting position, the shoulders are first pulled back, and then they try to bring them as close as possible, in front. The chin should be pulled to the chest at this time. Mild soreness should be felt not only during the dilution of the shoulder blades, but also during the reverse mixing. Next, they perform forward bends, you need to try to touch the floor with your fingers. Keep your knees straight.

Exercises are performed in one approach, at least 5 times each.

The deflection in the lower back must remain constant during all exercises. Gradually, you will be able to stretch your back muscles so that you can reach not only with your fingers to the floor, but also grab your heels.

Stretching after running your legs

Knee injuries are common in runners and race walkers due to insufficient stretching of the tendons that are under the knees. With knee injuries, they reflexively try to change posture, which can provoke the appearance of pain in the hip joints and in the lower back. A decrease in the amplitude of movement of the limb due to insufficient mobility of the ligaments reduces the width of the stride and slows down the speed of running.

After loading the legs, stretching is carried out using the following exercises:

You need to lie on your back, press your back and legs to the floor. The right leg is bent at the knee, pulled closer to the chest, while the left should remain straight. Then the leg, which is pulled up to the chest, is changed. The position is fixed for 30-40 seconds. Repeat 5-7 times.
The exercise is performed according to the same principle, but in the starting position - both legs are raised at a right angle, the lower back is pressed to the floor. The first 4 times it is done with straight legs, the last 2-3 repetitions, both legs can be bent at the knee, one is pressed to the chest, the second rest on a horizontal surface.
Stretching the quads. You need to stand up straight, rest your hands on a simulator, a wall, a Swedish wall or a regular chair. One leg is bent at the knee, covering the lower leg with the same hand, pulling well. The pose is fixed for 10-15 seconds, then the legs are changed.
The piriformis muscle, which is responsible for rotating the thigh, should be well stretched. If it is pinched, then muscle spasms around the sciatic nerve may occur. In this case, severe pains appear in the buttock, lower back and thigh. In order not to provoke a painful spasm, you need to do the following exercise. Starting position - you need to lie on your back and rest your feet on the floor. Then they bend one leg, put the ankle on the knee of the other leg. Then they cover the thigh with a hand.
The thigh muscles are stretched like this. They lie on their backs, one leg is pressed with the foot to the floor, the other is placed with the ankle on the knee. Then, with their hands, they cover the surface of the thighs and draw the legs to the chest. Then, with the elbow of the opposite hand, they try to move the legs in her direction. The legs are changed alternately, fixing the position for 30 seconds.
In the prone position, the legs are pulled one by one to the chest.
After stretching the thighs, the calf stretches are done to increase stride width and speed. You need to rest your palms on the wall, moving back a distance of about 30-35 cm, as if before a vertical push-up. The arms need to be slightly bent at the elbows. Then, with their feet, they alternately slide back, as far as possible, without changing the position of the hands. The heels are not lifted off the floor.

Stretching exercises are repeated 5-7 times each. Completing the stretching complex, you need to breathe deeply to restore breathing.

There will be no immediate results when stretching, but after 2-3 months of regular exercise, you can see significant improvements regardless of the type of sports activity.

Basic guidelines for stretching

Stretching is not a dynamic movement, it is a position. It takes some effort to learn how to posture. As soon as it is possible to fix the position painlessly, the range of motion should be increased.

To increase the effect of stretching, it is advisable to heed the following recommendations:

Stretching is performed only with warmed up muscles, that is, immediately after the end of the main training complex. If you give yourself some rest, you can get hurt.
The muscles should be relaxed as much as possible before stretching.
The painful sensations should be insignificant, they can even be described as pleasant. Sharp pain is a signal that the range of motion should be reduced.
Each position must be fixed, all movements are performed slowly.
Breathing is adjusted to the exercises arbitrarily, as it is convenient. Breathe deeply and calmly.
Maximum attention should be paid to the muscle group on which the increased loads fell during this workout. But you shouldn't forget about the rest of the muscles either. You can form a stretching lesson as follows: the main exercises for the involved muscle group are repetition 7 times, the rest are performed 3-4 times.

The first results can be seen not earlier than after a month of regular training.

How to stretch after a workout - watch the video: