Stretching your hip and groin properly improves hip mobility and alleviates lower back stiffness. Since they are connected to your torso and legs by nerves and connective tissues, you should incorporate other muscle groups with your stretching...
The muscles around your shins can take a beating, especially during activities like running. Your anterior tibialis is the primary muscle of your shins. It lifts your foot upward and absorbs shock during running. You might also feel tightness of...
To get the most out of your workout or stretching session, it helps to sometimes have a partner there to assist you. The American College of Sports Medicine explains that rubber bands initially became popular for use in resistance training with...
Stretching your muscles once they are warmed up enhances their elastic and plastic properties. This means your tissues are likely to become permanently elongated, increasing your range of motion and reducing your risk of sprains and strains. A...
Stretching is an important element of any fitness routine, but it is especially beneficial for spinal cord patients. Regular stretching can help spine patients maintain mobility, and it increases blood flow to areas that may have limited...
Though often undervalued, stretching is one of the components of physical fitness. As you age, you lose flexibility, but you can regain a measure of it by regularly stretching at least two to three times a week. You might not sustain any benefits...
Static stretches, when held for a period of time, relax and lengthen your muscles. They elongate tight and constricted muscles. Stretching after a workout reduces muscular soreness and promotes flexibility. Doing each stretch twice and holding the...
The contractions that occur during strength training, contract and shorten skeletal muscle. To balance the body and counter this action, it's important to stretch and lengthen the muscles. According to the Mayo Clinic, stretching improves...
Stretching your muscles is very good for them. Stretching every day improves flexibility, enhances your athletic performance and reduces your risk for injury during other forms of physical activity. Stretching a muscle actually makes it stronger,...
Stretching tends to get short shrift by people who are more interested in their cardio or strength-building workouts. You might pass stretching rather nonchalantly, but the truth is that your muscles need the stretch -- especially if you are...
Pregnancy can cause a good deal of muscle tension, especially in the second and third trimesters as the weight of your baby increases. Although often experienced as back pain, this tension can also be felt in the muscles underneath the breast...
Stretching has far more significant health benefits than making your muscles more flexible, according to a 2009 study in the American Journal of Physiology shows. The findings have found a correlation between the ability to touch your toes and the...
Stretching your muscles increases their flexibility and might help improve your exercise performance. Stretching also might help reduce your risk of injury. Not all stretching is good for your muscles, though. Forcing your muscles to stretch...
Stretching prepares your muscles for more strenuous activity, and you should perform stretches after slow warm-up exercises, according to the University of Maryland. Stretching helps to elongate and relax your muscles, as well as increase your...
Whether you walk, bicycle, swim or play basketball, your calf muscles play a huge role in almost any physical activity involving your legs. When you're strength training your upper body, your calves help stabilize your body in every standing...
Physical activity requires effective, purposeful movements of your body. These movements are the result of force generated in the muscles that act on the skeleton, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Your muscles...
Most athletes realize the importance of routine stretching as a part of a complete fitness program. However, many people who work out are often unsure about exactly how and when to stretch. Questions come up about the best types of stretching and...
A loss of flexibility in your muscles around the kneecap can contribute to knee stiffness and discomfort. When your muscles are tight, they can pull on the tissues and bones in your knee during activity, which can lead to pain. A daily gentle...
Stretching muscles increases flexibility, reduces muscle soreness, and improves your range of motion. According to ACE Fitness, stretching helps reduce risk of injury and relaxes you physically and mentally. While you can stretch without the help...
Assisted stretching offers you an effective way to loosen up your muscles before workouts, reducing the risk of injury and optimizing your athletic performance. A stretching partner can help move your muscles through a full range of motion and...
The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body. When sciatic pain is felt due to compression on the nerve, it may travel all the way from the hips to the big toe. Stretches for the hips and lower back, especially the piriformis muscle in the...
Stretching is an essential component of fitness that is oftentimes overlooked. It's an intricate physiological process which results in greater range of motion for your muscles. Stretching to improve your flexibility is important because it will...
Muscle stretch injuries are common among athletes. A stretch muscle injury, also known as a muscle strain, is a soft tissue injury that involves a stretching or tearing of muscle or tendon fibers. A sprain is a stretching or tearing injury of a...
The ankle is one of the most mobile joints in the body. Dorsiflexion is a motion in which you bend your ankle and move your toes toward your shins. This works the muscle right below the kneecap, called the tibialis anterior. Anterior is an...
Unless you opt for laser removal at some point in the future, a tattoo is for life. The size and shape of your various muscles, however, is unlikely to stay the same throughout your lifetime. When considering tattoo placement and design, it is...
Morning is not the optimal time for stretching because your muscles are stiff and tight from being inactive while you slept. But by choosing the correct exercises, you can build a morning workout that energizes you for the day while stretching out...
Yoga offers a comprehensive series of exercises for improving muscle strength and flexibility. If you feel that your level of flexibility is too restricted to practice yoga, or if you have reached a plateau in your yoga practice and are looking to...
The correct warm-up technique can increase power, speed, agility, flexibility and reduce injury. Simply stretching in the traditional sense may not be enough to achieve maximum performance. Understanding the different types of stretching and their...
If you've been involved in sports or exercise of any type, you've probably heard you need to warm up, stretch and only then work out. Don't be tempted to skip stretching. While it's tempting to get right down to work -- especially if you have a...
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