Honestly people - I H-A-T-E stretching. I mean, come on… as if it’s not enough that I’m ALREADY late to the gym, and I don’t have enough time for my workout - do I really have to waste a few mins just to stretch?
The answer is yes. You simply must add stretching to you fitness training. A full body streth can be done in as little as 10-minutes!
What are the benefits? Just to name a few:
- Fatigued, tight muscles are less capable of performing the skills/movement required, stretching helps loosen you up
- Stretching can help prevent injury by aiding recovery and decreasing soreness
- Stretching ensures that your muscles/tendons are in good working order. The more conditioned they are, the better they can handle the stress of your sport and exercise
- Damn ’syok’* feeling! Heh heh.
Based on my experience, I’ve actually had a significant increase in upper body strength in just weeks after incorporating a stretching routine into my workouts. (Yes, I used to avoid stretching for the first few years of working out.. I’m only human :P)
How do I stretch?
I use the Trebistretch machine (see picture above- Fitness First has them, not sure about the others). These machines make stretching easy and has an instruction board attached to it which guides you on the steps to achieve a full body stretch. As for me, I normally only stretch the bodypart I’m working on for that day. So, for example, if I’m working on my back today, I’ll just stretch my back. I love these machines cos they’re a safe and easy way to help you stretch. In fact, I sometimes get such a good stretch (especially on my back) that the feeling is almost orgasmic - I SWEAR!
Now, one common mistake that people ALMOST ALWAYS do is that they tend to jerk their movements and only hold the stretch for a few seconds!
Now hear me out : It is IMPORTANT to move carefully and slowly into the stretched-out position, and once you’re there - hold it for a good 20 to 30 seconds before slowly moving back into position. Only then will you reap the benefits of stretching.
So, there you have it. My conclusion on stretching?
Stretching is important, and is a simple and effective (and FREE!) method that will help you improve your overall performance in your area of sports.
Happy stretching!
*’syok’ is malaysian slang for ‘a damn good feeling’
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OOOHHHHHH~~~ I hate stretching too! That is the one thing I dislike the most during PT. It freaking hurts k? I can never relax during the entire process.
…. though I was told that if you stretch a lot, you can actually add up to 1 inch to your height. The validity of this statement has not been verified. :D
Scorkes, eventually, it wont hurt that much anymore. Stick with it. Flexibility is a very very useful skill ;)
Err.. not too sure about the 1inch growth though. You try and see lar. Let me know how it goes :P
True Fitness has plenty of them Trebistretch too, and as I pay lips service for all the magic yoga brings you (I am not an instructor at TF nor any other gyms), I just do a couple of sun salutations before working out, be I’ll be doing weights or cardio; and I’ll be good to go!
Not sure about the 1inch growth either since I’ve been practising yoga for almost 6 years and still at 5 feet, barely if not even.
You have a great blog. I have missed out number of good posts since I last visited your site. Keep it up, man.
Hey Mun - thanks. Keep up the good work on yours too. I never miss a single post of yours.
Sometimes I hate stretching but other times I think of how much pain I’d be in if I didn’t. But when I stretch I do it less that 5 minuets. :)
i used to ignore stretching as I’m only human : ) .
after a long period, i found that my range of motion was so restrictive.
then i always force myself to perform stretch…
surprisingly,from my experience, stretching during workout and after workout is extremely useful
- it increases my range of motion. weight training is a process of breaking down muscle fibre and rebuild. the rebuilt fibres tend to be stronger but shorter. stretching will reduce this effect.
- it make me recover faster between sets.
- it significantly reduces muscle soreness.
T+1: Yes, I used to neglect stretching too at first.. but now I stretch regularly, and I think I do see better muscle development too.
stretching helped me do excercise better because when i don’t excercise i feel really sore the next day i can’t move but now i stretch and if it hurts keep it there because that means your streatchign you might hate it but just do it the more you ahet it the more you have to do it and you do grow unless your already grown up. :} :P :) *_*
Where do I purchase my own trebistretch machine? Who is the maker?
Seema: The trebistretch is manufactured by Bcube - check out their website here: http://www.bcube.it/.
You could probably write them an email to locate a distributor or retailer near you.
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