Stretching Is Not Warming Up

The first principles are warm up and cool down. The purpose of any warm up and cool down is to reduce the risk of injury and soreness. For this to be applicable, a warm up must be sustained for no less than 10min and for elite athletes, at least 30min. Included in this warm up must be stretching to loosen up the muscles. There are no physiological adaptations that

for a number of tests, including flexibility and power and strength tests, a full warm-up should be conducted to reduce the possibility of injury

As you begin to gently stretch the hamstring muscle it will become more supple. This will result in tension being taken from the lower back, sacro-iliac joint and hamstring muscles, which in turn will encourage correct function of these areas, therefore healing will take place. As a result, your pain will also begin to resolve.

As a trainer, I have found that clients seeking to improve their flexibility complain about tight hamstrings more than any other muscle group. Time and time again, clients are consistently surprised to find that hamstring flexibility can be improved without stretching at all.

Before exercise it is crucially important that you take the time to stretch your muscles and to warm up. As a general rule, dynamic stretches before a WOD are useful, and longer extended sessions of static stretches should be kept for the end of your training. These are a great way to improve your flexibility and cool down after an intensive workout.

The warm up included doing dynamic and static stretches, a pulse raiser and a few drills.

Between the 1500s and 1700s in Europe, the use of exercise to treat muscle and bone disorders continued to progress (“History of Physical”). In the 1800s, exercise and muscle re-education were used for a variety of orthopedic diseases and injuries (“History of Physical”). Stretching had become a large part of medical treatments such as: osteopathy, chiropractic therapy and physiotherapy (“History and Benefits”). The polio epidemic boomed during the 1910’s and doctors realized that strengthening and stretching the muscles helped these people to feel more comfortable (“History of Physical”). The new P.T. or Physical Therapy has come along, exercises and stretching have become the fad of helping with orthopedic diseases and injuries, just as it did before. Some exercises now prevent one from having surgery. Stretching and/or warming-up prepare muscles and joints for high levels of stress. It literally warms up the temperature of muscles and joints to make them more flexible. It is very easy to properly stretch. Study almost any cat to learn the fine art of stretching. Their back arches first in one direction and then in other, their foot pads flare and widen and then their eyes squeeze tight (Zumerchick, 276). If one strengthens muscles around specific ligaments, joints and bones it protects the ligaments, joints and bones from tearing, straining or breaking. It is key to remember

Stretching is not a warm up. Many confuses stretching to be a warm up and sometimes may end up hurting themselves more than improving their performances. If you stretch before a warm up or use stretching as a warm-up before an exercise, you are elongating that specific muscle when it’s still cold which may result in injuries. It is also undermining your warm up if you stretch prior to the exercise. By pulling on the muscle before it had a chance to be activated, you are reducing your range of motion as well as decreasing your performance. In this scenario, you are already prepping your muscle for further injuries. Thus, I do not recommend stretching before an exercise because it should not be use prior to workouts.

Third assisted stretching exercise: Lying supine on the edge of the table and keeping the dominant leg hanging off the table. Then flexing the dominant leg at the knee and the thigh is slightly hyperextended at the hip by gently pressing it down.

When you stretch, you should do so in a slow easy manner and never bounce. You should aslo work on a specific muscle group slowly and one at a time.

Specific warm-up procedures are necessary for an athlete to be able to target and prepare the affected area for return to play through various specialized drills and procedures, eg running up and down the crease to test the ankle and be able to run between the wickets during

Stretching and holding a muscle in an elongated position for an extended period is called static stretching, the amount of time of each stretch can vary but is usually between 20-60 seconds. The muscle is typically stretched to its end range based on the patient’s sensory response. This type of stretch can be performed actively or passively and is generally repeated four to five times on each side. Static stretching is effective for increasing flexibility and has a low risk of exceeding the extensibility limits of a joint. Because static stretching involves a slow and controlled movement, the patient maintains control and reduces the risk of soft tissue tearing.

Reduce injuries. Warming up with a foam roller, can greatly reduce the severity and likelihood of injury. It will activate the muscles and begin to pump blood through.

Stretch your muscles thoroughly. Stretching is important for relaxing and strengthening muscles, and necessary for elongated posture. It is essential to do this at the beginning of each session of ballet and warm up before a show. It is sometimes important to stretch daily for at least 10-15 minutes to warm your muscles well and reduce the risk of injury. You should also stretch to "cool off" at the end of the ballet

Range of movement- This is linked to muscle pliability as the warmer the muscles get, the better the elasticity which enable the body to move easier and have a better range of movement around a joint. Exercise increases the production of synovial fluid at a joint, therefore keeps the joints lubricated and makes them suppler. Consequently, allowing a larger range of movement throughout the body. For example if an individual went on the cross trainer for 10 minutes and then went on to the rowing machine; they would have an increased range of movement at their joints, making it easier to exercise on that machine due to the muscles already being warmed up.