The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports' publication "Fitness Fundamentals: Guidelines for Personal Exercise Programs" lists the five components of fitness as muscular strength and endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and body composition. Power walking will help build strength and endurance while creating a healthy body composition; however, stretching before and after walks is necessary to maintain proper flexibility.
Purpose
The purpose of stretching is to maintain a healthy muscle length. When repeated contraction motions are made in a muscle they begin to shorten. Stretching elongates the muscles, returning them to a normal state after activity. When performed prior to an activity, stretching prepares the muscles by loosening them. Stretching can also help prevent injuries and exercise-induced soreness.
Types of Stretching
The most commonly known stretching is static stretching. It is performed by holding a pose for a set amount of time. However, static stretching is best for improving flexibility after your workout. The New York Times article "Stretching: The Truth" states that dynamic stretching is the best type of stretching to prepare your body for activity. Dynamic stretching involves moving muscles and joints through their full range of motion as opposed to holding poses.
Stretching Exercises
Sample dynamic stretching exercises to perform before power walking include forward hip swings, short vertical jumps, arm circles, shoulder shrugs, body-weight squats, knee lifts and butt kickers. The forward hip swing is performed by holding on to something sturdy with your right hand out to the side of your body, then swinging your left leg forward. Next, graze the ground while swinging your leg behind you. Your body should be upright and straight. Continue to swing your leg forward and back 10 times. Only your left hip and leg should move. Avoid leaning and tilting with the motion. Perform the other stretches in a continuous, full-range motion.
The Warm-up
The duration of your stretching routine prior to your power walk should be about five minutes or more. Dynamic stretching should only be performed after a short five- to 10-minute warm-up. A warm-up is a light aerobic exercise intended to increase blood flow. Increased blood to the muscles makes them more elastic, which helps them stretch.
Common Misconceptions
For many years static stretching has been the go to pre-exercise stretch of choice. Research by the University of Nevada shows that static stretching prior to working out does not improve physical performance. As reported by The New York Times, it has also been shown that static stretching prior to working out may actually cause more injuries by impairing your muscles' ability to function.
