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Stretching Exercises - Stretching Guide
Stretch for Health
By Gary Matthews
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By the time you finish reading this article I’m sure
you will find time to stretch every day. The lack of flexibility
in people is now seen to be the major cause of general health
problems and sports injury and is also being linked to everything
from stress, back pain, and even osteoarthritis.
It also means that nagging injuries, especially around
your joints take longer to heal.
The latest studies show that up to 60 percent of the general
population with bad backs and knees have tight hamstrings
and hips and the main cause of this is a lack of flexibility.
Active Isolated Stretching (AI)
Olympians have been employing Active-Isolated Stretching
(AI) now for about 10 years, but it has only recently been
brought to the public’s attention.
I have used this technique on my clients for quite a while
now with great success, while adding renewed life and spring
to tired out muscles. AI stretching prevents injury, as
conventional stretching can cause real harm such as muscle
pulls and tears.
AI stretching does what stretching is supposed to do; it
transports oxygen to sore muscles and quickly removes toxins
so recovery is faster. It also works as a deep massage technique
because it activates muscle fibres during the actual stretch.
How to Stretch
Before stretching, dress in loose clothing and try and
acquire a five-foot length of rope and tie a loop in the
end. The purpose of this is to loop the end of rope around
the exercising appendage to squeeze the last couple of inches
of stretch from the exercise.
Find a comfortable place to stretch either on your bed,
a carpeted floor or on a mat.
Isolate the muscle or group you want to stretch then contract
the muscle opposite. This causes the isolated muscle or
group to relax straight away and when it does it is ready
to stretch.
Gently and quickly stretch the isolated muscle until it
can’t be stretched any further; now give yourself
a gentle pull with your hands or rope. Go as far as you
can and then hold the stretch for no more than 2 seconds
then release, do this for a total of 5 repetitions on the
isolated muscle or group.
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The reason for just a 2-second stretch is because when
a muscle realizes that it is being forced into a stretch
it contracts to protect itself from being overstretched.
If you can beat this contraction you’ll be well on
the way to a greater Range of Motion.
Remember to hold for no more than 2 seconds, release, return
to the normal position and repeat for the five repetitions.
Try not to have any hesitations between stretches and make
it as fluid as possible. Try to stretch every day if possible,
remember to:
• Work one target muscle at a time.
• Contract the muscle that is opposite the targeted
muscle, which will relax in preparation of its stretch.
• Stretch it gently and quickly.
• Release it before it realizes that it has been
stretched and goes into its protective contraction.
Below are two exercises that can be done straight away
even while you are at work to stretch that tension and stress
from of your body.
• Lie down on the floor with your buttocks against
a wall and your legs straight up the wall. Slowly flex
your toes towards your knees, hold for two seconds and
repeat five times. This will loosen up your lower back
and stretch your hamstrings and hips giving instant relief
for tired backs.
This exercise can be done while at the office anytime you
start to feel that stress and tension building up.
• Sitting in a chair and putting one leg out straight,
flex your toes towards your knee, now lean towards that
foot, stretching your hands towards it and letting your
head and shoulders follow, hold for two seconds and repeat
five times. This will create a stretch right across your
lower back and neck.
A flexible body is:
• More efficient
• More easily trained for strength and endurance
• Enjoys more range of motion
• Stays balanced more easily and is less prone to
injury
• Recovers from workouts more quickly, and feels
better.
Your goal? To start utilizing these exercises every day
and say goodbye to your stress and tension.
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About the Author:
Gary Matthews has been a gym instructor for over twenty
years. He has trained people from athletes to bodybuilders.
His professional career began in the Royal Australian Air
Force where he was employed as a Fitness Instructor. His
duties consisted of training recruits in various disciplines
including strength training and conditioning techniques.
Gary is the author of several ebooks, including "Maximum
Weight Loss in Ten Weeks" - the complete ebook and
time-saving solution for burning away unwanted fat, and
"Maximum Weight Gain in Ten Weeks" - easy-to-use
and follow techniques that serve as a guide to muscle growth
without having to "live in the gym".
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