Most of today's society is plagued with muscular imbalances due to repetitive patterns of movement which place undue stress on the body. That includes sitting or standing for long periods, and repeating the same movements overtime. Muscular imbalance are a result of poor movement of the joints, inappropriate muscles taking over the function of the primary muscles, and decreased nueromuscular control. Static stretching is a great way to correct this. People of all ages and all fitness levels can benefit from static stretching. Stretching improves joint range of motion, improves the function of your muscles and improves neuromuscular control or efficiency. Stretching exercises don't require any special equipment so they can be performed anywhere, at your desk, at home or in the gym. Flexibility and static stretching exercises can be performed during warm up and cool down. Stretching during warm up prepares your muscles prior to exercise and prevents injury. Stretching after a workout improves joint range of motion and helps your muscles recover after a workout which also prevents excessive muscle soreness. Static stretching is even more crucial if you are not active or you lead a sedentary lifestyle. It's important to remember to hold stretches for at least 30 seconds and only to a point where you feel slight tension. There are different forms of flexibility training, including static stretching, active stretching, dynamic stretching, and self myofacial release with a foam roller. Static stretching is the most common type of stretching seen in fitness today. It involves taking a muscle to a low point of tension and holding that stretch for a minimum of 20 to 30 seconds. This allows lengthening of the muscle being stretched by contracting the opposite muscle. This type of stretching is a great way to correct muscle imbalances. Another type of stretching, SMR or self myofacial release using a foam roll, is also a form of stretching to correct muscle imbalances and to relieve knots in a muscle. It improves the length of muscles by placing pressure on "knots" which are bundled muscle fibers. It returns the body to it's optimal level of functioning and it feels great. You can use this technique on most major muscles and combine it with static stretching. Active and dynamic stretching is another form of stretching which should be formed only as a warm up or before a workout. You can cool down with some static stretching. They require holding stretches for only a short duration and several repetitions. Yoga is a form of active isolated stretching. Improving your flexibility and performing some static stretching exercises will not only feel great but will improve your posture, reduce your risk of injury, relieve pain, counteract aging, improve muscle recovery after workouts and reduce stress.
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