Human muscles determine the ability of joints and limbs to move. Moving limbs are a sign of their health. Muscle stretching is also important here. It is logical that the more elastic they are, the more amplitude the limbs can bend or straighten. Of course, there are several reasons for stretching. This article will discuss why stretching is necessary and how to properly perform it.
How it works
One can imagine the following situation: one person can easily sit on the twine and perform other difficult movements.
The other person experiences pain when trying to repeat. This is because the elasticity of the muscles and ligaments of these people is completely different.
Bad stretching is far from a sentence. You can achieve good elasticity yourself, without specific equipment. If a person finds out why he needs a stretch, he needs to observe regularity and proper exercise. The results will be minimal if you do muscle stretching once a week. Best of all - every day.
What is it for?
For people involved in sports, stretching is required for the good functioning of both the muscles and the body as a whole. It provides accelerated recovery after training due to the relaxation of muscle fibers and their saturation with useful substances. Stretching also helps to remove lactic acid, which accumulates during training.
Why do girls need stretching? For the same reason as men. If a girl goes in for sports, then it will be useful for her to conduct such a lesson. In addition, it will help increase muscle elasticity, which will lead to the health of ligaments and joints.
Muscle anatomy
To understand why muscle stretching is needed at all, you need to delve into their structure and then everything becomes clear.
Consider their effect during training. When an exercise is performed on a specific muscle group, the muscles then contract, then expand, if the load is dynamic. During statics, for example, holding the weight in front of you, the shoulder muscles are always in a compressed position, which allows you to hold the weight. After relaxation, when the athlete is resting after a workout, the muscles are still under tension for some time (from an hour to several days), that is, myofibrils (muscle fibers) are contracted and compressed. The body maintains tension in case you need to work again.
So why do you need muscle stretching after a workout? It is in order to stretch myofibrils and bring them to a normal position when they are not compressed. Thus, fiber recovery begins faster, and less time for muscle expansion.
Stretching before workout
As it turned out, stretching the muscles relaxes them and helps to recover. Why do we need muscle stretching before training and is it necessary at all?
In fact, this will not bring any benefit, but only worsen the quality of the workout. After stretching myofibrils, a person makes it clear to the body that you need to relax. And then, producing a load on the stretched muscle fibers, they will work worse and cope with the load that needs to be produced.
Thus, before or during training it is not recommended to perform any stretching movements.
Execution Rules
The question of why stretching is needed is considered. Now you need to understand how to do the exercises correctly so as not to harm the body. There are several rules:
- Always stretch before stretching. You should perform a few light exercises for each muscle group or just do swing movements to disperse the blood throughout the body. You can give an example with an elastic band. If the material is cold, then it can easily tear or damage. Heated rubber becomes much more elastic and less likely to break it. Therefore, a warm-up is mandatory.
- It turned out, why do I need stretching after training, but what muscles do it? If we consider stretching as a way to restore muscle fibers, then it is on those that were loaded during training. If the goal is good elasticity, then all the muscles should be stretched.
- It is forbidden to make sudden movements. Also, you do not need to perform the exercise if you feel pain. Of course, during stretching, discomfort should be felt, but it must be distinguished from pain. Immediately discontinue exercise in case of pain.
The optimal time that the muscles are under stretching is 30–40 seconds. This period is suitable both for recovery after training, and for the flexibility of muscles and joints.
Types of Stretch Marks
- Active. A person makes movements to stretch his muscles on his own. That is, no help is needed and there is no need to resort to the help of any equipment.
- Passive. In this case, the movement helps the coach or partner. You should be very careful in this view, because the other person cannot feel the sensations of another and, thus, you can stretch the muscle and get injured.
- Static The muscle is stretched to a slight burning sensation, followed by a pause.
- Dynamic. With this type of stretching, a person makes jerky movements, in the final position of which the muscle is stretched.
Choosing a type of activity should be based on why stretching is needed. If the goal is to speed up recovery after a workout, then static stretching with or without a partner is perfect. To increase muscle elasticity, you should combine the types: first do a dynamic stretch, and then static.
With dynamic movements, it is necessary to perform all actions under control and not too sharply. Muscles can easily be damaged or stretched.
Exercises
All the nuances regarding why stretching is needed are considered. Now you need to find out which movements are suitable for this lesson.
For the shoulder girdle:
- You need to sit on the floor and put your hands behind the body with your palms back. Gradually, you should move your hands further, leaving the body in one place. Thus, the front head of the shoulder is stretched.
- Starting position - standing. One hand should be taken under the elbow with the other hand and pulled in the opposite direction, stretching the back of the shoulder.
- With one hand you should lean against the wall. Rotate the body in the opposite direction from the arm, thereby stretching the chest and the front head of the shoulder.
For the pectoral muscles:
- You should lean your hands on the wall at shoulder level and tilt your head with your body down. Hands remain in one position. Thus, a horizontal line is built of shoulders, head and back.
- The partner can take the person’s hands from behind and pull them upward, creating a stretch in the chest area.
For the latissimus dorsi:
- You need to sit down a little from a standing position and hold your hands under your knees. Lock the brushes into the lock and reach up, trying to separate them. A sprain in the muscles of the back should be felt.
- Starting position - standing. Both hands should be raised. One needs to hold the other and pull it in the opposite direction. Run with both hands.
For the press:
- Starting position - lying down. You need to bend one leg in the knee joint, and put the other on top of it. The upper leg should be tilted to its side, dragging the second. Stretch of the abdominal muscles is created.
- From a standing position, you just need to lean back, bending slightly in the lower back, so as not to lose balance. The front press is stretched.
For hips and lower leg:
- It is necessary to grasp the ankle of one leg with the back of the hand, keeping the balance on the opposite leg. You should gradually raise your arm and leg to create a stretch in the thigh muscle.
- Hands need to lean on the wall. Alternately, legs should be placed behind you, trying to touch the floor with your heel. Can be performed simultaneously with two legs.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why stretching is needed. However, despite the benefits, you can harm your health if you do not follow the rules for its implementation. It is necessary to stretch wisely and in moderation.