Tips for proper stretching before training

We all know you need to stretch before you start to exercise; yet it is the part of training that is usually ignored or skipped. There are misunderstandings when it comes to how to do it. Improper stretching can lead to injury.

Some tips to avoid injuries and properly prepare for training.

Keep standard routine

Warming up should take 10, 15 minutes. It may seem a lot but it is enough time to fully warm up. Develop a standard routine for you in terms of warming up muscle group that you will practice. If you exercise arms or back, focus on relaxing the muscles of the upper body and if you exercise legs focus on stretching them.

Take your time

Stretching should not be hard and fast. Try during the warming up to relax mentally and to prepare for the training. Breathe deep. Start very slowly conducting gradually accelerates exercises towards the end of the warming up.

Hold the positions

Do not quickly leave the position. Try to keep it in position, to feel the strain. Count with expiration how long you will stay in a particular position. Stretching should be performed merged with continuous movements. Do not make short and sudden moves of the muscle during the stretching, it can lead to injuries.

You should not feel pain

If you feel pain when stretching you are straining the muscles too much or not perform the exercise correctly. Know that during warm up you should not feel pain. Normally you should feel the stretching, but hold it within your fitness. Do not exerting to make it more stretch, only with regular exercise and by the time you will get to the position that you want.

Do not forget you have two sides

When you stretch be careful of your left and right side. It is normal for one side to be less flexible, but it should not be the reason to be treated differently. Make the same number of iterations and the same exercises on both sides.

End the workout with stretching

Your training should began and end with stretching. 5 minutes of stretching after a workout is enough to slacken the muscles you exercise and cracked the concentration of lactic acid that secretes in them. It will contribute to the pain relief that you usually will feel the next day.