If you’re like most people, one of the most forgotten parts of your workout routine is the stretching component. Far too many people go about their workout, putting all the focus on the weight lifting and cardio components, completely neglecting stretching altogether.

Partly, this is because they simply don’t realize the importance of stretching or understand how to go about stretching properly.

Let’s look at what you need to know about stretching and how to get started with this form of activity right now.

The Benefits Of Stretching

First let’s look at the benefits of stretching. The first main benefit is the one that most people know – injury prevention. The more flexible you are, the less risk you’ll have of becoming injured at any point in time.

Another key benefit of stretching however is performance maximization. When you’re more flexible, you’ll be able to utilize a higher range of movement pattern and have more strength behind you in every movement you make. This can really come in beneficial with any other forms of activity that you happen to be doing.

Finally, the last benefit to stretching is reduced muscle soreness and tension. After a hard workout, you will be at a very larger risk for experiencing muscle soreness unless you stretch out the muscles, reducing the built-up tension and helping to clear lactic acid.

The Types of Stretching

So now that you know the benefits, what types of stretching should you perform? There are two main types of stretching – static and dynamic.

Static stretching is stretching that you perform in a stationary position, moving into the stretch and then holding it as the muscles slowly release their tension.

With dynamic stretching on the other hand, you’ll be using slow and controlled movements to move the body through a range of motion to enhance flexibility.

So for example, a static stretch would be a hamstring stretch where you reach for your toes and hold the position while a dynamic stretch could be performing leg swings where you are constantly trying to move the leg higher and higher upwards as your flexibility increases.

Everyone will benefit from performing stretching in their workout program, however those who benefit the most will be those who are starting out very inflexible, older individuals as their joints are more likely to be stiff and inflexible, along with those who are completing intense weight lifting workout sessions.

Getting Stretching Into Your Workout Program

When adding stretching to your overall workout program, you’ll want to save your static stretching for the end of the workout when the muscles are in their warmest state and begin the workout with some light dynamic stretches to help boost your range of motion.

It would be a highly beneficial move to consult with a personal trainer to learn the proper stretching techniques because while this is a very helpful exercise, if performed incorrectly, you can injure yourself quite extensively.

Book a session and learn proper technique. It will really pay off over the long-term.