Stretching and relaxing your muscles is an essential component of your strength-training program. Too often, weightlifters focus solely on building muscle mass, sacrificing flexibility and comfort needlessly. Stretching and heat applications relax and bring blood flow to the muscles to enhance the benefits of strength training and can increase satisfaction with overall fitness. Follow these simple steps after each training session.
Stretching
Step 1
Warm up for five to 10 minutes, then take a few minutes to stretch the muscles you'll be working. This may seem like a useless cut into your strength-training time, but it will reduce the chance of muscle sprains, spasms and damage that could cause you to have to take time off from your program.
Step 2
Cool down after the workout session with gentle stretching of all muscle groups worked. You should be able to go even deeper into each stretch than you did during your warm-up stretching. Don't force your muscles into the stretch, only go as far as is comfortable.
Step 3
Do gentle stretching in between workouts to maintain flexibility and keep muscles conditioned for your next workout.
Heat Treatments
Step 1
Take a hot bath or shower after workout sessions. This helps the muscles relax and heal.
Step 2
Use the steam room or sauna at your gym or spa for 10 minutes after your workout.
Step 3
Soak in a hot whirlpool the day after a difficult workout session to relieve muscle tension and stiffness.
Step 4
Apply a hot water bottle or heating pad while sleeping to any sore, stiff muscles to help them heal overnight.
Tips and Warnings
- Some spas and clubs sell day passes for clients to enjoy the heat treatment facilities such as whirlpools, steam and sauna even without booking for a massage or spa treatment. Sports massage is another fantastic way to relax muscles and enhance fitness throughout strength-training programs.
- Cool down between heat treatments with a cold glass of water, a cool towel, cold water plunge or by relaxing in a lounge, especially if you begin to feel overheated. Avoid heat treatments if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure, a heart condition, are pregnant, have swelling or any other condition which may become aggravated with heat. Be sure to ask your doctor about your health and using heat treatments.
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