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How To Stretch for Health
By Gary Matthews
By the time you finish reading this article I¡¯m sure you will
find time to stretch every day. The lack of flexibility in people
is now seen to be the major cause of general health
problems and sports injury and is also being linked to
everything from stress, back pain, and even osteoarthritis.
It also means that nagging injuries, especially around your
joints take longer to heal.
The latest studies show that up to 60 percent of the general
population with bad backs and knees have tight hamstrings
and hips and the main cause of this is a lack of flexibility.
Active-Isolated Stretching (AI)
Olympians have been employing Active-Isolated Stretching
(AI) now for about 10 years, but it has only recently been
brought to the public¡¯s attention.
I have used this technique on my clients for quite a while
now with great success, while adding renewed life and
spring to tired out muscles. AI stretching prevents injury, as
conventional stretching can cause real harm such as muscle
pulls and tears.
AI stretching does what stretching is supposed to do; it
transports oxygen to sore muscles and quickly removes
toxins so recovery is faster. It also works as a deep massage
technique because it activates muscle fibres during the
actual stretch.
How to Stretch
Before stretching, dress in loose clothing and try and acquire
a five-foot length of rope and tie a loop in the end. The
purpose of this is to loop the end of rope around the
exercising appendage to squeeze the last couple of inches
of stretch from the exercise.
Find a comfortable place to stretch either on your bed, a
carpeted floor or on a mat.
Isolate the muscle or group you want to stretch then contract
the muscle opposite. This causes the isolated muscle or
group to relax straight away and when it does it is ready to
stretch.
Gently and quickly stretch the isolated muscle until it can¡¯t be
stretched any further; now give yourself a gentle pull with
your hands or rope. Go as far as you can and then hold the
stretch for no more than 2 seconds then release, do this for a
total of 5 repetitions on the isolated muscle or group.
The reason for just a 2-second stretch is because when a
muscle realizes that it is being forced into a stretch it
contracts to protect itself from being overstretched.
If you can beat this contraction you¡¯ll be well on the way to a
greater Range of Motion.
Remember to hold for no more than 2 seconds, release,
return to the normal position and repeat for the five
repetitions. Try not to have any hesitations between stretches
and make it as fluid as possible. Try to stretch every day if
possible, remember to:
¡¤ Work one target muscle at a time.
¡¤ Contract the muscle that is opposite the
targeted muscle, which will relax in preparation of
its stretch.
¡¤ Stretch it gently and quickly.
¡¤ Release it before it realizes that it has been
stretched and goes into its protective contraction.
Below are two exercises that can be done straight
away even while you are at work to stretch that
tension and stress from of your body.
¡¤ Lie down on the floor with your buttocks
against a wall and your legs straight up the wall.
Slowly flex your toes towards your knees, hold for
two seconds and repeat five times. This will loosen
up your lower back and stretch your hamstrings and
hips giving instant relief for tired backs.
This exercise can be done while at the office
anytime you start to feel that stress and tension
building up.
¡¤ Sitting in a chair and putting one leg out
straight, flex your toes towards your knee, now
lean towards that foot, stretching your hands
towards it and letting your head and shoulders
follow, hold for two seconds and repeat five times.
This will create a stretch right across your lower
back and neck.
A flexible body is:
¡¤ More efficient
¡¤ More easily trained for strength and
endurance
¡¤ Enjoys more range of motion
¡¤ Stays balanced more easily and is less
prone to injury
¡¤ Recovers from workouts more quickly, and
feels better.
Your goal? To start utilizing these exercises every
day and say goodbye to your stress and tension.
About the Author
Gary Matthews is the author of the popular fitness eBooks Maximum Weight Loss and Maximum Weight Gain. Please visit http://www.maximumfitness.com right now for your 'free' weight loss or muscle building e-courses.
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