While cardiovascular exercise is important for burning fat and getting healthy, stretching and flexibility exercises offer multiple benefits. Stretching increases your range of motion, builds bone density and strengthens your muscles. If you do moving stretches combined with movement, you also raise your heart rate and burn fat. Maximize the benefits of stretching moves by doing it regularly and following these techniques.
Warming Up
Two tips for warming up will improve your flexibility during stretching exercises. The first tip is to do aerobic activity rather than stretching before your flexibility workout. Spend about 10 minutes walking, doing low-impact dance moves or marching in place. You lubricate your joints and make your muscles more limber, improving your range of motion during stretching and reducing your chance of injury. The second tip is to breathe deeply while warming up so you circulate more oxygen through your bloodstream and to your extremities.
Stretching Style
Two techniques will improve your flexibility during stretches. The first stretching tip is to engage your core muscles before doing any type of stretch. Your abdominal muscles affect your balance and coordination during a deep stretch. The second tip is to move fluidly rather than jerking in and out of your stretch. You may feel like you can extend further by bouncing, but holding and gently breathing into a deeper stretch challenges your muscles without potentially injuring them.
Types of Stretches
Follow two tips to diversify your types of stretches. The first tip is to work in all directions, using your own body weight, the floor and the full extension of your limbs to do stretches. Down dog, plank pose, touching your toes, side to side stretches, lunges and squats target different parts of your body. The second tip concerns doing static as well as moving stretches. Holding a stretch for a breath can gradually improve flexibility. Moving stretches, such as broad jumping while dancing or extending your arms during kickboxing, build your muscle and strengthen your ligaments and tendons helping you become more flexible.
Safety
The best ways to stretch and improve your flexibility also keep you safe from injury. The first tip is to engage a trainer, teacher or experience partner to help you practice proper form during stretching. Doing so ensures you target the appropriate muscle group or joint and helps you avoid injury. The second tip is be gentle with your body while stretching. Avoid locking your joints, bouncing into a stretch, stretching injured body parts or overstretching, all of which can cause pain and inhibit your flexibility.
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