Stretching your muscles is an important pre-workout activity. You should perform stretches before performing any moderate or vigorous physical activity to keep your muscles limber. Stretching increases blood flow to your muscles, improving circulation and boosting performance. Frequent stretching exercises also increase your flexibility and range of motion. This improves your ability to perform basic daily tasks and may reduce your risk of injury during exercise.
Step 1
Rotate your joints to prepare for stretching. Slowly move at each joint in a circular motion. Focus on rotating your toes, ankles, knees, hips, waist, shoulders, neck, wrists and fingers. This rotation prepares your joints for physical activity.
Step 2
Warm up your muscles by walking or performing a low-intensity exercise. An aerobic warm-up increases blood flow to your muscles, preventing a stretching injury. Spend five to 10 minutes warming up before your workout.
Step 3
Perform static stretches that involve tensing specific muscle groups, such as your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, inner thighs, chest, shoulders and triceps. Use your hands, a wall or your body weight to provide resistance against your limbs. Tense the muscle using this resistance for 15 to 20 seconds. Breathe freely for the duration of the stretch, and resist the urge to bounce your limb.
Step 4
Relax each muscle for at least 20 seconds. Stretch each muscle group three or four times before moving on to the next muscle.
Step 5
Perform dynamic stretches that involve moving your limbs in a specific motion. Gently swing your leg until it reaches its maximal range of motion. Do 10 to 12 repetitions of this motion before switching to your other leg. Repeat the swinging motion with each arm.
Tips and Warnings
- Stretch your muscles throughout the day at home or work to increase your flexibility and range of motion.
- Stop stretching immediately if you feel sudden pain. Slight soreness and fatigue is normal, but sharp pain may indicate an injury. Talk to your doctor if you feel pain when you stretch.
